Blue Devil JV Girls’ Tennis Compiles 8-2 Mark

The Huntington junior varsity girls’ tennis team enjoyed a great season this fall, compiling an overall record of 8-2. The Blue Devils were captained by Grace Oliva and Olivia Kaufman.

Huntington topped Bay Shore (5-2), Central Islip (6-1), Shoreham-Wading River (6-1), Smithtown West (7-0), Commack (4-3), Smithtown East (4-3), John H. Glenn (7-0) and Kings Park (5-2). The Blue Devils dropped matches to Harborfields (5-2) and Half Hollow Hills East (6-1).

Coached by Washington Primary School physical education teacher Eric Mininni, the 11-member team consisted of freshmen Grace Callery, Andie DiGioia, Katherine Gordon, Grace Kline, Alexandra Learned, Fiona Lynch, Ella Palatnek and Jessica Ramirez and sophomores Emely Herrera Rivas, Olivia Kaufman and Grace Olivia.

Ella Palatnek starred in No. 1 singles and went undefeated at 10-0, including wins over the top players from Harborfields and Hills East. Kate Gordon went 7-3 in No. 2 singles. Doubles team Andie DiGioia and Alexandra Learned also played well, tallying a 7-2 record.

“Ella just quietly had an amazing year just going about her business, winning match after match,” Mininni said. “Kate is one of the hardest working athletes I have ever coached. She was always the first one on the court and the last one off. Andie and Allie gelled really well as a team and they played well together.”

A 4-3 win over Smithtown East was the highlight of the fall. “We were both on the same level,” Mininni said. “All matches were close and intense. We had three tie-breakers and we won two-out-of-three. And the best part of the whole match was it came down to our fourth doubles team and they pulled out a close win. So that made us winners.”

The coach was pleased with the season. “We were a young team with quite a bit of talent,” Mininni said. “We gave every school a run for their money in all of our matches.”

With the team being predominantly freshmen along with three sophomores, Mininni believes he can put another strong team on the court next fall. “I hope that I will be able to have most of them return,” he said.