Blue Devil JV Girls’ Tennis Compiles 10-2 Record

The Huntington High School junior varsity girls’ tennis team turned in a fantastic season, compiling a 10-2 overall record under head coach Robert Gilmor.

“Olivia Puccio played as our No. 1 singles for the season and the remaining 13 players backed her up with excellent work and great commitment,” Gilmor said. “The freshmen came on with a fiery spirit that invigorated the team. The sophomores and juniors were leaders; well disciplined at very team oriented.”

The Huntington practiced and played its home matches on the high school’s six court complex. Practices were held daily after school and on Saturday mornings.

“As a team the girls were remarkable and came within one match of beating the top two teams in our division,” Gilmor said. “Each player teamed up with another player to captain the team during different matches, The girls were easily interchangeable because they all brought such competitive edge to each match they participated in. Next year will be quite a challenge for each of them because they will all be fighting for only a few varsity spots. The future of girls’ tennis looks bright as long as they continue to work on their tennis skills.”

The Blue Devils went into every meet believing they could win. “As a team we went 10-2 but our two loses were very close and the season could have easily been an undefeated season,” Gilmor said. “We remain very enthusiastic about the prospects for next season.”

The roster included Abigail Arelt, Gabriela Avalos, Sophia Curley, Andie DiGioia, Melanie Freeman-Brown, Bryce Gilroy, Charlotte Krause, Keira Lynch, Natalie Mullaly, Amber Murtaza, Violet Palacios, Olivia Puccio, Jessica Ramirez and Milania Watelier.

“The girls were a powerhouse that remained positive with each new match,” Gilmor said. “Great stamina and hard work allowed them to have such a wonderful season.”

The season proved to be the ultimate learning experience for several players, who discerned whether they would be most successful playing singles or doubles.

“In an effort to build up our doubles each of the girls when paired with their teammate played very well,” Gilmor said. “Our singles were very successful but in an effort to allow everyone the opportunity to compete, there were some players that came to the epiphany that singles is perfect for them and others that realized that they need the support of a teammate to work at their optimal capability.”

Several of Huntington’s players immediately participated in after school intramurals as soon as the season ended. If that level of commitment remains intact, 2026 should be another great fall.

“The top players next year will have great competition as they all compete for only a few openings on varsity,” Gilmor repeated. “We remain very positive that we will get a strong and competitive group of girls from Finley that want to improve their tennis and be as competitive, if not more competitive next year.”