Calhoun nets conference crown

The Calhoun girls tennis team netted a 180 degree turnaround this fall with a league title one year after winning just one match.

A 5-2 win against Valley Stream Central on Oct. 10 capped off a perfect 14-0 regular season for the Lady Colts in Conference III-B. Calhoun won most of its matches in convincing fashion with the dominance a welcome surprise to coach Peter Magnunson.

“To go undefeated was pretty impressive,” Magnunson said. “I didn’t expect that.”

Calhoun was tested on its perfect regular season journey with two close wins against second place Long Beach (12-2) by 4-3 scores. In the second win against the Marines at Long Beach on Oct. 4, the doubles team of Danielle Kiel and Sabrina Muro rallied to capture the decisive match in three sets, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4. In the teams’ first meeting on Sept. 15 in North Merrick, freshman Michelle Serban clinched the victory with a 6-4, 7-5 victory in the second singles match.

“They showed some real mettle,” said Magnunson of the clutch points achieved in the sweep of Long Beach. “It was intense.”

Senior Nikki Tzanetos shined in her final year in a Calhoun tennis uniform with All-Conference honors as the Colts’ number one singles player. The first doubles team of Sophie Schuster and Jill Ramo also earned All-Conference accolades with an unbeaten regular season run. 

The successful third doubles team of seniors Julia Frank and Lindsay Sheridan added further veteran leadership to mold Calhoun’s underclassmen throughout the fall.

“The seniors really set good examples and had a positive influence on the younger players,” Magnunson said. “That’s contagious.”

Serban made major strides in second singles as a freshman in her first season competing on varsity. Sophomore Anastasia Slobodov also made headway on third singles.

Calhoun was rewarded for its regular season success with a playoff appearance on Oct. 12 at Conference I opponent Roslyn. The Colts were over-matched against a more experienced team in a 7-0 loss to an eventual county finalist, but Magnunson said the defeat did not dampen the spirits of a 2017 season filled with plenty of joy from a team that bonded together on and off the court.

“The girls showed up every day with good attitudes,” he said. “They love to play and miss it when it’s over.”