Long Beach nets a dozen wins

Long Beach’s boys’ tennis roster may lack a dose of starpower some of the other teams in Nassau County bring to the court, but the Marines work as hard as any and qualified for the playoffs with a 12-2 record in Conference 3B.

“We have a lot of kids who are good athletes and equal in ability,” coach Sue Hirschbein said. “We made the playoffs last year and brought back most of the lineup, so we were hoping to go just as far.

“The kids know anything can happen on any given day in a configuration of three singles and four doubles,” she added. “We’ve always been strong in doubles, and our singles are all smart, hard-working players.”

Long Beach had a chance for a share of the conference title but came up just short against undefeated MacArthur on May 6, losing 4-3. “All three singles matches went three sets and some of the doubles matches were very close,” Hirschbein said. “MacArthur had beaten us 6-1 the first time, but the match was closer than the score shows.”

The rematch came down to third doubles, where Long Beach’s tandem of freshmen Jesse Scott and Blaise Derenze pushed the Generals’ Antonio Abatte and Pepe Barsallo to the limit in the narrowest of defeats, 7-6, 7-6. “Jesse and Blaise played their hearts out,” Hirschbein said. “They jelled together early in the season and brought out the best in each other.”

At first doubles, senior Paul Douglas and freshman Adam Leavitt finished the regular season with only one loss in 14 matches. Both are left-handed. “Paul has a lot of experience and Adam follows the ball so well and can put it anywhere on the court,” Hirschbein said. “Adam loves and understands the game. I think he helped Paul as much as Paul helped him. They’re fun to watch.”

The No. 2 doubles pairing of seniors Jack Gesuale and Alex Schneider also went 13-1 against conference foes. “The turned out to be the perfect complement for each other,” Hirschbein said. “Jack is very tall and has a great overhead smash he loves to use, and Alex is one of our strongest servers.”

Sophomore Cooper Everett was a constant at fourth doubles and paired with Justin Kolodny, another sophomore, throughout the second half. Everett had a record of 12-2. Robert Del Prete, Adam Bahoul, Ian Adler, Luigi Silvestri, Sam Miller, who suffered a wrist injury, and Dilan Mondenesi also contributed to the Marines’ success.

Senior Justin Barry returned as the team’s top singles player and managed a winning record of 8-5. “Justin’s a natural,” Hirschbein said. “He’s an outstanding badminton player and has great hand-eye coordination. He’s also a quick and smart player.”

Senior Corey Ochs, the class Salutatorian, moved to No. 2 singles from No. 1 doubles a year ago and held his own. “He puts his all into everything he does,” Hirschbein said. “He battles for every single point.”

Junior Justin Weissberg, who didn’t lose a game against Sewanhaka on May 4, returned at third singles and earned six victories.