VSC tennis continues success

It’s unlikely any opponents will take Valley Stream Central lightly on the tennis courts ever again. The Eagles, who won Conference IV in 2011 and landed atop Conference III a year ago, continued to make a name for themselves this spring by finishing as runners-up in Conference II with an overall record of 12-4.

“We almost made history,” coach Brian Gallagher said. “No program has ever moved up and won three conference titles in a row. We made a great run. I’m pretty proud of the guys.”

Central, which lost three of its first four matches but carried an 11-match winning streak into the conference finals, ended with a 6-1 defeat to Manhasset on May 14. The teams split matches during the regular season. “We gave Manhasset its only loss and went into the finals thinking it could go either way,” Gallagher said. “It just wasn’t our day.”

Most days were, Gallagher said, once the Eagles built their confidence. It didn’t take long, he said. “We lost our first match 4-3 to Herricks, and we felt we belonged in Conference II,” he said. “Then we beat Garden City in our next match and proved we belonged.”

Despite losing a handful of key contributors from a year ago, the lineup fell into place rather quickly. Freshmen twin brothers Athell and Jordan Bennett earned the No. 1 and 2 singles positions, respectively, and freshman Mario Birch teamed up with senior Justin Wolff, another first-year starter, to form a clutch fourth doubles tandem.

Gallagher said he remembers watching the Bennett brothers play at a local park a few years ago and couldn’t wait to get them on the roster. “I knew they’d come in as singles players and contribute immediately,” Gallagher said.

Athell Bennett won 11 of 14 matches, and Jordan Bennett led the Eagles in wins with 14 against just two setbacks. They competed in the Nassau County championships as a doubles team and reached the quarterfinals to earn All-County honors. “They’re almost carbon copies on the court,” Gallagher said. “Athell is a little more involved in the sport and plays a lot of USTA events. Both of them have great shot-making ability. Their accuracy is spot-on.”

At third singles, senior Rohan Motawni used an improved backhand to compile a 10-5 mark. “He’s a grinder,” Gallagher said. “He definitely had the longest matches of the season.”

Each of Central’s four doubles squads won at least six matches. Seniors Jegan Abraham and Ken Liang formed the No. 1 tandem, and two of their six wins came against opponents that beat them the first time around. Seniors Jason Shen and Jon Chou had seven wins at second doubles, and juniors Kaushik Dudakia and Thomas Zadzian recovered from a tough start to win eight of their last 11. Two of Birch and Wolff’s six victories put the Eagles over the top, 4-3, against Garden City and Herricks.