Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Baldwin’s girls tennis team completed one of its finest seasons and the senior first-doubles team of Chloe Harding and Mia Tavarez went out in style.
The Bruins vied for the Conference 3B championship, tied late in the season with eventual champion Farmingdale before falling short late and finishing up at 9-5.
But the best part of their voyage was the wonderful campaign weaved by Harding-Tavarez – the co-captains and Bruins' heartbeat. The duo compiled a 11-3 record and were selected to compete at the Nassau County championships at Eisenhower Park last Saturday.
The duo have been partners since freshman year and never saw nearly this amount of success – finishing below .500 in 2025.
"It was surreal,'' Harding said. "Coming from the prior years and seeing each other grow to the players we are today, it was amazing. I literally can't believe it.''
Harding and Tavarez have been friends since 1st grade but didn't pick up tennis until 7th grade.
"Over the years, we've gotten to understand each other on a deeper level,'' Tavarez said. "When you're on the court, playing every day, it causes you to understand someone, like when I'm stressed, anxious and how to calm me down. That understanding got us where we are.''
Neither player had any desire to move into the singles lineup entering their senior years.
"Tennis is such a mental game that it's amazing I had the opportunity to play with a friend on the court,'' Harding said. "We know each other so well, we know where we struggle, where we have our benefits. We bounce off of that. That's a secret to our record.''
The senior girls, who want to play club tennis in college, won nine of their first 10 matches.
"They have a nice connection, really good chemistry and complement each other nicely,'' longtime Baldwin coach Lauren Jarmel said. "Really good communication.''
Jarmel, who has been the Bruins’ coach since 2003, was also ecstatic about her second, third and fourth doubles units. In Nassau County high school tennis, the matches are three singles and four doubles. Thus, strength in doubles is vital and that's where Baldwin racked up points.
At second doubles, junior Amya Garcia and freshman Isabel Randazzo posted a 6-2 record. Sophomore Camila Tavarez, younger sister of Mia, and freshman Lily Nelson were 6-1 at third doubles.
The MVP of Baldwin's singles lineup came at third singles with freshman Ariana Dixon, who dazzled with a 9-5 record, showing great promise.
"She's a versatile player with a strong serve and she volleys well, with good angles and reflexes'' Jarmel said. "She's not afraid to come to net to serve and volley.''
At the top of the singles lineup were two seniors in No. 1 Kennedy Smith and No. 2 Taylor Antoine. They've been on the squad since freshman year but had difficulty notching wins s against fierce competition. Antoine also got hurt late in the season.
The fourth doubles team alternated between junior Aniya Ramnarine, sophomore Jenna Howell and senior Michelle Ibiam. Aniya had a combined 10-2 record, including 5-0 when paired with Ibiam.
The counties served as a bittersweet moment for Harding-Tavarez as they lost in the early rounds. They had never played counties before. Harding is the better server and volleyer while Tavarez is steadier at the baseline.
"We were just going to have a lot of fun (at counties) because it's the last time we're going to play doubles together,'' Harding said.
