Though it didn’t result in a playoff berth this time around, the Oceanside girls’ tennis team still recorded another winning season by going 8-6 for the second straight campaign while finishing third in the uber-competitive Conference 2B standings.
The senior-heavy Sailors finished two games behind second-place Massapequa in the standings and held the third-place tiebreaker by virtue of their two-game season sweep of Kennedy.
For her efforts, coach Heather Corriel was named Nassau County Coach of the Year last weekend by a committee of Section 8 coaches.
“It was another great season,” Corriel said. “The girls worked so hard. Even when we had setbacks, they played with heart and never gave up.”
Their resilience was tested midway through the season, when injuries and illness hit the roster hard. Oceanside was 6-2 entering its rematch against Massapequa on Sept. 29, but lost 6-1 and the setback triggered a 2-4 stretch to conclude the season.
“Unfortunately, when we went into the second half with Massapequa, I had half my team play,” Corriel recalled. “They were sick. That’s really the reason why we lost. We just didn’t have a full team.”
Despite the slump, the Sailors still managed to post consecutive 5-2 wins over Calhoun on Oct. 3 and Valley Stream Central three days later in the home finale. Four of the team’s victories came by that score and two others produced a more-dominant 6-1 outcome.
“I love my girls very much,” Corriel said. “I would do anything for them. If you saw senior night, what I did for them — I couldn’t get through my speech, I cried the whole time. I made banners, balloons, a candy buffet table. I really feel like we’re a family, and these are my babies.”
No. 2 singles player Scarlett Rapha was a consistent and steady force throughout the season and finished 10-4 in her final season. She won her last four starts and four of her wins overall came in grueling three-set battles.
“Scarlett really carried us,” Corriel said. “She was fantastic. I could always rely on her either on the court or off. She’d start us off with stretching, and I could count on her for a win. She was so consistent.”
First singles player Estelle Andrews and Mallory Fuchs in third singles each produced five victories in their final varsity seasons. Both went out on high notes with 8-1 wins over their South Side counterparts.
The doubles pairs proved to be Oceanside’s greatest strength. The third duo of seniors Macie Bronner and Sophie Merrill won their first seven starts and finished 9-3 on the season, including another thrilling victory against Calhoun on Oct. 3 by rallying to win 3-6, 7-6, 6-1.
At first doubles, freshman Eleni Smargadas and senior Lauren Young meshed well all year to post a 7-4 record, while the second doubles team of junior Katie Patton and senior Katie Lucero was just as successful at 7-5.
Seniors Alyssa Galletta and Jaiya Ahmad lost their first two matches -- both in three sets -- to start the season, but went 6-3 the rest of the way.
