Saturday, November 8, 2025
The Lynbrook girls’ tennis team captured its second straight conference championship in 2025. But, this time, it did so with an exclamation point.
The Owls went a perfect 14-0 and finished two games ahead of second-place Massapequa to repeat as Conference 2B champions. Two of the singles’ players from last year’s 12-2 squad returned, as did two of their doubles’ pairs, and the newcomers filled in admirably.
Lynbrook won twice by 7-0 sweeps and six more by 6-1 scores. Unfortunately, it lost to Jericho in the playoffs 6-1 on Oct. 9, but, to coach Shari Bowes, that didn’t dampen the accomplishment.
“That was pretty awesome,” Bowes said. “These seniors have been together since really seventh grade. They have all moved up together, and I think finally, as a cohesive group, they really just clicked. “
The closest the Owls came losing was on Sept. 18, when they outlasted Valley Stream Central 4-3 on their home court. The team got win from singles players Charlie Travis and Angelie Das and the second-team doubles combination of Kate Shovsky and Cathy Kim rallied to win in three sets after dropping the first 4-6.
But the fourth-doubles team of juniors Sophie Giddings and Hayley Shapiro swept their match 6-3, 6-3 in the first and only time the pair would team up together on the season.
Freshman Angie Das, the only new singles player in the lineup, lost the first set of her varsity career against Massapequa on Sept. 4, but rebounded to win that match and her next 13 in straight sets to finish undefeated. She was also the lone Owl to defeat her opponent against Jericho.
“I knew Angie was good,” Bowes said. “I thought she was going to be a little bit more timid, not as strong as a freshman mentally. So, yes, that surprised me because she was very strong mentally and she was not timid at all. She was awesome all season long. Even in the Jericho match, she dominated the match. I thought.”
Top singles player Travis won 13 of her 14 matches in her final varsity campaign, all of them coming in straight sets.
“Charlie is just so consistent,” Bowes said. “She could get to everything. She plays such a great game. She's such a polished player.”
Bowes reunited senior Shovsky and sophomore Kim in second doubles after the pair won eight matches last fall, and they rewarded their coach’s faith in them by going 13-0, 12 of them in straight sets.
The third doubles pairing of senior Avery Taub and Camila Montana went 13-1. They won their final seven matches after losing to Oceanside during that Sept. 18 duel.
Sophomore Lily Cooper and senior Marisa Schiller won four of their final five appearances – two of them in three sets – to finish 8-6. The usual fourth doubles team of seniors Sophia Romanowski and Elin Kim went 8-2.
Bowes envisions bigger roles for Shapiro and Giddings next year as well as sophomore Shelli Tetalman as the Owls try for a three-peat.
