Tuesday, October 20, 2026
With a new coach, the Hewlett girls tennis team had a remarkable turnaround in 2026, boosted by a powerhouse top three singles.
Hewlett finished at 12-2. The only disappointment is Hewlett didn't bring home the Conference 2A crown, but it certainly came close. Unbeaten Herricks won the conference title as it beat Hewlett both times by 4-3 scores.
In the second meeting, on Sept. 30, Herricks won five of the seven matches in three-setters. "We were very close,'' said first-year Bulldogs coach Jordan Richman. who played high school tennis at Queens power Cardozo and went on play at Division I Wisconsin.
Richman, who had done private lessons but hadn't coached high school, replaced longtime coach Gail Weintraub. She had a tremendous run but her last girls squad struggled last season to a 2-13 record – 0-10 in conference.
One reason was star singles player Tiffany Lin didn't play singles last year – just doubles. Lin returned for her senior season at first singles and posted a 13-1 record, making the Nassau County semifinals.
On Sunday, Lin lost a three-setter in the match for third place, ending her bid for the state tournament. "She's a really strong baseliner,'' Richman said. "She's unique in she favors her backhand. It's her best shot – which obviously is unusual.''
At second singles was super steady senior Mia Savransky, who weaved an 10-2 clip.
"She's a wall,''' Richman said. "She will try to outlast any opponent. Every point with her is a marathon. What she might lack in weapons, she runs down every ball. That's her game.''
Sophomore Abigail Kurtz may have college-tennis potential after posting a 12-1 record at third singles. "She's a combination of a good baseliner, mixing in some offense,'' Richman said.
The first-doubles pair of senior Sara Golduber and junior Alisa Kruglyansky competed in several epic 3-setters - with a couple of them resulting in clinching the team score. "They had a lot of thrilling matches,'' Richman said.
Ironically, Kruglyansky's most thrilling match came as a fill-in at singles against Friends Academy in the regular-season finale. The triumph over Friends Academy, the coach believes, was their best win of 2026 in a rain-interrupted battle.
Hewlett was down two of its top four players and trailed badly when the match was postponed and rescheduled. When Hewlett returned to Friends on Oct. 6, it rallied for the win as Kruglyansky came back from a set down to win a three-setter.
"Everyone was playing up,'' Richman said. "It was Alisa's only singles match all year. And she got killed in the first set, but came back.''
At second doubles, Olivia Nus (junior) and Londyn Gershfeld (sophomore) held up fine, complementing each other's style. "They got better as the year went on and finished strong,'' Richman said. "Londyn handled the backcourt. Olivia was my volley specialist – did a great job putting balls away at net.''
At third doubles, Alessandra Tetsoti (sophomore) and Ariella Katz (freshman) was solid despite their youth. Katz was the only freshman on the roster and owns the team's best serve, technically, with her Continental grip allowing for multiple spins.
The fourth doubles were sophomores Eden Tajcher and Victoria Mata. But it was the top of the lineup that keyed Hewlett's spectacular season.
"We dominated singles,'' Richman said.
