Hills East Downs Harborfields to Remain Undefeated

September 22, 2015 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
syosset pic

Half Hollow Hills East continued its perfect start to the 2015 season on Monday afternoon, downing Harborfields 5-2 in a League I showdown. Hills East was seeking its fifth straight win to start the season against an upstart Harborfields squad that is stocked with young talent.

“I have a bunch of young kids. We have an eighth-grader playing second singles, a ninth grader playing third singles and a 10th grader playing fourth singles. So it’s a transitioning year for us,” said Harborfields Head Coach Bob Davis. “I think we’ll be fine the next couple of years. This year isn’t over just because our league is so much harder than all the other leagues, that if we come in third in our league, we could get seeded in the top 9 or 10 in the county tournament, so I’m very optimistic.”

Despite the youth, Harborfields came into this match playing solid tennis and keeping itself right in the thick of the League I race. But even with top singles player Stephanie Chikvashvili out for Hills East, the Thunderbirds experienced lineup was too much for Harborfields on Monday.

Hills East took all of the doubles matches, and Gabby Raziel finished the job with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Taryn Roche at first singles.

“I had five match points and she stayed with it. She was a tough player,” said Raziel. “There were a lot of long rallies. I just waited until I could see the open court and then went for it. I waited for the opportunity to approach and go for a winner.”

Harborfields entered this match on a two-match winning streak, with impressive wins over Hills West and Smithtown West, but just didn’t have enough to defeat Hills East on Monday.

“We just won two in a row and have beaten Hills West twice for the first time in 11 years,” said Davis. “We knew Hills East was going to be very formidable. We got them on a day when they didn’t have their best player, and they still had enough depth to put us away.”

Hills East will take its undefeated record on the road against Smithtown East in its next match, while Harborfields will look to get back on the winning track when it visits Smithtown West.

In Nassau County, Syosset defeated Port Washington 5-2 in Conference I play Monday afternoon. Juniors Kate Majoy & Maddy Schlesinger won the deciding match over Blake Dolin & Lauren Ambos in second doubles by a score of 7-6(3), 7-6(3).

Majoy & Scheslinger are best friends off the court and they thought it played a vital role in their play on the court.

“We play together often and know each other very well, “said Scheslinger. “A lot of times we can communicate without talking.”

Majoy added, “Today was one of our best matches. We came to the net and utilized our volleys as a team."

“I am very proud of our team,” said Sklar. “A special shout out to Kate and Maddie for clinching the match and pulling out a tough win."

Syosset Coach Shai Fisher was happy to improve to 4-1 on the season. He has seen many close matches this season and was proud to see his team come out on top in this one.

"Everyone played well,” said Fisher. “Our doubles teams are getting more confident. It was great to see them come through in the clutch."

Great Neck North continued its winning ways with a 5-2 win over Wheatley in Conference II-A action on Monday. The deciding match came at second singles, as Ashley Yu came back from a set down to beat Jolie Katz 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, to help the Blazers move to 5-0 on the season.

Up next for Great Neck North is Garden City, while Wheatley visits Cold Spring Harbor.

In Conference III-B, New Hyde Park also remained undefeated on the year, moving to 5-0 with a 4-3 victory over Long Beach. Daphne Sciozios guided New Hyde Park to the win, beating Danielle Breen 6-2, 6-2 at third singles.

New Hyde Park will look for its sixth straight win to start the year when it travels to Valley Stream South. Long Beach hosts Valley Stream North next.

Here are the rest of the scores from Monday’s action on Long Island:

Nassau County
Manhasset 4, Roslyn 3
​►Locust Valley 4, Great Neck South 3
​►North Shore 4, Glen Cove 3
​►Oyster Bay 4, Garden City 3
​►Cold Spring Harbor 5, Herricks 2
​►Hewlett 5, South Side 2
​►Lynbrook 7, Calhoun 0
​►East Meadow 5, Farmingdale 2
​►Baldwin 4, Clarke 3
​►Carle Place 4, Mepham 3
​►Carey 4, Valley Stream South 3
​►Hicksville 4, Valley Stream North 3
​►MacArthur 4, Valley Stream Central 3

Suffolk County
​►Commack 6, Smithtown East 1
​►Hills West 5, Smithtown West 2
​►Glenn 5.5, Kings Park 1.5
​►Northport 4, Huntington 3
​►West Babylon 6, Lindenhurst 1
​►Islip 7, West Islip 0
​►Sayville 4, Bay Shore 3
​►Babylon 5, Deer Park 2
​►West Babylon 6, Lindenhurst 1
​►Ward Melville 5, Stony Brook 2
​►Middle Country 4, Bayport-Blue Point 3
​►Miller Place 7, Sachem North 0
​►Longwood 7, Bellport 0
​►Floyd 6, Mattituck 1
​►Easthampton/Bridgehampton/Pierson 6, Southampton 1
​►Westhampton 5, Ross 2
​►Hampton Bays 7, Southold/Greenport 0
​►Mercy 6, Shoreham-Wading River 1



 

Scenes From the Suffolk County League I Match: Half Hollow Hills East vs. Harborfields
Credit all photos to Matthew Cohen


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