Sports

Girls Tennis: Clippers finish a winless season

BLUE WAVES 6, CLIPPERS 1

The last day of the high school girls tennis regular season brought one last chance for Riverhead and Southold/Greenport to win — something they haven’t done a lot this fall. In search of a rare victory, the two bottom teams in Suffolk County League VIII that began the day with only one win between them, were in for a surprise.

When the teams arrived in Peconic for Thursday’s match, they found the four courts at Robert W. Tasker Memorial Park unavailable because of maintenance work being done to the courts. That meant that all seven of the individual matches had to be played on the three courts across the street at Jean W. Cochran Park. Southold/Greenport usually uses the courts at both of the parks for their home matches.

With less than three hours of daylight to work with (the courts are not lighted), both Riverhead coach Jerry Duvall and Southold/Greenport coach Howie Geismar agreed that each match would be a pro set, with the first to win eight games the winner.

It worked out well for Riverhead, which snapped a five-match losing streak and finished its season on a winning note thanks to a 6-1 result. It was the Blue Waves’ first win since they defeated the Clippers by the same score on Sept. 19.

The Blue Waves finished the season at 2-10 overall and in the league. The Clippers, who do not have a senior on the team, wound up winless at 0-12, 0-12.

Amy Methven, one of Riverhead’s six seniors, outpointed her opponent at first singles, Angie Bucci, by 40-28 for an 8-4 triumph. After Bucci, a junior, won two straight games to even the score at 2-2, Methven reeled off 12 of the next 16 points for a 5-2 lead.

Cassidy Brown and Kathleen Gregory also brought the Blue Waves singles wins. Brown defeated Rebecca Dickerson, 8-2, and Gregory beat Daniella Menjivar, 8-1.

All three doubles matches went Riverhead’s way. The No. 1 doubles team of seniors Jess Purick and Abby Wehunt scored an 8-1 win over Emma Alvarez and Daisy Rymer. The only tiebreaker of the afternoon saw Ariana Breest and Kelly Falisi triumph at second doubles, 8-7 (7-0), over Athea Mignone and Willow Wilcenski. The all-senior tandem of Stefanie Costello and Brianne Corwin were 8-1 winners over Alexandra Apadula and Dominika Steskal.

Southold/Greenport’s only team point came from its second singles player, Sarah Jannazzo. The sophomore scored an 8-5 victory over Taylor Marelli.

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