Boys Tennis: Clippers find there’s no place like home
CLIPPERS 5, SHARKS 2
Because Southold High School has only four tennis courts, the Southold/Greenport boys team usually plays its home matches at Jean W. Cochran Park and Robert W. Tasker Memorial Park in Peconic. But the Clippers clearly have a soft spot for their courts in Southold. Coach Andrew Sadowski said his players requested that their final home match of the season be played at the high school.
And so it was done. The setting provided them with a nice memory.
Greg Quist’s win at third singles gave the Clippers the match-clinching point in a 5-2 defeat of Eastport/South Manor on Tuesday in the first meeting of the season between the teams. They will play again on Monday in the regular-season finale in Manorville. Before then, the Clippers will have matches against East Hampton/Bridgehampton/Pierson and Riverhead.
The Clippers are 6-3 overall and in Suffolk County League VIII. The Sharks are 4-5, 4-5.
Five seniors — Quist, Tom Messana, Steven Amato, Liam Anderer and Nick Frodella — all played their final match in Southold.
Quist beat Zach Zanderzuk, 6-2, 6-0, for the vital fourth team point. Shortly after, the third doubles duo of Anderer and Frodella put the finishing touches on their 6-1, 6-2 win over Christian Esposito and Matt Hayes.
The Clippers’ second singles player, Aidan Walker, was a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Kevin Gorman.
Amato teamed with Alex Lincoln to register a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Joe Carmada and Kevin Filetto at second doubles.
Southold/Greenport’s eighth-grade wunderkind, Xavier Kahn, put up a good showing in first singles, but junior Alex Reiley was too much for him, posting a 6-2, 6-0 result. Kahn did well exchanging shots with Reiley, but Reiley found spaces to put away 33 winners to Kahn’s 12 in the 37-minute match. Committing only one double fault and four unforced errors, Reiley outpointed his younger opponent, 54-23.
Kahn’s twin brother, Jacob Kahn, won his fourth singles match by forfeit.
The first doubles contest went to Tim Jurgielewicz and Tom Westphalen, 6-2, 6-0, over Messana and Aidan Vandenburgh.
