Girls tennis: John Jay, Lourdes cap sterling seasons with a postseason prep course

HOPEWELL JUNCTION - Their success isn’t a product of luck or happenstance, but a result of diligence and implacable focus.

There is a tacit understanding within this group of its priorities, and an acceptance that goals won’t be achieved without sacrifice.

With that, additional hours are spent each week outside of school and away from the team, honing their skills and expanding their base of knowledge.

So, when a member of the John Jay-East Fishkill girls tennis team is put to the test, there is never a doubt about her preparedness.

“Whenever we have a bus ride to an away match,” coach Gail Koob said of her pupils, “it’s always really quiet because they’re concentrating.”

Before facing an opponent, these players are sure to do their homework. No, like, actual homework.

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“Yeah,” senior Natalia Anunziato said with a laugh. “We kind of have a reputation for that.”

The team has a collective 98.9 grade-point average, Koob said, and their studiousness is not only evident, but visible.

Lyla Dwyer quipped on Thursday that one teammate might’ve started on a weekend assignment shortly after completing her match. That drew some chuckles from others who admitted they, too, would begin theirs soon after leaving.

That seriousness is balanced by a playful camaraderie and comfort around each other, which stems in part from most of them having played together for years and some being close friends since elementary school.

The tone is set by captains Ella Saltzman, Pallavi Gangasani and Dwyer, and some humor is infused by people like senior Ava Dvorak to keep things lighthearted. Because the group has so much in common — including a willingness to laugh at its “nerd” tendencies — there is “a good vibe,” Dwyer said.

All those things have contributed to a season in which the Patriots secured a league title, qualified for the Section 1 tournament for a third straight season and have four players who’ll pursue singles and doubles championships in the coming days.

“I think it’s the work ethic and a drive to do well,” Gangasani said. “We put full effort into everything we do.”

She was talking about tennis and the team flourishing, but those words are also applicable to their studies.

There is a carryover, Koob said, in that the “good isn’t good enough” mindset that helps the student excel in the classroom also has a direct benefit on the court.

Gangasani, despite her success, has worked consistently since her freshmen year to strengthen her forehand and develop more spin.

Katie Zhang shined last fall as a freshman, earning a singles berth to the section tournament. And what followed was an offseason spent working to improve her athleticism and now, she said, the emphasis is refining swing techniques and mastering her slice shot.

In addition to the team practices, she trains at East Fishkill Recreation and has competitive tennis matches with her eighth-grade sister Tina Zhang, who is a budding star on the team. Her mother, Michelle, too.

“That’s not actually competitive, though,” Katie said with a smirk. “I have never and will never lose to my mom.”

(That claim was immediately countered by her mother, who listed two instances.)

Thankfully for her, those matches didn’t count against her record and she went 11-1 in the regular season, emerging as one of the better young players in the area.

She and fellow sophomore Anika Panghaal — a standout at first singles — will compete Sunday in the Section 1 singles tournament, which begins 9:30 a.m. at Harrison High School. Dwyer and Tina Zhang will contend in the doubles bracket in the afternoon.

John Jay shared its league championship the previous two years with rival Arlington, but the Patriots went 9-2 this season to win it outright. With a deep and talented roster, including nine seniors, they also earned a spot in the sectional team competition, which begins Thursday.

“We’ve definitely improved,” said Dwyer, who also stars for the softball team. “Last year, we lost in the first round, but I’ve seen (my teammates) get better individually and we’ve become a better team overall. I feel like we have a better chance this time.”

The Patriots celebrated their seniors Thursday before a non-league match with Section 9’s Our Lady of Lourdes at Taconic Sport & Racquet in Hopewell Junction.

With its lineup altered to allow some doubles pairings of close friends to close its regular season, John Jay took six of the seven matches. Bella Ciraco won, 6-4, 6-4, at second singles. Tina Zhang and Dwyer won, 6-1, 6-1, at first doubles and Neysa Atencio and Grace Etkin did the same at third doubles.

“It’s a show of growth,” said Anunziato, who teamed with Joanna George to sweep fifth doubles. “A lot of us have been here since we were freshmen and we’ve made progress each year.”

Lourdes’ Tiffany Ren won, 6-4, 6-0, at first singles to complete an undefeated regular season.

This, essentially, was a tune-up for these teams, both of whom now advance to their respective postseason tournaments. Lourdes also dominated its regular season and will compete in the Mid Hudson Athletic League tournament beginning Tuesday at Franklin D. Roosevelt High School.

“They’ve worked so hard and made so much progress,” said Lourdes said Melissa Berardis, whose team went 9-1 and had each of its starters qualify for the MHAL competition. “I’m really pleased for them and I’m proud of where the program is headed.”

Ren is the No. 1 seed in the MHAL girls singles tournament and teammates Olivia Raiche and Amy Tomann are seeded third in doubles. The tandem of Elia Bonavoglia and Emma Berardis are fifth, and Mia Goodwin and Juliette Kermel are No. 15. None of the Warriors lost more than three matches this fall.

The Patriots’ initial opponent withdrew from the match earlier this week because of a scheduling conflict, which threatened to put a damper on their senior day festivities, but Lourdes offered to step in.

“We’re all friends in the tennis community,” said Melissa Berardis, for whom Koob has been an actual family friend since childhood. “Plus, it’s great preparation for us, getting to face a good Section 1 team.”

Clothes for a cause

Emily Saltzman was only 7 years old when she suffered a traumatic brain injury that resulted in her spending almost five months in the hospital. During a riding lesson, she was flung headfirst from a horse and “almost died,” Renee Saltzman said of her daughter.

The days and months that followed, understandably, were frightening and frustrating. The parents and an older sister watched their Emily cling to life at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital and then gradually rehabilitate at Blythedale in Valhalla.

But a ray of light peaked from a question posed by then 8-year-old Ella Saltzman, who wondered why the doctors and nurses were buying clothes for the patients.

“They explained that it’s a financial burden at a difficult time and some of the families can’t afford extra clothes,” Renee Saltzman. “Some of these kids will be in the hospital for months and the families could use a little help.”

And so was berthed the idea for Ella’s Threads, a charity spearheaded by the big sister and launched in 2016 that helps raise awareness about brain injuries in children and distributes clothing for kids enduring long stints in the hospital.

The Saltzmans initially acquired enough clothes to fill a closet at Blythedale and then Maria Fareri, but as word spread and they began receiving donations, then initiative grew to include hospitals out of the area. They’ve even gotten requests from families in other states.

“I’m so proud of her,” said Emily Saltzman said of her sister, whom she watched compete on Thursday. “She’s one of my biggest inspirations in life and I’m glad that she’s helping so many other people.”

The 16-year-old has recovered well from her injuries, said she has few physical limitations and now is a sophomore at John Jay.

And, from that near tragedy came a lasting positive.

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Girls tennis: John Jay, Lourdes cap sterling seasons with a postseason prep course