Achieving perfection: Meet the 2024 Girls Tennis Player of the Year, Super Team & All-Stars

SouthCoast girls tennis teams had a strong spring with Old Rochester and Wareham winning their respective conference titles and six teams — Apponequet, Bishop Stang, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Old Rochester and Wareham — all making the MIAA playoffs.

The Bulldogs had the deepest tournament run, reaching the Div. 3 Elite 8.

Here's a look at The Standard-Times' top girls tennis players from the 2024 season.

FAN VOTE: SouthCoast High School Female Athlete of the 2023-24 School Year

GIRLS TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Brooklyn Bindas, Wareham, Senior

While Brooklyn Bindas was recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum in her hip last year, all she could think about was getting back on the tennis court.

“I stayed positive the whole time,” she recalled. “The one thing hard for me was I lost all the muscles in my legs and I lost a lot of mobility. It put me down for a little bit. I thought it was going to be hard to get back to where I was, but I think I’m back to that level.”

A fully healthy Bindas once again took the tennis community by storm this spring as the Wareham senior capped off her remarkable career by going undefeated for the year and earning her fourth Standard-Times Girls Tennis Player of the Year Award.

“She really missed playing because she hated being injured,” said Wareham head coach Geoff Swett. “It was a complete and full recovery. The vast majority of her sets in matches were 6-0, 6-0.”

WHY SHE WAS SELECTED

With Bindas winning every one of her first singles matches, the Vikings enjoyed a smooth transition from the South Coast Conference to the Mayflower Athletic Conference as they captured a share of the league championship in their first year.

“I just wanted to play the best that I could,” said Bindas, a six-year varsity player. “It was my senior year so I knew it was my last one. This year I felt like this was my biggest year to be a role model.

“I just want people to look up to me. I want them to remember me as a good teammate and a good captain.”

Bindas was instrumental in Wareham’s rise to success over the past few years. In her sophomore season, the Vikings reached their first ever state final after a perfect regular season.

“Beyond her tennis skills, she’s just someone always pursuing excellence whether it’s tennis, academics or community service,” Swett said. “She never settles for anything but the best. She’s an outstanding individual that doesn’t come along often.”

KEY STATS

As a senior, Bindas went 18-0, including a win in the playoffs. She finished her high school career with a perfect 80-0 record without losing a set.

“The thing that surprises people is they can’t find a weakness,” Swett said.

MVP MOMENT

Bindas’ biggest challenge came against Old Rochester’s Neva Matos, but Bindas was able to beat the South Coast Conference MVP in straight sets 6-2, 6-2 on May 9.

WHAT’S NEXT

Bindas, Wareham’s 2024 Valedictorian, will attend and play tennis next year at Div. III Tufts University. “Playing high school tennis inspired me to play college tennis. Playing on the team made me realize how much I wanted to work on a team,” she said. “My main reason for going to Tufts was academics, but the tennis program is strong as well. It’s the best of both worlds.”

NOTES

Bindas started playing tennis at Wareham High as a seventh-grader. The 18-year-old from Rochester is working full time this summer at The Bay Club in Mattapoisett.

SUPER TEAM

Neva Matos, Old Rochester, Sophomore

Matos was nearly unbeaten in 2024 at first singles as the sophomore standout went undefeated in South Coast Conference action, earning SCC MVP honors. She also won the conference’s Individual Tournament title. Her lone loss came to Wareham’s Brooklyn Bindas, the 2024 Standard-Times Player of the Year. “Overall it’s her intensity,” said Old Rochester head coach Kyle Noseworthy of what makes Matos stand out. “She’s super focused and wants to get better. When you’re talented as she is, you have the ability to impact the team. She’s a great influence and a great part of the team. To see her buy into the team as well as she did is awesome.” The two-time SCC All-Star finished the year with an overall record of 18-1, including three playoffs wins to help ORR reach the Div. 3 Elite 8.

Kohana Fontinha, Apponequet, Junior

Fontinha enjoyed a breakthrough season at first singles for Apponequet as she went 17-2 overall with both of her losses coming against Old Rochester’s Neva Matos. “She had a great year,” said Apponequet head coach Ken Lanyon. “I’ve coached a lot of sports and I’ve had great athletes and she’s got to be in my top 3 or 4 of the best athletes I’ve coached. When she makes a mistake, she self corrects herself. She improved with her mental toughness. She worked on her game in the winter and she’s got the strokes.” Fontinha, a South Coast Conference All-Star, lost in the SCC Individual Tournament finals.

Lexy Wynn, Bishop Stang, Senior

Wynn capped off her impressive high school career with a strong year at first singles. She had an overall record of 12-5, including 1-1 in the playoffs. She was named a Catholic Central League All-Star. “Lexy’s matches were so competitive. She grinds through them,” said Bishop Stang head coach Elizabeth King. “She’s so fit she just gets to every ball. She gets to everything. She’s very fast. Up and back, she can play at the net quickly. She’s very consistent and her tennis knowledge is up there.”

Keira Pierre, Senior, and Evie Francis, Junior, Wareham

Pierre and Francis enjoyed a strong season together at first singles for Wareham to help the Vikings earn a share of the Mayflower Athletic Conference title. The duo went 15-2, including a first round playoff win over North Reading. “You know Evie from her ability in volleyball.  In tennis doubles, she was equally if not more dominant,” said Wareham head coach Geoff Swett. “In my two decades coaching at Wareham, I have never seen a high school player play doubles with the level of athleticism and proficiency that Evie demonstrated throughout the season, especially near the net. Keira has excellent lobbing skills and a low, flat serve that made it easy for Evie to intercept/poach at net, and great hands at net for ‘put-away’ volleys.”

Liz Houdelette, Junior, and Mari Sudofsky, Senior, Old Rochester

Houdelette and Sudofsky were a winning pair together for Old Rochester at first singles. Not only did they go undefeated together with an overall record of 15-0, they won the South Coast Conference’s doubles tournament championships and were named SCC All-Stars. “With Mari, it was her leadership,” said Old Rochester head coach Kyle Noseworthy. “In doubles, you need one kid to lead the path and the other to follow along and she kept them in check. When things got rough, she kept things positive. Liz brought a lot of the energy. She was the closer; she tried to put the point away. The way they worked together was great.” Houdelette went 16-0 at doubles and 19-0 overall, including three singles matches. Sudofsky was 18-0 overall with all of her matches coming at doubles.

Locked in at the top: Meet the 2024 Boys Tennis Player of the Year, Super Team & All-Stars

ALL-STAR TEAM

Elizabeth DaCunha, Fairhaven, Senior

In her third year at No. 1 singles DaCunha had a strong season to cap off her four-year career. She finished with an overall record of 14-6 and was named a South Coast Conference All-Star. “She has a versatile game,” said Fairhaven head coach Tara Costa. “She’s able to construct points with patience. She sees the court and makes the points.”

Kat Johnson, Bishop Stang, Sophomore

Johnson was a force for Bishop Stang at second singles as the Catholic Central League All-Star lost just once to Bishop Feehan during the regular season. She finished the year with an overall record of 15-2. “She’s a lot taller and stronger than other girls,” said Bishop Stang head coach Elizabeth King. “Her stamina is through the roof. She’s got powerful strokes. She’s not afraid of movement on the court. She stays in the point really well.”

Sabrina Zheng, Fairhaven, Senior

A four-year varsity player, Zheng was tough to beat at second singles as the South Coast Conference All-Star went 16-2 during the regular season and finished with an overall record of 17-3. “She was a well-rounded player,” said Fairhaven head coach Tara Costa. “She likes to finish a point when she decides to finish a point. She has a strong forehand and she also had a very effective serve.”

Adeline Ablett, Senior and Julia Caron, Senior, Dartmouth

As senior captains, Ablett and Caron led Dartmouth on and off the tennis court this spring. The duo combined to go 8-0 in the Southeast Conference at first doubles and finished the season with just two losses together. They were named SEC All-Stars. “In the big matches, they are so consistent,” said Dartmouth head coach Maggie Rossi. “Adeline has such a killer serve and a great presence at the net. Julia was always the hustler. She would get everything. They were very impressive together.”

Caroline Houdelette, Sophomore, and Delaney Chase, Junior, Old Rochester

Houdelette and Chase were a solid duo for Old Rochester at second doubles. Chase was 11-0 during the regular season and 2-1 in the playoffs while Houdelette went 14-1 and finished 17-1. “They played well together and even when they were apart, they were still winning,” said Old Rochester head coach Kyle Noseworthy.

HONORABLE MENTION

Jolie Decas, Apponequet, Junior; Brynn McLaughlin, Apponequet, Junior; Lila Nielsen, Apponequet, Junior; Sarah Pothier, Bishop Stang, Senior; Annica Dupre, Dartmouth, Sophomore; Sophia Rutkowski, Dartmouth, Sophomore; Camille Taradash, Dartmouth, Sophomore; Olivia Darmofal, Fairhaven, Senior; Emma Gibney, New Bedford, Senior; Macy Ingham, Old Rochester, Senior; Emily Wyman, Old Rochester, Junior.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Achieving perfection: Meet the 2024 Girls Tennis Player of the Year, Super Team & All-Stars