5 Photos
Senior Gavin Vander Schaaf keeps the volley going. DREW BUDD
Senior Gavin Vander Schaaf sends the ball back over the net. DREW BUDD
Senior Gavin Vander Schaaf keeps his eyes on the ball. DREW BUDD
Senior Gavin Vander Schaaf rallies from the baseline. DREW BUDD
Sophomore Giancarlo Volpe returns a serve. DREW BUDD
Matt Reed said the Westhampton Beach boys tennis team is ready to head into an important matchup against Ross on May 4.
“It’s a big one,” the coach said. “Ross also lost to East Hampton, but I think it is going to be a very good match, after having looked at the score lines. We have a great shot at winning if we play like I know we can.”
The Bonackers (10-2 overall, 8-0 in League IV) excelled against Ross (8-1, 6-1) last week, outdoing the Ravens, 6-1, after shutting down the Hurricanes, (8-3, 7-1) 7-0, early in the season. Despite that, what Reed said he’s enjoyed seeing most from his young group of athletes is their ability to grow from every experience.
“While it’s nice to have easy wins, we learn more from the challenging matches against better players that push us to our limits. It definitely shows us what areas of our game we need to work on,” Reed said. “And against teams like Ward Melville, East Hampton and Half Hollow Hills East, even though we lost, we really made those teams earn it, which I made sure our guys knew and told them they should be proud of.”
Dominating at No. 1 singles has been junior Bobby Stabile, who the coach said is “playing extremely well, and confidently,” for his first time competing outside of doubles. Sophomore Giancarlo Volpe has also impressed his coach, moving his way into the No. 2 spot during the team’s 6-1 win over Mattituck on Saturday.
“The team has made great progress overall,” Reed said. “The experienced varsity players have continued to strengthen their game, and the new varsity players are really starting to come into form nicely and are working hard in practice — now implementing those drills and strategies we work on in their matches.”
Freshmen Bryce Groth and Zach Berger have made great strides in their first season, according to their coach.
“They’re in a very tough position in the lineup, especially at such a young age,” Reed said of his No. 1 doubles duo. “But they both love competition, and challenging themselves. They are now communicating well and moving around the court nicely, and I’m excited to see them develop. They have a great foundation.”
While, the coach said, the challenge for any young athlete competing at a high level is playing with confidence, he’s steadily seen progress in that area over the last few matches.
“When they graduate, I want them to be able to walk away learning how to handle difficult situations — have mental fortitude — and how to be a team player,” Reed said. “This team has done a great job buying into that. And they’ve really formed a nice bond together and put the team before themselves.”
Something the coach said he’s also preached year-round is playing the “right way.”
“While winning is something I want to do a lot of, at the end of the day, it is not the most important thing in their lives,” Reed said. “I choose to advocate for them being respectful of the game, their opponents, the opposing coaches and also themselves.”
Still, that doesn’t mean he’s not assured of this group’s ability to get the job done. The Hurricanes host Ross Thursday, May 4, at 4:30 p.m. and Comsewogue on Monday, May 8, at 4 p.m., before traveling to Southold/Greenport on Tuesday, May 9, for a regular season-finale that starts at 4 p.m.
“I’m excited to see how far we can make it in the team playoffs, and on the individual side, we definitely have a handful of guys that should make it to counties,” Reed said. “There’s a ton of good competition out there in our division as well, though, so before we make it to counties, we have to take it one match at a time and stay focused and confident.”
