Desai's win clinches team for Hills West
Half Hollow Hills West's Malini Desai returns the ball during her singles win over Half Hollow Hills East's Vanessa Scott in the Long Island team tennis championships at Smithtown East. (Nov. 2, 2010) Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
One by one, the matches ended, but the drama continued to build. Advantage? Uncertain.
The winners didn't rejoice. The losers didn't despair. Scores were relayed to coaches, players and a smattering of fans the old-fashioned way - by word of mouth. As the sun and the temperatures dropped Monday at Smithtown East, only two of the seven matches were still in progress and the outcome of the Suffolk County girls team tennis championship still in doubt.
Then Malini Desai of Half Hollow Hills West, using a strong forehand, beat Vanessa Scott of Half Hollow Hills East to secure the Colts' second consecutive county title, prompting a brief on-court celebration that was, essentially, a noisy group hug. "I knew what the score of the meet was, so there was a lot of pressure on me," Desai said. "But I stayed pretty calm and focused on my match."
The Colts' 4 1/2-2 1/2 victory was its second in three meetings against the neighboring Thunderbirds this season and was a rematch of last year's county team championship, also won by Hills West. The Colts will face Syosset today at 2 p.m. at Smithtown East for the Long Island crown.
"It makes it interesting, that's for sure," Hills West coach Kim Langendorfer said. "There's a little of the East-West and who's best thing. Same league ; same neighborhoods. It's just a good reflection on the kids and the type of tennis they play."
The Colts played especially good singles tennis Monday, with Desai (No. 3), Zenat Rashidzada (No. 2) and Lauren Salzano (No. 4) winning their matches. The Thunderbirds' No. 1 player, Samantha Elgort, defeated Carly Siegel, in a duel of state-tournament bound players. Elgort is Suffolk's No. 2-ranked player and No. 6 in the state. Siegel and doubles partner Rashidzada will be a tandem in the state tournament this weekend.
Hills West's No. 3 doubles team of Hailey Oswath and Carli Rumstein also won. The No. 1 doubles match, tied at one set apiece, was halted once the meet's outcome was known, resulting in the half point.
"I knew what was going on because as a captain, part of my job is to encourage everyone else," said Sarah Han, a member of the Colts' first doubles team. "Everyone was asking me the [overall] score and I told them to just concentrate on the match they were playing and not put any extra pressure on themselves."
Captain commands; players listen; advantage Colts.
