Rigby, Menu Qualify for County Individual Girls Tennis Tournament, Cap an Overall Solid Showing at Divisions for Bonac

Progress.

It’s something every program wants to see every year, and the East Hampton girls tennis team saw its fair share of it this season. After finishing the regular season 8-4 (9-6 overall), which placed the Bonackers fifth in a highly competitive League IV, they sent a bevy of players to the Division IV Tournament, which began this past Friday at Shoreham-Wading River High School, continued on Monday and finally wrapped up on Tuesday.

The Bonackers sent four singles players — the most of any school in the tournament, according to head coach Pablo Montesi — in addition to three doubles teams. Just by sheer numbers, the amount of players who reached the division tournament is a marked improvement from last season, but then there’s the county qualifiers.

Junior Hailey Rigby and sophomore Ella Menu both finished in the top eight of the singles draw to advance to the Section XI Individual County Championships, which begins this Friday, October 18, at Smithtown East High School, continue the following day with round two action and then finish up Monday.

Montesi, in his first year coaching the varsity girls, after having coached the Bonac varsity boys this spring, said it’s been a successful season already with more tennis still to be played.

“The tournament, overall, was a good tournament. My first tournament with the girls,” he said. “I appreciated being able to put four singles players in because it allowed me to get my two seniors in. And then we got three doubles teams in as well, so a lot of the girls were able to play in this tournament. Overall, it was a great experience and we had some girls go all the way to the final day of the tournament for seeding for the county.

“It’s exciting,” Montesi said of the girls’ play. “I really got to know the girls this season so now we can plan better for next season. At the beginning of the season, I didn’t know anybody. Hailey was playing doubles and then we come to find out that she’s a really good singles player, so that worked out well. Ella has been our number two singles player, and she gave us the majority of our victories at that position. She won the majority of her matches all year, so that was nice. Ella has had to play a lot of great players in this tournament, so she’s going to be so much better for it next season.”

Rigby, the team’s top singles player, defeated Madison Lockwood of William Floyd, 6-1, 6-0, and Judy Anderson from Southold, 6-2, 6-2, in her first-and second-round matches, respectively, but then lost, 6-2, 6-1, to freshman Olivia Caruso of the Ross School on Monday to end her run in the divisional tournament.

Menu knocked off Elwood-John Glenn’s Elizabeth Benevides, 6-3, 6-0, and Reagan Trehane, also of Glenn, 7-6, 6-0, in the first two rounds, but was knocked out of Monday’s quarterfinal, 6-1, 6-2, by Christina Pagnozzi of Shoreham. Pagnozzi advanced to the divisional final on Tuesday, but lost to Ross School freshman Lola Dangin, 6-4, 6-2.

East Hampton seniors Natalie Yellen and Stella Peterson also competed in the singles draw, where they were bounced out of the first round.

Montesi said he liked what he saw out of his two young players in Rigby and Menu, who appear to be cornerstones of the program for the next year or two.

“Hailey played really well. As I said, Hailey started playing doubles this season,” he said. “We talked about going into singles, where she’s become a very strong player and has done really well. She moves well and at this level of play in this tournament, the bar has to be raised and she played really well. I’m excited to see her play Friday in the county tournament.

“Ella also is a very strong player,” the coach added about his sophomore. “She’s very consistent with her forehand and backhand, and I’d say that’s her strongest quality. But she’s also got a really good first serve and she’s moving more and more and getting more comfortable with coming to the net, approaching the net and volleying. She’s one of those players who’s going to fight and rally, and rally and rally until the other player misses it because they can’t keep up with her. She hits the ball with high intensity and with good depth. That’s what made her go this far. Ella is becoming a solid tennis player.”

The Bonackers’ top doubles team of senior Caleigh Barletta and junior Colleen McKee, the only other players on the team along with Rigby to make a return trip to divisions, won their first round match, 6-3, 6-0, over Shoreham’s Julia Babst and Emma Finnegan, but went on to lose to Westhampton’s Diana Elliot and Maddie Montgomery in the second round, 7-5, 6-1.

Bonackers Ava Mintz and Sienna Hummell lost their opening-round match, 6-0, 6-0, to Elliot and Montgomery. Dylan and Fallon Centalonza, Bonac’s twin eighth-graders, lost their opening-round match, 6-0, 6-0, to the Westhampton Beach duo of Ana Way and Shannon Killoran.

East Hampton’s strong play during the regular season led to it getting a 14 seed in the Section XI Team Tournament, and it will host No. 19 East Islip this Thursday, October 17, at 3:30 p.m. East Islip went 9-4 in League II this season, 9-7 overall. Montesi said it’s going to be a good match, but if his team plays the way it’s capable, it should advance.

The winner of Thursday’s match will advance to play at No. 3 Smithtown East, on Tuesday, October 22. Smithtown East placed second in League I with a 9-1 record in league play, 12-1 overall.

“It’s been many days now of individual play, but we’re excited to go back to the team play,” Montesi said on Tuesday. “The team was able to practice. Those girls who weren’t at the division tournament got together with the JV team today and practiced, and we’ll have a full practice tomorrow, so we’re excited.”