Diana Elliott Sends Westhampton Tennis Team to Suffolk County Final

Diana Elliott found herself in a match so long it spanned two days.

But after more than three-and-half hours of competition, it was all worth it for the Westhampton Beach sophomore, who won a tiebreak to lift the No. 2-seeded Hurricanes girls tennis team to a 4-3 win over No. 3 Harborfields and send her team to the Suffolk County championship. Westhampton Beach will play No. 1 Half Hollow Hills East at Smithtown East High School Monday, October 30, at 2 p.m.

“I felt proud stepping on the court today,” said Elliott, who took her match, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), Tuesday afternoon. “I felt like this was a chance to redeem myself, so this is the best feeling in the world. I’ve only been on the team since last year, but this is a great group, and I’m happy to help do this for them.”

The sophomore entered the day up, 6-5, in the third set, but only managed a point after 40-0 before her challenger, Emma Burke, knotted the set at 6-6 to force the tiebreaker. Elliott went on a 4-1 tare to take a 5-2 lead, but Burke closed the gap to one, 5-4, on a soft hit to the opposite side of the court.

“I was very nervous, because I could tell right away that she was a really good player,” Elliott said, touting her opponent’s serve. Burke had entered day two serving, and collected several points on aces across the match. “As I learned how she played, I got more and more confident,” Elliott continued. “I started understanding how she was playing, and I thought back to all of the tactics coach [Matt] Reed and I went over yesterday, and I put them in play today.”

Elliott used some high returns and deep groundstrokes to pressure Burke, who hit the ball out of bounds to hand the sophomore the final two points.

“She worked so hard the entire season, so to see her rewarded like this feels really good,” said Reed, who added it was the longest match he’s ever been a part of. The pair battled for three-and-a-half hours on Monday, October 23, before it grew so dark that the match had to be put on pause.

“I don’t think it could get any longer than that,” Reed said, “and the rallies you saw today were the same that were going on yesterday. There were 10-plus shots every single rally, which is grueling. Both players have a lot to be proud of. They played a great match.”

Westhampton Beach won three of the four doubles games the day prior to stay in the running for the semifinal win. Senior Julia Stabile and junior Matilda Buchen, fresh off Division IV and Suffolk County doubles championship wins, made short work of Josie Rudloff and Allie Bigelow with a 6-0, 6-1 victory at first doubles; junior Shannon Killoran and freshman Zoë Grellet-Aumont ousted Briana Coakley and Addison Doig, 6-3, 6-1, at third doubles; and seniors Taylor Lagattolla and Ana-maria Bichinashvilli bested Liza Michalopoulos and Enzie Czekoj, 6-0, 6-2, in the No. 4 doubles slot.

Bichinashvilli said it was strong communication that lifted her and her teammate to victory.

“When we play together, we’re always at our best. We cheered each other on and we believed we could do it, which gave us the motivation to win,” the senior said. “It’s sad this is my first and last year with this group, but I’m so glad it happened and I’m excited to get to play another day with them.”

She said her teammate remaining calm and collected under pressure was vital to her win.

“Diana is also so consistent, and she believes in herself,” Bichinashvilli said.

Her partner added she couldn’t be happier for the second-year varsity player, adding she practiced with and warmed up Elliott prior to the continuation of her match Tuesday afternoon.

“Every hit was amazing. I even hit to what she thought were her weaknesses, and she returned the ball every time,” Lagattolla said. “I was very confident. She’s an amazing player and I can’t think of anybody who deserves it more. She’s worked so hard and has already come so far.”

Westhampton Beach is returning to the Suffolk County championship game for the first time since 2021, where the team was on the losing side of a 4-3 result at the hands of Hills East. The Hurricanes last won the title in 2018, and that year, became the first Suffolk County team to win a Long Island Championship.

“I’ve never experienced this before,” Lagattolla said, as just Stabile and Buchen were a part of the group that faced Hills East two years ago. “I know they’re a great team, but we’re also a great team, and I’m excited to advance. We’ve grown so close, we have so much chemistry, and it’s just such a great feeling knowing that we’re going to be making more memories together.”

Her partner said this victory alone has done a lot for her group.

“This has helped us come together even more,” Bichinashvilli said. “It’s taken every person on this team to get to this point, so I’m so proud of everyone here.”

So is her head coach, who has worked hard with these Hurricanes to get back to this point, and is looking forward to facing Hills East again.

“It will be a great match,” Reed said, pointing to how different this team is three seasons later, with seven seniors and two five-year varsity veterans. “They love playing with each other, and they’ve really come together nicely and it’s showing on the courts now. We’re going to prepare, and I’m excited to see what this team can do. Hopefully, we can go out with a bang.”