Stabile, Volpe Finish Fourth in County Doubles Tournament

Bobby Stabile and Giancarlo Volpe may not have achieved their goal, but the Westhampton Beach teammates can hold their heads high after a fourth-place finish in the Suffolk County tennis doubles tournament.

“Not the outcome we wanted, but I had a great time playing with Giancarlo,” Stabile said. “We had our highs and lows in the tournament, but we definitely had fun.”

The Hurricanes cruised through their first two matches, topping Ross School’s Simon Aser and Nicholas Sanchez, 6-4, 6-2, before besting Commack’s Saharsh Peddireddy and Joe Romito, 6-1, 6-3, in the quarterfinals, but ended up falling to the Commack duo of Eric Benderly and James Yu, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

What was different for the pair this time around was that Yu was playing with a different partner after competing alongside Romito the last two seasons. Stabile and Volpe had outdone the former team, 6-4, 7-5, in the semifinals last season.

“We definitely had to adjust to the skills of his new partner,” Volpe said.

After the first-set loss, the duo did just that, upping their concentration and power to finish off volleys and get back in it.

“We started off a little slow,” Stabile said. “And in the third, set we lost that intensity and they were very good players, so they took advantage of that.”

That left Stabile and Volpe to rematch with Ross’s Leonardo Carmo and Henry Tietz with the hope of returning to the state tournament, where they’d reached the quarterfinals last season. The Westhampton Beach team had cruised past Carmo and Tiez, 6-2, 6-3, to claim their second straight Division IV doubles a week prior, but could never gain enough momentum in a 6-4, 6-3 loss at Smithtown East High School May 20.

“We were ready to go,” Stabile said. “We just didn’t play our best tennis today, and the Ross guys played very good tennis and took advantage of our mistakes.”

The two teams traded games until the first set was knotted at 4-4 on a Stabile winner, but Tietz’s powerful serve was more consistent this time around, helping Ross regain the edge on back-to-back aces.

“The Ross team made less mistakes all-around today,” head coach Matt Reed said. “They didn’t give us many free points.”

A couple of Westhampton Beach errors and a double fault handed Ross the first-set win, and the Hurricanes struggled from there to gain any momentum, falling 4-0 to start the second.

“I think my attitude this time around was 10 times worse than it was last time, and that completely ruined everything from my game to mine and Bobby’s chemistry,” Volpe said. “Our consistency today was very off and we weren’t getting many balls in compared to the amount we usually get in. I was just so sad with myself that not even my coaches could cheer me up.”

But Stabile said the pair realizing they had nothing to lose helped them play loose, going for different spots and making smarter shots to cut the advantage to 4-2 before two Tietz points off his serve and two more Westhampton errors brought the score to 5-2. What the head coach said he was proud of was how his Hurricanes continued to put their best foot forward despite being down, winning another game before Ross closed it out.

“I’m happy that they battled, but our level was unfortunately not there today, and at this stage in the tournament, these players are more than good enough to take advantage of that,” Reed said. “Still, it’s been an incredible experience coaching them the past three seasons. They’re a great doubles team, and I’m proud of how they play together and the work they’ve put in. During practice and matches, it’s always enjoyable watching them hit some amazing shots. They have a pure love of the game, too, that I’ve always appreciated.”

Volpe said he’s honored to have shared the stage with Stabile the past two seasons, and said competing alongside his partner has changed him and his playing.

“It means more than I can express in words,” the junior said. “He’s such a nice kid and always looks out for me when I’m getting upset or down on myself, and I will forever be grateful to him for that. He basically taught me that I am able to play doubles. I think I’ll definitely take away his ability to stay so level-headed during any match and after any win or loss. It was the most fun getting to play with him, and I feel very proud to have made it this far with him once again.”

Stabile, who has consistently gone deep in the county tournament and earned four Division IV doubles titles with three different partners, said he’s also grateful to have competed with his partner the last two seasons, while also thanking Reed and assistant coach Riley Smith for helping him and Volpe develop strategic doubles play while improving their serves and volleys.

Reed said it’s been an honor to coach the senior.

“With a player of his caliber, you can work on high-level skills and strategies, which is so much fun as a coach,” he said. “And then seeing him successfully implement them in matches is a great feeling. Having Bobby on the team as a coach is an absolute game changer. Having an almost guaranteed point whether he’s playing singles or doubles makes the world of a difference.”

Now, the pair shifts their focus, as No. 3-seed Westhampton Beach opened the Suffolk County team tournament on Wednesday, results of which were not available by press time. Should the Hurricanes advance, they’d host the winner of the No. 6 Northport vs. No. 11 Sachem matchup on Friday, May 24, at 4 p.m.

“This set a fire in us to do better … for ourselves and the team,” Volpe said.

“We are definitely motivated,” Stabile added. “We’re ready to go, and ready to shock some teams. I like to say, ‘It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,’ and we are looking for a strong finish to the season.”