Tiebreak Victories Lift Westhampton to 7-0 Sweep of East Hampton

The Westhampton Beach girls tennis team is showing its dominance.

With a 7-0 sweep of East Hampton on Monday, the Hurricanes, which have only fallen on the losing side of three meets in the last four seasons, are now 8-0 overall and 6-0 in League IV. Thanks to back-to-back tiebreaker wins within minutes, Westhampton shut out its rival for the second straight year. The Hurricanes have also taken home a victory in every meeting with East Hampton/Pierson (5-3, 4-2) over the last four seasons.

“There’s still a lot of work to do being that we’re only halfway through the season and have big matches upcoming against William Floyd and Half Hollow Hills East, but this is a great start,” Westhampton head coach Matt Reed said. “We have to keep our heads down and keep focused, but they’re playing well. I really like how they’ve come together, and they’re coming away with a lot of quality wins.”

The first tiebreaker set was won by eighth-grader Zoë Grellet-Aumont, who topped East Hampton junior Lyla Wilson, 10-4, at fourth singles after taking the first set, 6-4, and dropping the second, 3-6. Right behind her were teammates Shannon Killoran, a junior, and Ava Borruso, a seventh-grader, who grabbed their first doubles match with an 11-9 tiebreak triumph over East Hampton senior Lily Somers and junior Caleigh Barletta. The Bonackers duo came away with a 6-4 first-set win before losing, 6-0, in the second. The victories by young players show Reed promise for seasons to come.

“After losing that first set at first doubles, you always want to see them fight back, and they definitely did, winning, 6-0, in the second set,” the coach said. “The first set was a little sloppy — there were a lot of unforced errors on the same mistakes, but they stepped it up in the second set and played like I know they can play. They came through with some clutch shots — cross-court and some nice volleys — and started moving a lot at the net, which is something I want to see them do even more.”

First off the court was No. 1 singles standout Matilda Buchen. The sophomore swept Pierson senior Riley Roesel, 6-0, 6-0 — forcing her opponent back and forth and up and down the court, making it difficult for Roesel to return anything cleanly.

“I had some really good shots, but I also had some bad shots. It happens,” Buchen said. “I thought my serve was OK. Overall, I was happy with my performance.”

She was also excited to see what her teammates were able to do late in their matchups.

“It was really impressive to see the way they came back after losing the first set,” she said of her No. 1 doubles tandem. “And Zoe was grinding on court four. She had a great response, too.”

Right behind Buchen was junior Julia Stabile, who took a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Pierson sophomore Maya Molin at second singles. Junior Melinda Pinonzek beat Pierson freshman Audrey Monaco, 6-0, 6-0, at third singles, freshman Ana Way and junior Taylor Lagattolla outlasted Pierson junior Rachel Monaco and East Hampton sophomore Stella Peterson, 6-3, 7-5, at second doubles and junior Kylie Way and sophomore Nikki Lee nearly swept East Hampton seventh-graders Hailey Rigby and Colleen McKee at third doubles, winning, 6-1, 6-1.

Buchen, alluding to the overriding quality win her coach was referring to, touted the Hurricanes’ 4-3 edging of Ross last Thursday, September 15.

“It was impressive,” the sophomore said, adding that at the start of the season she was unsure where here team would fall. “I thought we wouldn’t have any chemistry this year, but we get along really well, and I’m proud of all of us. We’ve basically got a whole new team this year, so to see where we’re at, this definitely gives us some confidence.”