NHS Tennis

The Newtown Boys and Girls Tennis teams have started the season strong, with both teams gaining wins. The boys team has amassed a record of 6-1 as of May 4th, with their only loss coming from Weston High School. Meanwhile, the girls team has a record of 5-1 as of May 4th, with their only loss coming from Pomperaug.

            The boys team had a well-rounded team led by AJ Singh, their singles one player, and Frankie Cannizzo, their singles two player. The girls team has had an all-around effort led by their singles one and two players, Emily Anderson and Sophia Dutsar.

“Well, we’ve got Frankie and AJ who are at the top. Those two are so close. And if we ranked them in the whole conference, they’re probably third and fourth, but they just happen to be on the same team. So they kind of split, but because of Frankie’s surgery, right after the start of the season, AJ kind of took the one spot. Frankie couldn’t play for six weeks,” NHS Boys Tennis Coach Shawn Tierney said.

The boys team finished the season last year with an 11-1 record, which led them to second place in the South-West Conference behind Weston. Cannizzo and Singh both were named to the All-SWC first team for singles.

“I think in the past, our strength was our doubles. This year I think the strength is more in singles because we have more new players. But we’re probably pretty solid one through four singles, and we’ll struggle as we go down in doubles a little bit,” Tierney said.

Excluding their match against Weston, the boys team has won every match dominantly, most recently defeating Immaculate as of May 4th.

“The team works extremely well together and gets along really strongly. Hard to improve upon,” NHS sophomore and member of the boys tennis team Joe Mele said.

Meanwhile, the girls team has a well-rounded squad, made up of eight seniors, and a mix of eleven other players, including three freshmen.

“The best player is Jamie or Sophia because skill wise they’re both really good and they’re good teammates since they help you feel included especially if you’re a newcomer and they are very nice,” NHS junior and member of the girls tennis team Grace Newsom said.

The girls team has won four straight as of May 4th, while consistently improving as a team as the season progresses, with their most recent win coming against Bunnell.

“The team has been good by always having a positive attitude, we are always connecting with one another and having fun. A way the team could improve is being more communicative and making it known as to what we are doing and when things are taking place,” NHS junior and member of the girls tennis team Victoria Rozinka said.           

Both teams are looking to finish the season strong after winning almost every match to begin this season. With the skilled players and strong work ethics coming from both teams, they aim to continue their success as the season comes to a close.