Lady Lobsters: Clawing their Way into the Playoffs

After a slow start to their season, the Lady Lobsters were able to muster enough strength and concentration to emerge victorious in their final regular-season game on Friday, October 11 against Lehman High School. All three singles players played well and won their match-ups in dominant fashion. Junior and first singles Talia Kahan had a spectacular match, winning with a score of 8-3. Senior, co-captain, and second singles Alyssa Pustilnik also performed well. She won with a commanding 8-1 lead. Freshman and third singles Alika Peker, who has become a huge asset to the team during the course of the season, defeated her opponent with a score of 8-4, rounding off the singles trifecta. The first doubles team of seniors and co-captains Lauren Pehlivanian and Mia Gindis finished 6-8. The second doubles team comprising of juniors Palak Srivastava and Lolita Rozenbaum also came up just short and finished 5-8.

The girl's tennis team has come a long way since the start of its season. The strength of each Lady Lobster has been tested over and over again. They all overcame the challenge of adjusting to play against opponents and play alongside teammates with varying playing styles. Additionally, many of the girls had to deal with changing positions at one point or another. For Kahan, making the transition from third singles, the position she played last season, to first singles has not been an easy one. "I tend to tense up and mishit when I get nervous during a game," Kahan said. However, some Lady Lobsters have thrived in their new positions. "Alika Peker and Alyssa Pustilnik, third and second singles respectively, have both been very consistent in their victories," Gindis said.

As they approach the playoffs, the Lady Lobsters look forward to further improving their skills, specifically "communication skills with their coach," according to Pustilnik, as well as capitalizing on their strengths. "Team spirit is higher than ever, and I've seen a copious amount of improvement among all of our players. We finally beat Bronx Science, our long-standing rival, and we've just beat Midwood in the first round of playoffs (three of the matches even went 8-0)," Gindis said. The Lady Lobsters will face off against McKee/Staten Island Technical High School on Monday, October 21, in their second match of the playoffs. They hope to play aggressively and prove that they are a much better team than their regular-season record might suggest.