Lady Lobsters Look to Succeed With Young, Talented Roster

After a strong comeback season for Stuyvesant’s girls’ tennis team, the Lady Lobsters will need to work hard to maintain their streak of success. They recovered from a disappointing record of 5-7 two years ago, bringing up their record to 6-4 this previous year and finishing third in their division. Though they easily defeated Hunter College High School in the first round of the playoffs last season, the Lady Lobsters have seen their progress stagnate at the first round for several years.

Their division features two powerhouse teams: Beacon High School and the Bronx High School of Science, which have dominated the division for the past few years. Both strong teams will maintain the majority of their rosters, with each team only losing one or two starters out of seven total. However, with a strong group of upcoming players and experienced seniors, this could very well be the year the Lady Lobsters go deeper into the playoffs.

The team will look to rally behind rising senior and co-captain Celina Liu, who has been a member of the team since her freshman year. Liu has found herself in the starting rotation ever since she joined the team, a nod to her overall tennis talent. Nonetheless, she has continued to work hard since freshman year, as last year, she bumped her way up to first singles as a junior on a team heavy with seniors.

“Celina’s an amazing captain. She’s been playing tennis for over a decade, so she has an endless wealth of tips and pointers for the team. She’s so passionate about the team, and her infectious energy always makes the team more spirited during practices and our practice matches,” rising senior and co-captain Lily Yan said. Yan and Liu have also made it their goal to promote the overall fitness of the team and are taking a new approach to practices. “In the past, our team practices mostly consisted of everyone just rallying with each other. This year, Celina and I have organized our practices by including time for drills and conditioning, so everyone on the team is more fit and agile,” Yan said. The goal is for these new methods to push the Lady Lobsters past the first round of the playoffs.

The Lady Lobsters also possess a few promising underclassmen members, such as rising junior Alyssa Pustilnik, who played third singles, and rising sophomore Talia Kahan, who played first doubles this past season. “Liu, Alyssa, and Talia are all very aggressive players. Alyssa hits every shot with so much power. Celina and Talia know how to put pressure on the opponent and are never afraid to run up to the net and end the point with a well-placed volley,” Yan said. Both will likely see their positions in the starting lineup rise this season, allowing them to contribute even more crucially.

This will be a watershed season for the Lady Lobsters, and their results during the playoffs will indicate whether they rallied behind their captains and rising stars, or were once again unable to break the first round wall.