Lady Lobsters Lose to Bronx Science After Semifinals Push

Locked in an intense rally with her first singles counterpart from The Bronx High School of Science, Christina Huynh, senior and co-captain Celina Liu ran frantically from one side of the court to the other, fighting for the first point of her semifinals match. To add to the intensity of any semifinals showdown, Liu and Huynh, after being frequent opponents in the PSAL, have developed both a fierce rivalry and a deep friendship. However, Liu, able to focus on her competitive side, ultimately put away the point and started the match off with a strong victory.

Despite her quick start, however, Liu went on to lose the match in straight sets, 3-6 and 1-6. The Lady Lobsters, Stuyvesant’s girls’ tennis team, unable to recover following Liu’s defeat, were eliminated in the semi-finals 1-4, with the only victory coming from second singles junior Alyssa Pustilnik.

The Bronx High School of Science proved to be one of Stuyvesant’s toughest opponents this season, with the Lady Lobsters unable to come out victorious in their two regular season meetings as well. In fact, the two teams that the Lady Lobsters were unable to beat during their regular season—The Bronx High School of Science and Beacon High School—went on to face each other for the championship.

Nevertheless, the team's performance in the regular season was strong, as they went 5-5 and ended up fourth in their division. “I’m really happy with how we did this season. Our regular season could have gone better, but at every game, the team played really well and showed a lot of spirit. We even made it to playoff semifinals for the first time in two years, and I’m so proud of our team for making that happen,” senior and co-captain Lily Yan said.

For the past few seasons, the Lady Lobsters have sat in the middle of the A3 division. While they weren’t able to change that in the regular season, this year’s Lady Lobsters delivered many postseason accomplishments, starting with being seeded sixth in the city. In the playoffs this year, the Lady Lobsters were able to conquer their old rivals, beating Hunter High School in a 4-1 victory for their first playoff victory. Next, they faced off against one of Queens’ strongest teams, the third-seeded Townsend Harris High School, who finished the regular season with a record of 9-1. Undaunted by their opponents’ high seeding and formidable record, the Lady Lobsters managed to pull off a 3-1 upset victory. Though they suffered a heartbreaking loss in the next round to the Bronx Science Wolverines, a semifinal finish is no small feat, especially for a team that has often struggled to make deep runs in the postseason.

While this year was a step up for the Lady Lobsters, the next few years have the potential to be even more promising. Yan was quick to recognize freshman Madison Cheng. “Maddie [Madison] is a substitute player, but she’s played in eight games during the season. She’s just a freshman, but she’s already incredibly talented, and is definitely going to be a standout member of the lineup next year,” Yan said. In addition, besides Liu, the rest of the lineup contains only one senior, leaving a strong group of players to take over next year’s team. With the potential for playoff success clearly in their future, the Lady Lobsters will look to progress even further than they were able to this year.