The Vestal Girls Varsity Tennis Team had an incredible season this fall, even sending 4 girls to States.
The team consists of 20 girls, ranging from 7th to 12th grade. They played 14 matches against teams all over the region. Winning a total of 13 matches, the team did extraordinarily well this year. As the season came to a close, the girls competed in the STACC finals against Ithica and won 4-3.
Post-season, they continued to compete at a high level and sent 11 players to a Team Tennis tournament at the Lane Stark Tennis Center, where they faced West Hampton Beach. Unfortunately, due to the fact that West Hampton operated under different rules than Vestal, they were able to find a loophole, causing Vestal to lose a very close match.
Along with Team Tennis, in the postseason, Vestal sent two doubles teams to States down in New York City. The doubles partners were Aviva Kaminsky and Sophie Sweet, and Anastasia Grizell and Ella Sweet. The girls played on the US Open Courts. Aviva and Sophie moved on to a second round after the first match and put up a great fight, losing by only a hair. Overall, the four girls had a very impressive performance at States.
While talking to girls on the team, they expressed their love for their coach, Evan. They said he loves to joke around with them, makes sure to help each and every girl improve her skills no matter her ranking on the team, and- as stated by a team member- “Evan is just another girlypop”. Evan Picciano has been a professional teacher at the Binghamton Tennis Center since 2018 and has been coaching the Vestal Varsity Girls Tennis since 2024. At BTC, Evan teaches private and group lessons, clinics, and camps. He is a talented tennis player himself and a wonderful coach.
This year, the team has four graduating seniors. The girls expressed their sadness to see the seniors go, but enjoyed being able to play with them for one last season. The tennis team is full of incredibly nice girls who have formed an amazing community and a close bond with each other. One team member said, “This season has been the best community yet. Everyone is so close with each other. We even bond with other teams we play against!”
The Vestal Girls Varsity Tennis team had a fantastic season and is looking forward to an even better one next year.