South Side reaches 10 wins

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Last week was a busy one for South Side’s boys’ tennis team. For the first time in coach Chris Colesanti’s 15-year tenure, the Cyclones played matches on five consecutive days and won the last four to improve to 10-3 in Conference 2B.

“We’ve had a good season, but it might not be good enough to make the playoffs,” Colesanti said. “No matter what happens, we want to close out with a win. But when the music stops, between us, Bellmore-JFK (12-1) and Massapequa (11-2), someone is going to be without a chair.”

With a roster comprised of mainly seniors and juniors, South Side handed Kennedy its only loss but came up short both times against Massapequa by the slimmest of margins, 4-3. The Cyclones also split a pair of 4-3 matches with Lynbrook, which sits in fourth place. “We had some spotty matches early on, but we’ve played really well lately,” Colesanti said.

South Side’s doubles pairings have thrived, with the top four tandems combining for a record of 34-10. In the No. 2 spot, juniors Cole Cornell and Dino Dervovic are undefeated through 13 matches and even have a few wins in the top position. “Those guys had a lot of success at third doubles last year with only one loss,” Colesanti said. “They have nice chemistry. Cole is a quick learner and our best pure net player. Dino is a true student of the game and has solid strokes, especially from the baseline.”

Seniors Harry Ludwig and Harry Swett jelled quickly and are 8-3 at first doubles. “They’re a strategic pair and they’re both strong at the net,” Colesanti noted.

Senior Matt Rusniyak, who likes to attack at the net, and junior Will Shutkind, a steady baseliner, have seven wins at third doubles. At No. 4, seniors Andrew Cardi and Ryan Trantel carried over their momentum and chemistry from last spring and stand 6-3. Juniors James Sackstein and Dylan Genosa set the tone for full-time starting spots next season by winning four of six matches when called upon.

The Cyclones’ No. 1 is junior Justin Seplowe (5-6), who features a big serve, forehand and overhead. “He’s athletic and strong,” Colesanti said of Seplowe, who on April 11 rallied from three games down in the third set to give the team a 4-3 win over Oceanside. “He’s had some big wins, but that day he put us on his back,” Colesanti said.

Taking over Seplowe’s No. 3 spot from last spring was junior Phil Frank, who not only bolted up the lineup from fourth doubles but won eight of 12 matches so far. “Phil’s shown steady improvement,” Colesanti said. “He lost a tough tiebreaker early in the season against Massapequa [Joe Menichini) but came back to beat him in three sets last week.”

Erik Mazzanobile made the transition from the baseball diamond to the courts for his senior year and notched four wins at second singles. “He has a tennis background and his forehand and serve are his biggest weapons,” Colesanti said.