Lynbrook enjoys rebound season

The Lynbrook boys’ tennis team is back in the playoffs thanks to the consistently solid play of their singles players and some clutch performances from their doubles teams.

The Owls have won four of their last five matches to improve to 10-3 in Conference 2B play and were battling Massapequa for second place in the division. They edged the Chiefs 4-3 on April 26 and faced them again on Monday to see who would finish as the runner-up.

First-year coach Shari Bowes jumped at the chance to take over the boys’ varsity program after previously coaching the varsity and middle school girls’ teams and helped turn their fortunes around following a disappointing 4-10 record last spring.

“I was really happy,” she said. “My singles are very solid. They’re young, so I’m going to have another great year coming up.”

The singles trio of sophomore Cooper Schorr, junior Sean Raykis and sophomore Sean Hensley were a combined 38-1 entering the finale while symbolizing the camaraderie that has also been a big key to the team’s success.

“They pump each other up,” Bowes said. “I think their enthusiasm for wanting to win the conference, for wanting to be undefeated. I think that is definitely contagious between the three of them. They help each other out [and] they coach each other, which is amazing.”

Schorr, a nationally-ranked USTA tournament player who started playing when he was three, is 13-0 this season and boasts a powerful serve that opponents have difficulty returning. Bowes also lauded him for his strong tennis IQ.

“Cooper has a gift,” Bowes said. “He is just so talented. He knows where to hit the ball, when to hit the ball and when to put power on the ball. He knows the court so well.”

Schorr is also known for his competitiveness and ability to work out of tough situations. During a road match against Mepham on April 24, he struggled a bit on the Pirates’ turf court and split the first two sets before escaping with a 6-4 victory in the third.

“I remember the Mepham kid looking through the fence and his dad pointing up like, ‘You got one, now you’re 1-1,’” Bowes recalled. “Cooper doesn’t like that. Cooper doesn’t like to lose and I think he knows when to turn it on.”

Hensley is 13-0 in third singles and possesses a strong serve, backspin game and ability to pinpoint his drop shots, according to Bowes. Raykis plays a “phenomenal net game” and is intensely focused while on the court.

The first doubles team of senior Ryan Roemig and sophomore Gabe Lewner was the only pair of the four to post a .500 record this season (6-6), but two three-set wins against South Side and Valley Stream Central by the fourth pair of Tyler Herlihy and Ethan Valasquez lifted the Owls to 4-3 victories. The third doubles duo of Harry Hargreaves and Charlie Horton posted five wins this spring and the second doubles team of seniors Liam Schorr and Sammy Lehman added four.