South tennis goes undefeated

It was a banner year on the tennis courts for Valley Stream South, which achieved perfection on the way to the Conference IV championship. It finished 16-0 overall, capped by playoff wins over Division and Bethpage.

“It’s a great group of unselfish, hard-working kids who take tennis seriously,” Falcons coach Kristi Hinkelman said. “I sensed we could do better than the seven wins we had last year, but you never expect to be undefeated.”

A key factor was sophomore Stephan Savin at first singles. He filled some big shoes, as Hinkelman described former No. 1 Marc Lim as the best player she’s coached since taking over the program in 1997. Savin compiled a record of 12-3 and earned All-Conference honors. “Stephan plays a lot of tennis outside of high school and it’s not easy to juggle his tournament schedule and our schedule,” Hinkelman said. “He was one of the most talented players in the conference in his first year. He’s a tactical player who hits hard,”

Senior Andrew Cohen returned in the second singles position, and his experience showed. He went 15-0 and also picked up All-Conference accolades. “Andrew’s an intense competitor who never gets down after losing a point or even a game,” Hinkelman said. “Like Stephan, he’s an all-court player with mental toughness. He has strong net skills and a big serve.”

Cutting down on unforced errors was the biggest reason No. 3 singles player Juan Cabrera lost only once in 14 matches, according to Hinkelman. “Juan improved a lot during the off-season,” she said. “He follows through on his strokes and also got better with his footwork.”

Matt Orlich, who spent most of the season forming a solid third doubles tandem with fellow sophomore Dhruv Sehgal, stepped up to third singles and provided the difference for the Falcons in their 4-3 win over Division in the playoff opener. Orlich defeated Nick Garnica in straight sets.

Seniors Thomas Shea and Matthew Kratenstein formed South’s top doubles pairing and compiled a 14-2 record. “Chemistry was a big part of their success,” Hinkelman said. “They were matched up last year, but Matt was injured and missed a lot of time. They always know where each other is on the court. They’re also big, strong kids who simply hit harder than their opponents.”

At second doubles, juniors Zack Thomas and Patrick Kim were recipients of the sportsmanship award and also capped South’s conference title with a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 victory over Bethpage’s Bert Geng and Steven Ro in the finale. 

Junior Frankie Haggerty and sophomore Joncarlo Carpio comprised a successful fourth doubles team, while senior Safraz Rahaman, junior Chanse Scott and sophomore Prashant Panchal contributed as alternates.

The courts at North Woodmere Park served as the Falcons’ home.