Season Preview: Kennedy Girls Tennis

A perfect late summer morning on the tennis courts at Kennedy High. 

Bags labeled with 'Wilson', 'Dunlop', and 'Prince' strewn about, along with dozens of discarded tennis ball cans (open one up, it's one of the best scents you'll ever experience). The dull thud of balls bouncing on cement, and the clang in the air when they meet the face of a racket.

Then, the sound of a whistle pierces the air, along with an audible, 'Rotate!'

That comes from Kennedy girls tennis coach Brian DeGaetano, as he evaluates prospective players for the 2010 squad.  The season is fast approaching, and time is short to select the 30 or so members that will comprise the varsity and JV teams when school begins.

"The first thing we look for is their feet; what type of athletes they are," DeGaetano says.  "Then really just how are their basic skills...it's not a sport where if you've never played before you can join the team."

The season is a short one, lasting only till mid-October.  Tennis players are on the front lines, and baselines for that matter, competing alone or with their doubles partner.  Unlike football, there's no depth chart, so to speak.

"You can join the [football] team never having played football before, and learn as you go," DeGaetano says. "In tennis, you have to be varsity-ready to make the team."

DeGaetano says the team is continuing to rebuild.  After a strong run that saw Kennedy place as high as fifth in Nassau County a couple years ago, the team dropped off significantly last season, when 10 of 11 starters from the previous year graduated.  The turnover is less this year, and DeGaetano believes with experience, comes winning.

"This year we've got most of the girls back, and we think we're going to do well," he says.

He cites Danielle Weiss and Alexandra Siegel as two returning players to keep an eye on.

"They're our most experienced players, and they're very good," DeGaetano says, adding the pair competed in singles last year, and will probably be moved to doubles this season.

"Doubles is where you win the matches," he adds. "Everybody's got good singles players, but doubles teams is where we really focus on and try and get those wins."

Weiss says the team needs to improve on a little bit of everything as the Lady Cougars open the season at home against Wheatley Wednesday afternoon.

"We need to focus on different aspects, forehands and backhands, serve is really important," she says.  "Conditioning, getting into shape, so we can run during those long matches, because you never know how long they're going to be."

DeGaetano says at this level, it's mainly about strategy.  Players come in with a basic skill set in hand - the 'what', but that it's the 'how' that needs to be taught.

"How to cover a lob, when to come up to the net...try and be very consistent with that first serve, when to play back, [in doubles] moving with their partner around the court," the coach mentions as things players have worked on over the past few works.

It's a whirlwind time on the Kennedy courts: tryouts, practice, season. Game, set and match.  With a more veteran team, players believe they can work their way towards the top of Conference II.

"We're going to be positive, nothing's too challenging that we can't take on, we're going to try our best," Weiss says.