After falling just one victory short of earning an invite to the postseason party last spring, the East Haven girls' tennis squad runs back a veteran and diligent club that is one more year wiser and will look to RSVP this campaign with an emphatic yes while walking into the state tournament soiree with a lot more wins.

Last spring, in Head Coach Anthony Perrotti's inaugural campaign in that role, East Haven finished with an overall record of

7-13 for 2022, improving upon its mark of 4-12 from a year prior. They finished just one win shy of qualifying for the Class L State Tournament with that seven-win showing.

Thus far in the slate, the Yellowjackets had gotten out to a 2-2 start through its first week of clashes on the court, recently edging out Foran 4-3 on April 12. Perrotti is quite proud of the progress he has seen thus far on the young season, and he proclaimed that the solo circuit of the court has been one of the strong suits for East Haven.

"I am very excited and happy with what I have seen so far, even in our first few losses to West Haven and Hamden," said Perrotti. "I am confident we can compete with any of the teams in our division. This year with our returning girls, the singles' side appears to be our strength, which is a reversal of our prior years. We will look to ride the momentum created by the girls."

The Yellowjackets sport a fantastic foursome of senior captains in Sydney Herald, Izabella Olszewski, Diya Patel, and Abby Brooks, with three of the four playing singles and Patel on the doubles' end of the action. No matter their athletic or tennis background, Perrotti noted that each girl is a well-admired figure not only within the club ranks but additionally around the East Haven campus.

"Diya is the core of the chemistry within the group; everyone rallies around her. She is a good friend and teammate who cares about everyone on and off the court," said Perrotti. "Izzy and Abby are great leaders who are respected and well-liked by other coaches, teachers, and teammates. They are intelligent and lead by example. They carry themselves with class and respect for the team and their opponent. Sydney is probably our most athletic person on the squad; she is a warrior on the court. She will do whatever it takes to win, either her own match or for the team."

Doubles player Annora Sayers has added a further spark out of the senior class early on for East Haven. The junior class also houses some promising pieces with Alexis Lamprea, plus a dynamic duo of Alyson Alberino and Melania Korenovsky, who will split time on both divisions of the Yellowjackets' lineup.

"Both Alyson and Koran will play wherever for the team," said Perrotti. "They have developed their skills and built off of their successes from last year. They come into this year in a better place, which is a credit to their offseason training. They are two future leaders of the team. Alexa is a doubles player who had a few matches last year, and she has definitely improved this year. Annora has stepped up in a big way this season and has probably had the most growth in the offseason."

East Haven competes in Tier 3 of the Southern Connecticut Conference during regular season play with Branford, Career-Hillhouse co-op, Hamden, Lyman Hall, and West Haven. Perrotti also pointed out a few crossover clashes within the slate as pivotal junctures toward potential postseason qualification.

"All of our interdivisional matches will be highly competitive and can go either way," said Perrotti. "Foran and Lyman Hall are significant matches towards qualifying for states. We are looking forward to grinding out wins."

As the Yellowjackets look to make good on an objective they came up slightly so short of a year ago, they also want to bolster the numbers within the program while crafting student-athletes who are model students in the classroom and in the community.

"Our No. 1 goal on the court is to qualify for states; we fell one win short of that last year," said Perrotti. "So, we have come in more hungry and with a chip on our shoulders. Off the court, we want to try to get as many people involved in the program as we can. The girls have been welcoming of any new players. Also, grades are one of, if not the most, important things."

The 2023 East Haven girls' tennis team roster is comprised of seniors Joselyn Castillo, Brooks, Herald, Julia Nargi, Chau Ngo, Olszewski, Patel, Annora Sayers, Katherine Tapia Argudo, Ivonne Vera Arevalo; juniors in Hailey Ahumada, Alyson Alberino, Melania Korenovsky, Alexis Lamprea, Samantha Thy; along with sophomores of Brianna Casner, Idalis Lucero, and Jennifer Ramsey.

2023 East Haven Girls’ Tennis Regular Season Results and Schedule

April 3: Hamden 7, East Haven 0

April 4: East Haven 6, Career 1

April 7: West Haven 6, East Haven 1

April 12: East Haven 4, Foran 3

April 13: East Haven 5, Lyman Hall 2

Monday, April 17: at Hamden at 10 a.m.

Tuesday, April 18: at Career at East Shore Athletic Complex at 3:45 p.m.

Wednesday, April 19: at Platt Tech at Eisenhower Park at 3:45 p.m.

Thursday, April 20: vs. West Haven at 3:45 p.m.

Monday, April 24: vs. Foran at 3:45 p.m.

Tuesday, April 25: vs. Lyman Hall at 3:45 p.m.

Monday, May 1: vs. Mercy at 3:45 p.m.

Thursday, May 4: at Sheehan at 3:45 p.m.

Friday, May 5: at Wilcox Tech at 3:45 p.m.

Monday, May 8: vs. Shelton at 3:45 p.m.

Tuesday, May 9: at Sacred Heart Academy at Hamden Middle School at 3:45 p.m.

Thursday, May 11: vs. Law at 3:45 p.m.

Monday, May 15: at Branford at 3:45 p.m.

Thursday, May 18: at Platt Tech at Eisenhower Park at 3:45 p.m.