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05/01/2022 12:00 AMAfter coaching the boys’ tennis team for three years, Anthony Perrotti was named the new head coach of the East Haven girls’ tennis squad prior to the 2022 season. Perrotti inherited a Yellowjackets’ club that was ready to put in as much work as necessary, and he’s hoping to take the Yellowjackets to states as they shape the culture of the program.
In addition to coaching tennis, Perrotti is also an assistant coach with the East Haven football team. When the head coaching role with the girls’ tennis team opened up, Perrotti felt like it could be a fresh start for him. Once he was introduced, Perrotti received a warm welcome from the Easties.
“I saw the position was open, and I’ve always been interested in coaching girls’ sports. I’ve only ever coached boys’ sports. I thought it was a good opportunity for me to have a change of scenery,” Coach Perrotti said. “The girls welcomed me with open arms. I didn’t know what to expect. They were great. They’re awesome girls and very respectable. As soon as practice started, we were down to business. It was a smooth transition for both of us.”
East Haven played a trio of matches by facing Branford, Lyman Hall, and West Haven last week, coming away with a victory in one of those contests to move to 5-5 on the year. The Yellowjackets took a 7-0 home loss to Branford on April 25 and then lost to Lyman Hall by a 5-2 score on the road on April 27. The very next day, the Easties hosted West Haven and claimed a 4-3 victory against the Blue Devils.
Junior captain Abby Brooks won the singles No. 4 match by a 6-2, 6-1 score when East Haven faced Lyman Hall. The No. 1 doubles pairing of senior captain Diana Vazquez and Karlee Lynn rallied to win their match by the final tally of 5-7, 6-3, 7-6. Coach Perrotti called that victory the best match that he’s seen his team play this season.
In win over West Haven, junior Sydney Herard notched a 7-6, 7-6 victory in the No. 3 singles match for the Yellowjackets. Brooks earned a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles. East Haven’s No. 1 doubles pairing of senior captain Camryn Lendroth and sophomore Alyson Alberino won a three-set contest by the score of 6-1, 3-6, 6-1. The team of senior Carole Tapia and sophomore Melania Korenovsky sealed the victory for East Haven with a 7-6, 7-6 win in the No. 3 doubles match.
Regardless of the results, Coach Perrotti said that the Yellowjackets have battled right down to final point of each match throughout the season. Perrotti said that type of attitude has carried over to practice and that every player on the team is dedicated to improving their game each day.
“The biggest strength is these girls’ work ethic. They like to practice, they want to practice, they practice hard, and they want to keep getting better. They’re very receptive to any and all criticism,” said Perrotti. “There’s no point in any match when you can count them out. They don’t go down, and they fight to the very end.”
Lendroth, Vazquez, and Brooks are serving as East Haven’s captains this year. Lendroth and Vazquez were both named captains prior to the season. Vazquez is a four-year member of the program, while Perrotti called Lendroth “the voice” of this year’s team. Meanwhile, Brooks’s attitude, work ethic, demeanor, and willingness to do anything for her team helped her earn the title of captain. Coach Perrotti said all three captains are quality leaders and excellent role models for everyone else.
“Their leadership has been tremendous thus far. We had a couple preseason meetings. Camryn and Diana really took charge in those. The team seems to follow those two girls. It was easy to name them captains in the preseason,” Perrotti said. “A week into practice, Abby caught my eye as a leader. She’s respectful, polite, and she does everything right. She puts the team first.”
Vazquez is playing No. 1 singles for East Haven this season. Junior Izabella Olszewski is team’s No. 2 singles player, while Herard and Brooks are at the No. 3 and 4 spots, respectively. Herard is only in her first year of tennis, but Perrotti said that she’s already making great progress while displaying solid power on her shots.
When it comes to East Haven’s singles lineup, Coach Perrotti said that his athletes like to play the long game. Instead of trying to overpower everyone, the Yellowjackets look to wear down their adversaries as they play fundamentally sound tennis.
“We’ve definitely done some work on the singles side. They’re very consistent. They like to return a lot of shots,” said Perrotti. “They don’t try to do too much. They’re not so focused on power. They just outlast their opponent. All four have done an incredible job of that this season.”
Lendroth and Lynn are anchoring East Haven’s doubles lineup this year. Coach Perrotti said that both players have set the tone and are showing that the Yellowjackets can be formidable on that side of the court.
Alberino and Tapia are playing No. 2 doubles, while Korenovsky, senior Christina Vera, and junior Diya Patel are all seeing time at No. 3 doubles.
Alongside the leaders at the top, Coach Perrotti has been impressed with the performance of first-year players like Patel and Korenovsky. Overall, Perrotti feels that the doubles lineup is a big strength for East Haven and that the Yellowjackets are always counting on them in every match.
“Our doubles lineup is the strength of the team. We really rely on our doubles teams to take care of business every match. It starts at the top,” Perrotti said. “Camryn and Karlee have been a phenomenal doubles team for us so far. They really complement each other well. All of our doubles teams play aggressive and are always clutch. You can always depend on them to get a tally.”
When he coached the boys’ tennis team, Perrotti’s goal every season was for the Yellowjackets to qualify for states, and that goal hasn’t changed now that he’s coaching the girls’ team. Perrotti said that every player on the squad has bought into that goal and is working hard to get there. As the Easties try to make their mark in the playoffs, Perrotti wants to make sure that they enjoy the ride. As he looks to grow the East Haven girls’ tennis program, Perrotti wants to foster an atmosphere where everyone is comfortable and feels proud to represent the Yellowjackets on the court.
“I put an emphasis on the importance of building a team and doing everything together,” said Perrotti. “Ten, fifteen years from now, these girls aren’t going to think of the wins and losses. They’re going to think of the memories they made together as a team. I want to build something that everyone is proud to be a part of and something these girls consider a family.”
The athletes in the East Haven girls’ tennis program are senior captains Camryn Lendroth and Diana Vazquez; seniors Karlee Lynn, Carole Tapia, and Christina Vera; junior captain Abby Brooks; juniors Joselyn Castillo, Sydney Herard, Julia Nargi, Izabella Olszewski, Diya Patel, Annora Sayers, Katherina Tapia Argudo, and Ivonne Vera Arevale; and sophomores Hailey Ahumada, Alyson Alberino, Melania Korenovsky, Alexis Lamprea, Ariana Segovia, and Elexis Zachey.