Coming away with a winning record against the toughest tier of competition in the Southern Connecticut Conference and earning a tournament spot may be enough of an accomplishment in its own right, but the tough and competitive North Haven girls’ tennis team is not playing complacent and is ready to use its fine seasoning for success in states.

A year ago, the Nighthawks finished the regular season with a 13-5 mark to earn the No. 8 seed for the Class L State Tournament. Once there, they swept 9th-seeded Pomperaug 7-0 in the first round before a quarterfinals defeat to top-ranked Avon, 5-2. North Haven also qualified for the SCC Tournament as the 3rd seed–taking down No. 6 Cheshire by a 4-3 count before bowing out in the semis to No. 2 Guilford with a 5-2 final.

In 2023, Head Coach Bob Migliorini and the Nighthawks entered the SCC Tournament as the No. 5 seed after claiming three straight matches to cap their record at 9-8. Against No. 4 Cheshire in the SCC Tournament quarterfinals on May 20, the Nighthawks suffered a 6-1 defeat in a match that saw Mother Nature move the match indoors to the confines of the North Haven Health and Racquet Club.

North Haven has been led all season long by a pair of upperclassmen co-captains. First is senior Risa Tobin, who is currently in the No. 4 singles spot of the lineup. Accompanying her in the captain’s chair is junior and No. 1 doubles competitor Samantha Ide.

“Samantha is a really great leader and organizer, who is well-respected by all of the girls, including the seniors. She has been a key cog in our doubles lineup,” said Migliorini. “Risa has also been a key cog in the doubles lineup. She is well-liked and respected by all. She also has great leadership capability.”

The future also illuminates quite brightly for the Nighthawks, with the remaining singles positions occupied by sophomores and juniors when it comes to tandem tennis in five of the six athletes for doubles. Sophia Padro is the top singles player and backing her up is Anna Hansard at No. 2, plus Emily Cerasoli for the third slot.

“Sophia is the strongest player on the team by playing at No. 1 singles. She is one of the strongest players in the SCC. She was at No. 2 singles last year and now moved up. She has a strong forehand and is a good baseline player. She has a great attitude and is always smiling, win or lose,” said Migliorini. “Anna played at No. 3 doubles last season; she is extremely athletic and a grinder and frustrates a lot of her opponents. She is consistent and continues to improve and had a three-set win in our quarterfinal against Cheshire in SCCs. Emily also played No. 3 doubles last year and has had a nice year for us. She is probably our most improved player and started this season at No. 4 singles. She is consistent, quick, and fast with a great attitude.”

Ide’s partner for the top North Haven duo is Chandler Morris. The second pairing on the court is comprised of Alyssa Cherian and Brina Shah, while sisters and siblings occupy the last coupling with senior Samantha and junior Rachel Adams. Lastly, junior Shen Wan is a crucial substitute spot this season for the doubles’ roster.

“Sam and Chandler are a strong team. We will hopefully keep them together next year and they build upon what they’ve done this season. They play a power game; they hit the ball hard with a strong net game,” said Migliorini. “Alyssa and Brina played good competition and had a nice win recently against Sheehan in straight sets. Rachel and Samanatha have had the most doubles wins for us. They have been instrumental in helping us win matches and had a signature win against Hand. Shen has been a key contributor in terms of filling in on the doubles’ side. She has great flexibility.”

North Haven now sets its collective sight on the Class L State Tournament, which begins on Friday, May 26 with qualifying-round action. Migliorini detailed that while the Nighthawks seemingly had to run a gauntlet in terms of their regular season schedule against SCC stalwarts, he feels the true dividends of being battle-tested will come to pass come states time.

“It has been a really good season. We are in the top third of the SCC in terms of our schedule, so we played the powerhouses, such as Hand, Amity, Guilford, Cheshire, and Lauralton Hall, twice,” said Migliorini. “Other teams will look at our record in states and think we aren’t that strong of a team, but we end up shocking those teams because of the schedule we play. We are looking forward to playing outside of the SCC. The girls are enthusiastic to show how ready we are through the schedule we played.”

The 2023 North Haven team’s roster is comprised of seniors Samantha Adams, Tobin; juniors of Rachel Adams, Ava Belbusti, Cherian, Alyssa Doraz, Chloe Halkovetz, Ide, Morris, Anita Sajan, Shah, Casey Sibilio, Sonia Temfack, Wan; sophomores in Cerasoli, Hansard, Padro; and finally freshmen of Valerie Adams, Raffaella Delucia, Danielle Dixon, Katharine Grudberg, Norah Joby, Natalie Pause, and Cassandra Wisneski.

Coach Migliorini is assisted this spring by his daughter Alyssa Salvillo.

2023 North Haven Girls’ Tennis Team Season Results and Schedule

April 3: Hand 5, North Haven 2

April 4: Guilford 6, North Haven 1

April 10: North Haven 6, Lauralton Hall 1

April 11: Amity 7, North Haven 0

April 14: Cheshire 6, North Haven 1

April 18: North Haven 5, Mercy 2

April 24: North Haven 5, Shelton 2

April 28: North Haven 5, Branford 2

May 1: Hand 7, North Haven 0

May 2: North Haven 6, Sacred Heart Academy 1

May 4: Guilford 4, North Haven 0

May 8: North Haven 6, Lauralton Hall 1

May 10: Amity 7, North Haven 0

May 11: Cheshire 6, North Haven 1

May 16: North Haven 5, Law 2

May 17: North Haven 7, Wilcox Tech 0

May 18: North Haven 6, Sheehan 1

May 20: SCC Tournament quarterfinal: Cheshire 6, North Haven 1

Friday, May 26: Class L State Tournament qualifying round

Saturday, May 27: Class L State Tournament first round (if necessary)

Tuesday, May 30: Class L State Tournament quarterfinal (if necessary)

Wednesday, May 31: Class L State Tournament semifinal (if necessary)

Thursday, June 1: Class L State Tournament final at Wesleyan University (if necessary)

Monday, June 5-Thursday, June 8: State Open Tournament