In the history of Oyster Bay High School athletics, no one has ever won a Girls’ Tennis New York State Championship. Celeste Matute and Courtney Kowalsky became the first when they won the 2014 New York State Doubles Championship in Latham on Nov. 3. What makes this tremendous achievement even more remarkable is that Matute is a junior and Kowalsky is a sophomore.
The girls, who are usually singles players, teamed up to take on the very best players in Nassau County and New York State. They won all 10 matches in the section XIII and NYSPHSAA tournaments and left Latham as the 2014 New York State doubles champions.
In the Nassau County tournament two weeks prior, the girls were the second seeded team. They rolled through the early competition and then faced the number one seeded team of Kate Cirella and Risha Malhotra from Syosset High School in the county finals. Matute and Kowalsky defeated Syosset 6-2/ 6-4 in straight sets for the Nassau County Championship. They are the first county champs in singles or doubles for Oyster Bay High School since 1977, which is the first year that Nassau County Tennis has records on file.
In Latham, the girls were the three seed. This three-day tournament featured the very best that New York State had to offer. The first two teams that Matute and Kowalsky faced on Saturday were no match for the girls. They won easily 6-0 / 6-2 and 6-2 / 6-0 to reach the quarter finals.
On Sunday, they faced the toughest competition to date. The first opponent was a strong sixth seed team from Half Hollow Hills High School. Matute and Kowalsky defeated them 6-4 /6-2. This was a hard fought match that was much more difficult than the score indicates. Kowalsky showed how tough she is by playing through a very hard shot to the outer ear during the early part of the match.
Their next match that day was the second seeded team of Gillian Perrotta and Caroline McAtee from Eastchester High School. This was a competitive match characterized by Matute and Kowalsky both playing hard and fast at the net. They won the match 6-4, 6-2 to earn Matute and Kowalsky a spot in the finals the next day.
On Monday, the girls faced the number one seeded team of Sydney Kaplan and Courtney Ollis from Suffern. This match had all the intensity of a U.S. Open match featuring four great players intent on making history for themselves and their schools. In the first set, Matute and Kowalsky started strong and took an early lead. The girls from Suffern battled back to tie the score 4-4. Matute and Kowalsky, who were trying to figure out their opponents’ method of play from the start, finally figured them out and defeated them 6-4 to take the first set. In the second set it was Kowalsky’s powerful serve and Matute’s quick net play that made the difference. Again the score tied at 4, but the girls powered through to win the second set and the New York State championship 6-4, 6-4.
In both tournaments the doubles team of Matute and Kowalsky never went to a deciding third set, wining all 10 matches in straight sets. Their success at tennis is based on the work ethic both girls display. They work very hard to perfect their tennis skills every day. They are role models for every student/athlete who wants to achieve success at their sport.
