The 2015 Paul Schreiber High School boys varsity tennis team completed their season with an impressive 10-2 record. They were led by a trio of sophomores, who all put up winning records. George Kaslow, Max Egna and Austin Egna steered the way for the Vikings.
This year’s edition did quite well, despite losing seven starters from last season’s team. They have 11 starting players with three singles and four doubles. These players practiced after school for over two hours a day, six times a week. Although the boys played in a tough division one conference (1A), they managed to make it to the semi-finals. They eventually fell to their conference nemesis Syosset, a team that went undefeated at 15-0 overall.
Head tennis coach Peter Travis has coached in the Port Washington program for 28 years. This season marks his eighth with the boys varsity squad. Travis has also coached the junior varsity team as well as the girls team at Weber Middle School.
“Port is full of great tennis players,” said Travis. Just last year, Ben Rosen became an All-State player and won the entire Nassau County tournament.
This year’s team had five players selected to participate in the County Invitationals Individual contest in Oceanside. They drew two doubles and one single to this event. The two double teams consisted of Yuki Yoshinaga and TJ Serignese and both Egnas. Yoshinaga and Serignese lost in the second round while the other pair made it to the third. Kaslow was the only representative in the singles match. He made it to the quarterfinals, which earned him All County recognition.
Kaslow, who had made the team last year as a freshman, was undefeated in doubles as he was paired with Serignese. This year, he jumped six spots and become the team’s undisputed number one guy as a singles player. He was 7-5 this season in a competitive conference. Kaslow also has a strong serve and at a high percentage. His power and consistency on the court played a big factor in his game. Kaslow has been a highlight on the team from the beginning.
“For George to climb to this level this fast requires tremendous dedication and countless hours on the court,” said Travis. “He has great focus and a desire to continually improve.”
Max and Austin Egna, also sophomores, played second and third singles and have played on the varsity squad since their freshman year as well. Austin had a remarkable undefeated singles season this year and Max finished 10-2 in singles.
This terrific trio will be a force to be reckoned with in the next two seasons. Expect more great thing from this young and up and coming team.
