With school history on Julia Isham’s racket, the senior clinched Syosset Central School District’s first NYSPHSAA Large Schools girls tennis championship and first New York State sports team title against Horace Greeley, 5-2.
“It’s definitely very impactful because it means the program has taken this step forward that we needed to finally win,” said senior captain Stephanie Marcheret. “We hope for the future that this intensity level continues on so they can continue winning. But, we finally closed that gap that we’ve been struggling to get over for a while.”
After reaching the state final three out of its last four seasons, Syosset made program history on its fifth try.
Senior captain Julia Isham was in the middle of it all, as she and junior Kayla Lo were in the clinching doubles match. They defeated Sophia Knapp and Pasha Robertson 7-6 (5), 6-2. At one point, Isham and Lo led just 5-4, as the pressure continued to rise.
“It was hard, but I’ve always felt like I’m decent when dealing with pressure, especially in championship matchups like that,” Isham said regarding the pressure and intensity of the clinching match. It was a matter of staying a team with Kayla. She is super consistent; she was very locked in.”
Syosset got out to an early lead in the first set, but Horace Greeley kept chipping away.
“We were up by two games in the beginning, but they started to close the gap and it got a little nerve-racking,” Isham said. “Towards the second set, we gained more confidence as our other teammates started winning their matches. So, we were more energetic and more excited. A bunch of people started gathering around our court, so I was a little bit confused … I had the winning shot on the last point and it was just super exciting.”
Reaching the state finals four out of the last five seasons provides valuable experience. But one thing in the offseason helped them get over the hump. Building the intensity.
“One of the biggest changes we made was fitness and routines,” Marcheret said. “Previously, where maybe the warmup wasn’t as serious, this season we made it more serious; even though it’s a small change, it probably made a big difference because it increased the intensity.”
Syosset became wiser with experience but stronger through fitness and practice, becoming the ultimate powerhouse. It was enough to earn the revenge against Horace Greeley, who beat them in the state final a season ago.
“I think it’s a combination of having that experience that only helps and incorporating new members of the team that maybe have no experience at this type of level and they bring a different type of energy,” said Syoesset girls’ tennis coach Shai Fisher. “And then luckily, I got Julia and Steph to help mold all that together. The girls listen to the captains that much more.”
Not only do Marcheret and Isham make an impact on the court, but what they provided for this team as leaders was an asset when making this big run.
“They are unique in their own way,” Fisher said. “They both bring different leadership styles. They both lead by example, but really know how to bring everyone together, include everyone and make everyone feel that they’re part of the team. They really, on the fly, learned how to work well together, which doesn’t always happen with captains. We were very lucky that they understood that for the good of the team, they brought their own unique strengths and skill sets, blended them together and made it work.”
“Julia and Steph leave a championship legacy,” Fisher added. “Because together, they are the only two seniors. They’ve been through four or five years of, we’re a really good team, but we’re so close and we can’t get over that last hurdle. To me, they leave Syosset with a championship legacy and they leave the goal of, hey, all the young ones learned so much from both of them. They leave a legacy of motivation to do it again.”
Marcheret, a five-year varsity player and Isham, a four-year varsity player, poured their heart and souls into this program. It took five seasons to reach the pinnacle of New York girls’ tennis, as they now leave behind a legacy and a season that’ll be etched in both the Syosset and New York sports history books forever.
“I think [this championship] should be remembered as a feat of never giving up,” Marcheret said.
“I think it helps with everyone’s confidence going forward since we’ve now won states already,” Isham said. “Hopefully, the girls next year will work even harder to get there.”
“The whole team should be proud of the fact that they are Syosset’s first and only state champion,” Fisher said. “These girls accomplished something that’s never been done before. So, they should be super proud of being the first state champion in any sport. It’s not only a team championship, but it’s a community championship with administration, teachers, and the parents; the parental support is tremendous here and we wouldn’t be able to do it without everyone.”
