![Incoming Student Union President junior Aki Bejamin and other SU candidates sitting on stage while waiting to give their speeches during the May 18 SU Debate. Aki said he plans to “burn [the SU] all down and start anew.”](https://thhsclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_9600-e1782439128607-1200x1131.jpg)
The girls varsity tennis team won the City Championship final match last Monday, defeating James Madison High School from Midwood, Brooklyn.
The team was undefeated throughout the regular season. Junior captains Tiffany Huang, Morgan Ma, and sophomore Elizabeth Sabaev each never lost a single match the whole season.
In the finals, Elizabeth won an 11-10 victory after a tense tiebreaker, ensuring the team’s overall victory.
Coach Mazza praised the team for their undefeated wins. “It’s really exciting, and it was a lot of fun,” he said. His “biggest goal” was to finish the season undefeated, he said, in order to ensure a top three playoff seed. With the team ultimately securing the second seed and later proving victorious in the final, that goal was clearly met.
Morgan said, “Everyone on the team has pushed themselves harder by maintaining higher energy… [and] supporting one another through giving encouragement and feedback.”
The result of these efforts was apparent not only during the finals but also the semifinals, when the team defeated the Bronx High School of Science with a score of 3-2. This was a major turnaround from when they faced Bronx Science last season, losing 0-5 in the quarterfinals.
Elizabeth called the match against Bronx Science “a roller coaster,” though she ultimately prevailed against their number one seeded player. “The atmosphere was electric, and many friends and people came out to support,” she said.
The turnaround from last year’s competition with Bronx Science was not the only area where the team showed improvement from the previous season.
Coach Mazza said, “It was surprising how dominant we were in Queens this season. Last year’s matches with Francis Lewis were fairly close, but this year we beat them fairly convincingly.” This year, the score was 5-0 victory against Francis Lewis.
On top of improving together as a team, individual dedication and practice have also played a big role in their success.
Junior Miriam Heikal said, “My favorite memory from the team is the talks that we have during practice. Throughout the years, we’ve grown very close to each other through these talks.”
“It’s a great experience and great atmosphere,” Elizabeth said. “The overall experience [has been] really enjoyable.”
Additional reporting by Shondhita Shaha, Cristine Zheng, and Sonia Nistor
