East Hampton - The Ross varsity tennis team is enjoying an undefeated season; they are now 9-0 in the league. On April 16, they defeated powerhouse Westhampton Beach 5-2, a team that has not lost a league match in five years. On April 19 and April 21, the wins kept coming, as Ross shut out both Southampton and Longwood 7-0. They are now a serious contender for the League VII title.

"Our School is the smallest school with the best tennis team," coach Vinicius Carmo said proudly. When reflecting on why his team has greatly improved this year, he offered, "This is the first year Ross students have been able to play year-round, because of our indoor courts." In addition, teammates have been practicing around the clock. Most of them train before school, from 6:30 a.m. to 8 a.m., and afterwards, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., five days a week, as well as on weekends. In fact, half of the team also trained with tennis experts in Brazil for their M-Term this year.

Ross has a very strong top four in juniors Richard Sipala and Henry Lee, freshman Ian Combemale and sophomore Felipe Reis. Seventh grade tennis phenom Trippie Tuff is fifth on the ladder. However, Vinicius noted, "All the players are even in skills." Rounding out the line-up are juniors Spencer Kuzon and Cole Katzter, seniors Marius Grant and Fredrik Walstam and freshmen Thomas Grant, Jack Brinkley-Cook and Louis Caiola.

When the league is over, Ross will play the Suffolk County team tournament. They will also play the individual Suffolk County tournament and can qualify for the states. In the meantime, however, the players are enjoying the School's growing enthusiasm with each win. Five matches remain. "It's nice that tennis is a very popular sport at this School," said Vinicius. "The students wear their sweatshirts with the School name, and they're proud of their team."

For more information, contact Vinicius Carmo at 631-907-5162 or vcarmo@ross.org.