Before Highland’s Ella Fuller skipped a final cross-court offering past the reaching try of Eva Orfanos, intense returns and impressive rallies marked the first singles finale. At the head of Highland’s slate against Ellenville, Fuller’s opening victory set the tone for a compelling 5-0 Husky sweep.

The first doubles team of Quinn Ahrenholz and Sierra Spinelli bounced back against Ellenville’s Destinee Wilke and Jazmine Vega-Ramos, securing the win in three sets. The 6-2 and 6-1 victories came off dominant play at the net, defending the strong play of Wilke and Vega-Ramos. The middle set, won 6-4 by the Blue Devils pair, was the lone concession of Highland’s dominant team performance.

This win comes after a season opener loss to Red Hook, a formidable opponent in MHAL tennis. Fuller faced off against the Raiders’ Isabel Luzzi, one of the premier singles players in the league.

Fuller fought tough, and Highland coach Michael Geller saw a performance to be proud of, as his top player kept up with Red Hook’s own in a challenging opening contest.

“It was a tough first matchup for them. It kind of hurt their confidence a little bit, but [it was] a pretty good matchup with Ellenville. Hopefully, they’re starting to learn some little things about the game because a lot of them are new,” added Geller.

A win in their own home debut sets a confidence-building tone for the Huskies. A mostly first-year roster with four returning players brings a variety of court experience to Highland’s 2025 roster.

With a dominant 6-1, 6-3 win, Fuller and the Huskies crew looked right at home in the shade-soaked courts of Tony Williams Park.

“What [Fuller] should be doing now is play at home, get comfortable at home, and play her best tennis, and so she was lucky to come away with a win. Ellenville was a nice little battle for her, and hopefully, she gains the confidence to keep on winning,” said Geller.

Ava Prizzia took two sets against Ellenville’s Valeria Diaz, 6-3, 6-2. Highland’s second doubles pair of Madison Chaffee and Alessia Wallen saw twin 6-1 victories over Hadley Walsh and Makayla Rowe.

“I have seven brand-new players; to sprinkle them into tennis is always a slow process. We’re just trying to build their confidence and hopefully, with a couple of wins, we can do that for them,” added Geller.

Highland tennis returns to home court to host Onteora on September 19.