Port Washington Girls Tennis: LI Championship Rained Out Again

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — A Halloween rain soaked tennis courts again Thursday, and the unbeaten Port Washington girls tennis team will have to wait until next week to take a crack at the title.

The loaded ladies team won the Nassau County championship Friday over Great Neck North. The Westhampton Hurricanes (17-0) and Port Washington Vikings (17-0) were to play for the Long Island championship Tuesday at The Hamlet Golf & Country Club. Showers put a damper on those plans though, and the game was rained out three days in a row, the latest coming Thursday.

Coach Shane Helfner told Patch in a text message Thursday the title game is now planned for Tuesday at noon. In the meantime, three singles players will head to the state tournament in Albany.

The coach previously told Patch he hasn't slept in ages, and that wouldn't change until the championship was settled. Westhampton dominated Suffolk County over the last couple of years, but Helfner, who used to coach in Commack, is familiar with the opposing coach and program, and feels confident his team can go toe-to-toe with them. Both teams, he said, are deep from top to bottom.

"I feel we match up well with them," Helfner said.

As for the girls, nerves haven't seem to set in yet. The worst part has been the agonizing wait.

"It's mentally exhausting," he said. "They're ready to go."