Rye Neck High School sophomore tennis partners Ekim Buyuk and Diana King tied for fifth place this month at the Girls State Championship Tennis Tournament in Latham, N.Y.
By Melanie Cane
Rye Neck High School sophomore tennis partners Ekim Buyuk and Diana King tied for fifth place this month at the Girls State Championship Tennis Tournament in Latham, N.Y.
In the first round, Buyuk and King defeated a doubles team from Emma Willard High School, 7-5, 6-0. Their next doubles’ victim came from Vestal, 6-2, 6-1.
Rye Neck Coach Mark Canno said the girls’ served and returned powerfully in both rounds.
During the quarterfinals, Buyuk and King faced the top team from Long Island, which was ranked third at States. Buyuk and King started strong and won the opening set, 6-2. They lost the second set, 6-2. After falling behind 4-0 in the third set, the Rye Neck duo fought back, closing within one game, 5-4. They fell short in the end, losing 6-4.
Before advancing to States, the Rye Neck tennis players won Conference 3 and placed third in Section 1.