Girls Tennis Catches On At Career High School

Last year, Career High School had no girls tennis team.

This year, its first girls’ tennis team in history started off with 60 people.

“I was very surprised,” said coach Rob Manghnani, who added that the response from freshmen was especially enthusiastic.

Originally, Career was planning on combining its team with girls from Hillhouse. Then more than enough Career players showed up to form the high school’s own team.

Many girls discovered that being on the tennis team was no cakewalk. About half dropped out, still leaving the team with 30 players.

“He gives us a hard time,” said junior Crystal Cardona of her coach. ​“But he’s a jokester.”

Cardona was on Career’s tennis team last year, when it was a co-ed team with about 20 players. ​“I don’t think that girls necessarily got an equal opportunity,” she said of her experience. But this year, ​“we have a better-focused coach.” Cardona plays number-three singles for the team.

There’s been a push for New Haven girls tennis in the past year, in part due to efforts from the city and from the Pilot Pen tennis tournament. Many of the team’s tennis rackets were donated by Pilot Pen and by East Haven High School’s tennis team — which Career High happened to be playing a match against last Friday afternoon.

“We have yet to win a set,” said Manghnani as he walked from court to court giving his team advice in between games. But every match is still a victory for this team. After all, only four of the girls had ever picked up a racket before trying out this season. The weather was cold and rainy at the beginning of the season, allowing the girls only three outdoor practices before their first match. Given those obstacles, he said, ​“the progress that was made has been unbelievable.”

It just so happens that Manghnani, a recent graduate of the University of Connecticut, was once a member of East Haven High School’s tennis team.

“He’s really supportive,” said junior Lynette Perez, the team’s number-one singles player, who was also on last year’s co-ed team. She added that the team (called the Panthers) is getting a lot more recognition within the school as well. ​“People are actually interested. They actually know there’s a team.”

The Panthers lost to East Haven High on Friday, but Manghnani isn’t keeping score. He plans on building momentum for the New Haven summer tennis programs that many of the girls have already signed up for. And despite the steep learning curve, the girls are also enjoying the sense of community they get from being on a sports team.

“Now that we’re all on the tennis team, everyone knows each other,” said Cardona. ​“We’re like a giant tennis family.”