Bayport-Blue Point's Lily Castka wins back-to-back girls tennis titles
Lily Castka of Bayport-Blue Point playing in the singles championship match at the Suffolk girls tennis individual championships on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026 in Shoreham. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Bayport-Blue Point’s Lily Castka has been in this position before. And, for the second year in a row, she came out on top.
Castka earned a back-to-back singles title in a 6-4, 6-4 win over Shoreham-Wading River’s Victoria Gramaticopolo on Tuesday at the Suffolk girls tennis individual championships in Shoreham.
In her final season of high school tennis, Castka said this one feels more special.
“It’s my senior year, so it was a big thing for me to try to come back and win this again,” Castka said. “It feels more meaningful knowing it’s my last one. There was a little bit of pressure, but it was good pressure.”
Castka and Gramaticopolo will advance to the state championships alongside Mount Sinai’s Sofia Perez, who defeated Connetquot’s Aleksa Brazyte, 6-0, 2-0 (ret.), in the third place match. The singles draw of the state tournament will begin at 8 a.m. Oct. 26 at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing.
After finishing in the Round of 16 last season, Castka said she is looking forward to playing her best tennis yet.
“I’ve gotten a lot better since last season, so I’m excited to go back [to states] and see how I perform this year compared to last year,” Castka said.
In the doubles draw, Ross pair Lola Dangin and Luma Teixeira claimed the title with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Floyd twins Anabel and Lydia Van Cott. Dangin and Teixeira have dominated this season. They’re unbeaten at 16-0 in their matches together.
Growing up together, Dangin said the pair’s on-court connection came easy.
“Me and Luma have played together since we were five years old,” Dangin said. “We’re like sisters and we have a really good connection. So this has been an amazing experience to share with her.”
Dangin and Teixeira, the Van Cotts and Bayport-Blue Point sisters Evangeline and Eden Romano will advance to the state tournament, which begins at 10 a.m. Oct. 26 at the National Tennis Center. The Romano sisters defeated fellow Phantoms pair Jordana Heller and Leila Rogers, 6-1, 6-1, in the third place match.
Though Dangin and Teixeira are looking forward to states, they still have team business scheduled. Ross will face Cold Spring Harbor for the Long Island small school championship at 2 p.m. Thursday at Shoreham-Wading River.
“I’m really confident with my partner and we’ve been playing great together,” Teixeira said. “So, both as a team and as individuals, this has been a lot of fun.”
Tess Ferguson is a reporter on Newsday's high school sports staff. She joined the team after graduating with a journalism degree from Ithaca College in 2025.
