Floyd's tennis twins Anabel and Lydia Van Cott are one of Suffolk's top doubles tandems
They call it twin telepathy.
For Anabel and Lydia Van Cott, it can look like a sixth sense on the tennis court. One moves left, the other knows to move right. One spots an opening, the other is already there. After 13 years of playing together, the Floyd seniors don’t need to say much to know what the other is thinking.
It’s an asset that has made the twins one of the best doubles teams in Suffolk County.
“I love the automatic connection that we have,” Lydia said. “We have twin telepathy, so if she’s covering one side of the court, I just know to cover the other side and we make the perfect team. We just complement each other really well.”
The Van Cotts have been playing tennis since they were four years old. Their mother, Maria, calls it a family sport — one that everyone in the household has become obsessed with. The twins made Floyd’s varsity team as seventh-graders and have since grown into two of the program’s top players.
“It’s been really interesting to see them evolve as players and as people,” Maria said. “Tennis is a very mental sport, and it’s been great to see them grow so much in that sense.”
For the regular season, Anabel is playing doubles while Lydia competes in singles. When the postseason arrives, though, the sisters will reunite as a doubles team for the individual championships. And they have some unfinished business.
Last season, the Van Cotts finished second in Suffolk County and advanced to the round of 16 in the state tournament. This time, they enter their final high school season with a better understanding of what it takes to make a deep postseason run.
“I feel that we’re much more experienced doubles players,” Anabel said. “I’m not so nervous to go for it and try to reach that point of making states. It’s our senior season and we want to go out with a bang, so I’m very excited for the tournament.”
That comfort with each other becomes especially valuable when the pressure rises. Lydia, who has a more fiery playing style, said Anabel’s calm demeanor is exactly what she needs to balance the court.
“Anabel’s biggest strength is being able to lift me up when I’m feeling down,” Lydia said. “I’m a little bit more emotional when we play and she can always reel me back in. She just says, ‘Calm down, it’s O.K., we got this,’ and it lifts me back up.”
And for Anabel, that support goes both ways. She said playing alongside Lydia has pushed her to be more aggressive, especially when the score is tight and the stakes are high.
“I’ve learned to go for more when I play with Lydia,” Anabel said. “She’s a bit more brave when we play bigger points, so I’ve learned to not be so timid when I’m playing and to just go for the shot.”
For the past six years, Floyd coach David Pia has watched that confidence develop. For the twins, playing together has a familiarity that can be difficult to find with another partner.
Ultimately, he said they bring out each other’s best tennis.
“They feel comfortable playing with each other,” Pia said. “They maintain their poise. It helps with their confidence. It’s always good when you have a partner who’s positive and you feel relaxed when you’re playing, so it works to their advantage.”
The twins’ father, Chris Van Cott, said tennis has taught his daughters lessons that extend well beyond the court.
“I’m so proud because sports, especially tennis, emulate life in a lot of ways,” Chris said. “You’re out there on your own, you have to problem solve, you have to overcome adversity. When they play together, they get to go through that together.”
For Anabel and Lydia, that partnership won’t end when high school does. The twins will continue their tennis careers together at The College of New Jersey next fall.
For now, they’re focused on the season at hand. And while some might think cooperating with a sibling is difficult, Anabel said, for them, it’s the easiest thing in the world.
“For me and my sister, it’s really easy,” Anabel said. “We’re best friends at home, we’re always together, we’re in the same friend group, so being on the same team is just like having a best friend on the court with you.”
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.
