Port Washington girls tennis sweeps to Long Island title over Commack
The Port Washington girls tennis team poses for pictures after winning the large schools Long Island Championship against Commack at Shoreham-Wading River High School on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. Credit: James Escher
On Wednesday, the Port Washington girls tennis team earned a Nassau county title that was decided by only one court. On Saturday, it seemed like losing even one court wasn’t an option.
The Vikings claimed the Long Island large school championship in a dominant, 7-0 sweep over Suffolk champion Commack on Saturday afternoon at Shoreham-Wading River. Iris Kim clinched the win at third singles with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Katelyn Cloughen.
“This is very big for me,” Kim said. “This season has been very special for all of us and I’m glad I could help my team move on to the next step. I’m very proud of all of us for making it here.”
Now 16-3, Port Washington will face the Section I champion in the regional final at 4 p.m. Nov. 3 at Harrison High School in Westchester. Commack finished 13-3.
The first and second singles and first doubles matches were all still in play when Kim earned the clinching win. She said getting the victory secured so quickly is a testament to her team’s mentality and preparation. All seven matches were won in straight sets.
“We’ve been practicing every day, helping each other and we know what we can do,” Kim said. “We know we’re capable of doing our thing. We all had the right mindset and were really excited and pumped for today’s match.”
Port Washington’s county title was its first since 2022 and Commack’s was its first since 2023, with both teams breaking through in tightly contested, 4-3 matches this year. Vikings coach Shane Helfner said for that reason, he knew his team had to bring its best tennis on Saturday.
“We knew Commack had a huge win yesterday and a great season, so we told the girls not to take anything for granted,” Helfner said. “Every match has to be played, so we wanted them to play as dominant as they can and not to lose focus.”
Before Port Washington claimed the county championship on Wednesday, Helfner told his team that it’s time to re-write the narrative. Now, he asks a new question: How long do you want this story to be?
“The girls all love each other and it’s very easy to see that,” Helfner said. “I don’t think anybody wants this season to end, so we’re all determined to go as far as we can. We know there’s going to be tough teams ahead of us, but we’re going to stay composed and try to finish the job.”
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.
