Girls Handball Continues Dominant Streak, Takes Narrow Loss in Finals
Angelina Chen ‘27 lines up a serve against the High School of Environmental Studies. Photo: Jayden Courtois
By JAYDEN COURTOIS
The late afternoon sun sets, casting shadows against concrete walls. Gloves are muddied with sweat and residue, and a blue ball half the size of your fist zips past. Sneakers scrape across cracked pavement, and spectators lean against chain-link fences waiting for the next impossible shot.
The slaps that echo across the court sound like the rhythm of the city — fast, loud, and relentless — and every rally feels like a chess match of skill and endurance.
The Girls Handball team, which went 10-0 in the regular season for the fourth year in a row, made it to the finals on May 22. But despite winning rounds from Angelina Chen ‘27 and Alice Kalenchuk ‘28, the Lady Hornets couldn’t quite come up with enough firepower to top their undefeated opponent, losing 3-2 to longtime rival Cardozo High School.
Andy Xu, the team’s coach, said, “This loss is one that really hit us hard. We lost a very close match that could have gone either way.”
The girls from both Cardozo and Midwood had devastating serves and rallies that felt like they would last forever as their athletes sprinted and dived to the ball. In the end, victory slipped just past the Hornets’ hands.
Up to that point, the team delivered a dominant performance in the playoffs, with clean 5-0 sweeps against New Dorp on May 11 and the High School for Environmental Studies (HSES) on May 13.
Senior Monica Fan, first singles, was terrific in both rounds, going 21-0 against New Dorp and serving the ball with monstrous force deep into the receiving area.
Second doubles player Catori Chen ‘28 described serving strategy. “You try to pinpoint their weaknesses, so we serve to see which hand is their most dominant and then target their other one so it's more difficult for them to return the serve,” she said.
“Communication [with your doubles partner] is a big thing,” she said. “You have chemistry with your partner, you get to feel which side they're most comfortable with and which hand they're most comfortable receiving.” She and Diana Kasparov ‘28 also won 21-0 against New Dorp.
The team was at the top of its game again on May 18 in the semifinal against Stuyvesant, winning 4-1 to earn a face-off with Cardozo.
“We take our games against [Cardozo] so seriously to the point that we kind of lose ourselves, and I think that's something we can learn from,” Mr. Xu said.
On and off the court, the coach pushes the team to treat each other like family.
“What I want to achieve is a situation where everyone wants to work together and there's no drama,” he said. “As a player myself, I want to see a positive attitude, great sportsmanship, and hard work. You don't have to be perfect – someone on the team might be faster or better under pressure. But everyone should be a role model for each other.”
“We have such an amazing coach who works with every single one of our starters and non-starters,” said doubles player Nicole Chen, who’s been on the team for three years.
She also gave a lot of credit to Fan. “My best friend Monica inspires me the most,” she said. “She’s an amazing teammate and has the strongest mindset when it comes to games. She's always there supporting me and lifting up the team.”
“[Fan] is very calm and very assertive,” agreed rising star Kalenchuk, who, like Fan, played volleyball before trying handball. “If she makes a mistake, it's very easy for her to shake it off and move on to the next point.”
Talent alone can open doors, but character, humility, and the ability to work with others are what keep those doors open, as the team’s run of success has shown. Greatness is about understanding how your strengths fit alongside others to create something stronger together. With the talent on the squad, these girls have the potential to come back even stronger next year, ready for another shot at the championship.