On Oct. 15, the girls tennis team closed out an otherwise successful season with a 3-2 loss to Chatham. Despite coming up short in the finale, the season as a whole for the Blue Devils was marked by strength and grit as they were able to finish with an impressive 10-6 record.
Some of the most pivotal wins for the team came against both Summit and Governor Livingston, where Westfield was able to triumph over both teams 3-2. Four of their six losses came from Oak Knoll and Kent Place, tough teams Westfield faced twice each this season.
With several skilled competitors the team has to face off against each year, senior co-captain Sadie Pitigala said, “I think everyone on the team was very close this year and was very good at maintaining a positive mindset and cheering each other on which helped us win those really hard matches.”
Entering this season, the team was set on picking up where they left off last year and building on the successful season they had, as they ended the 2025-26 season 11-5 and as the North Jersey Group 4 champions.
The Blue Devils were able to make it to the North Jersey Group 4 semifinals again this year as a critical 3-2 victory against Ridgewood propelled them to the semifinal round. However, they fell to a talented Bergen Tech squad 5-0, who went on to win the tournament in the final round and defeated the Blue Devils last year in the state semifinals as well.
Pitigala said, “I would say the biggest challenge we faced this year was the way that they did sectionals since they made it a little bit harder, but I still think we did really well and were able to make it to the semifinals.”
Throughout the season, Westfield was led by both Pitigala and fellow senior captain Lauren Roszak. Roszak served as the team’s first singles player consecutively for the past two years and entered the 2026 season as a fourth-year varsity member. Pitigala was one of the first doubles players this year and spent two years playing on varsity throughout her high school career.
The Blue Devils came into the season losing six seniors, however, many returning players were welcomed back and served as critical members of the team during the season, such as junior second singles player Cadie Stanek and senior third singles player Emma Legaspi.
The team placed third in their county tournament with Roszak capturing the title of overall individual champion in first singles. During her run in the tournament, head coach Harris Goldman pointed out the impressive performance put forth by Roszak. “Lauren beat two players from Oak Knoll and Kent Place that she lost to during the season, so she learned and reworked her strategy which was so exciting to see,” he said.
In addition, Legaspi placed second in third singles, and doubles players Sadie Pitigala and Hailey Pitigala earned fourth in first doubles during the tournament.
Senior Sofia Gensler-Canale said, “For me, the most memorable part of the season was counties. It was really fun to be with all of the other teams and to just cheer everyone on. The energy was really strong, especially on the second day because it was all the best players, so it was really great tennis and great energy all around.”
The team also hosted the Blue Devil Invitational on Sept. 19 at the Westfield Tennis Club. The Blue Devils were able to make it to the last round, but unfortunately fell to Mendham in the finals. Still, the event was a major highlight of the season for the girls, surrounded by camaraderie and team bonding.
Gensler-Canale said, “The Blue Devil Invitational is one of my favorite tennis traditions that I am going to miss so much once I graduate. All of our friends and family come and it is always a great event every year.”
Meanwhile, a major adjustment to the tennis program this year was the closeness of both the JV and varsity teams. Goldman said, “One of the biggest things we wanted to achieve heading into our season this year was approaching our teams as one. JV and varsity both have different schedules, but we wanted it to feel more like one cohesive team where all the players support each other and build relationships with each other. I think we are a much stronger group when we approach it that way and it worked out really well.”
The team also faced a coaching change this season as Goldman, a teacher at WHS, stepped up into the head coach position. He previously coached JV girls tennis at Kent Place.
“I was a little nervous transitioning with a new head coach because it is a very big responsibility and I know it is definitely not easy to coach a team, but I think Mr. Goldman did a really great job, especially in his first year,” Gensler-Canale said. “One thing about him is that he has a really positive attitude and he made it a great atmosphere for the entire team so I am really happy that he joined the team. I think he’s been doing a great job and I know that he is going to keep improving every year and keep making the team better and better.”
With Goldman at the helm, Westfield was able to generate five shutout victories throughout the season against teams such as rivals Scotch-Plains Fanwood and Fair Lawn in the first round of the sectional tournament.
Goldman said, “I set three goals for the season in the very beginning. The most important was having fun and the second was improving your tennis skills because everybody wanted to get better than they were at the beginning of the season. The third was supporting each other as one team so I felt that when I looked back at the end of the season we really did amazing addressing all three of those.”
Next year, the team looks to rebuild as they lose six valuable seniors; yet they will look to their returning players and future talents to take on larger roles and build on the strong culture built this season in order to maintain the program’s success.
