Nutley senior Viha Kothakonda, left, and junior Alexis Rodriguez.
NUTLEY, NJ — The Nutley High School girls tennis team is enjoying a stellar season.
Under head coach Julian Gruttadauria, the Raiders sported an 10-2 overall record, including sitting atop the Super Essex Conference–Colonial Division standings with a 4-0 divisional mark, through Wednesday, Sept. 24.
They defeated East Orange, Bloomfield, Belleville and Cedar Grove, all by 5-0 scores, in divisional play. They also defeated Union, Shabazz, Orange, Newark East Side and Irvington, and lost to Wayne Hills in regular-season matches.
In the Essex County Tournament on Sept. 16 at the Althea Gibson Center in Newark, the Raiders went 1-1, losing to Livingston in the first round and beating Cedar Grove in the consolation.
Nutley is led by five returning players — seniors Viha Kothakonda, Lara Hindistan and Mae Ziek, and juniors Alexis Rodriguez and Everleigh Nugent. Kothakonda, Rodriguez and Nugent are the team’s top singles players.
Kothakonda and Rodriguez are the team’s top singles players. Hindistan and Ziek are the top doubles team, continuing to be an integral piece for the team in their fourth year of varsity tennis, Gruttadauria said.
Ziek, Hindistan and Kothakonda have shown exceptional leadership as captains.
“I expect their leadership and maturity to help us, on and off the court,” Gruttadauria said.
A total of 30 players have joined the team, including some promising newcomers. Among them are seniors Catalina Narvaez and Enessa Reyimbayeva. Gruttadauria particularly is excited about freshmen Joraine Dela Cruz and Bianca Loria.
The seniors “are the heart of our team, and they are a big part of our success,” he added.
“Isabella Fernandez, Eva Ilardi, Jeslyn Paulino and Alexa Anselmi are my seniors that help keep this team enjoy the game of tennis. I couldn’t do it without them.”
Gruttadauria said the program is pushing to get back to having a junior varsity team to continue building the tennis program.
Gruttadauria is looking forward to the rest of the season.
“I am confident our team will have a winning record this season,” he said. “Our goal is to win our division and I believe we have the players to get it done. In 2023, we won the division, and last year we fell just short. We’re looking to win our division, make a run in states and perform our best at the Essex County Tournament.”
Every October, Nutley tennis has an annual charity event where all proceeds go towards breast cancer research. “Any community involvement is greatly appreciated. Last year was the first year our boys team helped as well and it was by far our best year yet,” Gruttadauria said.
Gruttadauria also is the head boys tennis coach in the spring. Overall, the tennis programs are thriving at NHS.
“Both the girls and boys teams are the biggest we have ever had, with a tennis family of 50 students eager to improve on their game,” he said. “Their love for the sport is all I need to continue to motivate the students to become good players, and most importantly, good people, as they continue to grow in their educational and athletic careers. Tennis can be a very isolating sport, but with the team culture we have built, everyone is supported to be their best for the students around them.”
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