Shenendehowa’s Chichak Holds Off Great Neck South’s Villegas to Win NYS Singles Title
Jolie Chichak came out firing in the singles championship of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Individual Championships on Wednesday morning.
The freshman from Shenendehowa High School won the first four games of the opening set to build a commanding 4-0 lead over Great Neck South’s eighth-grader Gabrielle Villegas, only to see Villegas storm back to even the set, and force a first-set tiebreaker.
“Gabby started playing really well, so I began moving up to the net more to try and put away points,” Chichak said.
The adjustment worked out, as Chichak played a nearly flawless tiebreak. She hit a number of winners on-the-run, and won seven of the nine points to claim the opening set.
Chichak carried that momentum into the second set, breaking Villegas’ serve early for a 2-0 lead. Villegas once again showed her determination as she fought back to tie the frame at 4-4, but her comeback would be stymied once again, as Chichak won the next two games to seal the set, and clinch the State Title with a 7-6(2), 6-4 victory.
“I’m really excited. Gabby played really well. It was a tough but fun match, and I’m just happy to come out on top,” said Chichak. “She’s really consistent so I tried to move her around with my backhand as much as I could, and keep the ball deep so she couldn’t step in as much.”
That strategy proved to be the right one, and Chichak can now call herself a state champion.
“This week has been really fun, and tiring,” she added. “I want to thank my coach Jed Murray and the whole team at the Saratoga Regional YMCA for all the coaching they did to get me ready for all of this.”
In the third-place match, Syosset’s Stephanie Marcheret bounced back from a tough three-set defeat to Chichak in the semifinals to wrap-up her individual season on a high note, defeating Sakura Hino of the Keio Academy of New York.
“This was a really important match for me,” Marcheret said. “I woke up this morning and told myself that even though I lost yesterday, I can control my attitude today. I came out and tried to work on things that I didn’t do well in the semifinals, so to play this well and win like this was very satisfying.”
Sofia Perez of Mount Sinai defeated Clarence’s Sofia Banifatemi in the fifth-place match, while Isabel Amurao of Scotia-Glenville finished in seventh-place as Division’s Lilliana Chou was forced to withdraw due to injury.
2025 NYSPHSAA Girls’ Tennis Singles Results
- Jolie Chichak (Shenendehowa)
- Gabrielle Villegas (Great Neck South)
- Stephanie Marcheret (Syosset)
- Sakura Hino (Keio Academy of New York)
- Sofia Perez (Mount Sinai)
- Sofia Banifatemi (Clarence)
- Isabel Amurao (Scotia-Glenville)
- Lilliana Chou (Division)
