For the first time in program history, the Xaverian H.S., Bay Ridge, varsity girls’ tennis team won the CHSAA Brooklyn-Queens championship.
But wait, there’s more.
The Clippers followed up the diocesan title win with their first-ever city championship victory.
But wait, there’s more.
As if the excitement from the diocesan and city championship wins wasn’t enough, Xaverian defied the odds by capturing the New York state title — also a first.
This historic run is remarkable — and even more so that it all happened within just one week in late October. The diocesan, city, and state crowns still have the Clippers buzzing a few weeks later.
To truly appreciate the magnitude of all three championships, we must go back in time. Xaverian’s varsity program was formed in the fall of 2016, the same year the school transitioned to co-ed. The Clippers reached the diocesan finals three times before this season.
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All three times — including the past two seasons — the team lost to Archbishop Molloy H.S., Briarwood. Last year was especially painful, since the Clippers had an undefeated regular season yet lost to the Stanners in the diocesan championship match.
Heading into the fall season, expectations were high for the young, talented Xaverian squad, coached by Alex Alfredo, who has been the head coach of the girls’ team since its inception. Early on, a “championship or bust” attitude permeated the Bay Ridge courts.
“The girls came back better across the board,” said Alfredo, also head of Xaverian’s Math Department as well as boys’ varsity tennis head coach. “The expectation among the team was that we’re going to make sure we bring home the diocesan championship.”
Xaverian turned in a stellar regular season at 10-2 overall — good enough for the No. 2 seed in the diocesan championship tournament. The two losses, though? Of course, they were both to the rival Stanners.
In any sport, a team will rarely defeat another team three straight times, especially when playoffs are involved. That’s what happened in 2024, with Xaverian on the losing end of the third match. The same is true for this season and the playoffs, except the Clippers flipped the script.
In the Brooklyn-Queens championship, Xaverian earned a 4-1 victory over Molloy to capture the program’s first-ever diocesan championship. Though more chapters of this story were soon to be written, the girls celebrated this victory as if they had won the Super Bowl.
“We lost in heartbreaking fashion over the last three years, so when we finally got to win in such a dramatic and intense fashion, it was so amazing,” said senior first doubles player and team co-captain Sofia Biagini, who made the CHSAA All-League Tennis Team. “It was such a beautiful feeling and almost poetic in a way.”
Two days later, in the city championship, Xaverian kept the momentum going with a 4-1 win over St. Joseph Hill Academy, Staten Island, to earn a berth in the state championship match. Once again, this city title was a first for the Clippers.
The week of firsts continued the very next day, as Xaverian took on St. Anthony’s H.S., South Huntington, L.I., for the state championship. St. Anthony’s is recognized as a local powerhouse program in girls’ tennis, boasting multiple state titles.
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The Clippers could have settled for a “just-happy-to-be-here” mentality, but that was far from the case. In an epic match, the best-of-five series was pitted at 2-2, with the second doubles match as the decider. Freshman Giuliana Argiro and sophomore Alessandra Cumbo overcame deficit after deficit. When the dust settled, they emerged with a 10-8 third-set tiebreaker to win their match — and thus the school’s first-ever state championship.
“It just felt different this year,” Alfredo said. “I’ve never had a more talented group of girls.”
The roster of 25 girls was led by three senior co-captains: Biagini, Aimy Kapllani, and Chryssa Vavas. Sophomore Francesca Casamento competed in first singles; freshman Rebecca Baxter played second singles; junior Nicole Argiro was third singles; and sophomore Alyssa Sun slotted in with Biagini as first doubles.
“Looking back and seeing that we were the first to do this, with especially all three championships, is incredible,” said Nicole Argiro, who also made the CHSAA All-League Team. “We’ll always be able to see this in the record book. It’s special thinking about how we all contributed to that.”
What’s even more special is that most student-athletes on Xaverian’s team are underclassmen, meaning the Clippers are poised to get right back atop the pedestal next year.
For now, though, they’re still soaking in the glory of a trifecta of firsts.