D’Aquino delivering success for Weston girls
Weston’s success starts at the top, where Ally D’Aquino has made a habit of making the spectacular look routine at the No. 1 singles spot.
A four-year varsity player, the senior is enjoying another standout season for the Trojans, who captured the Class S and SWC girls tennis titles during her first three years.
D’Aquino, who will play tennis at Bates College in the fall, was a quarterfinalist at the State Open in 2018 and has won all but one of her matches at first singles for Weston this season – her loss coming against Izzy Koziol of Wilton in the season-opener.
Since then, Weston has won seven straight matches, including 7-0 victories against Brookfield and Bunnell in its last two outings and a 6-1 triumph over rival Joel Barlow Friday. The Trojans’ top singles player has done her part, winning her matches in straight sets.
“She hits the living daylights out of the ball, she is a year-round tennis player
Ridgefield at Darien (boys), Monday, 4 p.m.: The Blue Wave (7-0) travel to take on 6-1 Tigers. Ridgefield pulled out a 4-3 win against Darien in 2018. and it shows,” Weston coach Dana Parsons said of D’Aquino. “Her strength, power and ball movement are all so impressive.”
Also active on the junior circuit, D’Aquino has certainly built a winning resume during her days on the court at Weston. Her sister Isabella, a freshman, plays on the school’s junior varsity squad.
“Ally is one of the top players in the state,” Parsons said. “She made it to the quarterfinals of the State Open last year and she is hoping to do even better as a senior.”
Complementing D’Aquino in singles play is Rachel Finkel, a consistent performer at the No. 2 spot.
“She is also a four-year starter, who brings a lot of depth and talent to the team,” Parsons said of Finkel. “She’s won a lot of big matches for us at No. 2.”
Junior Lila Pocsik and senior Mariel Zech have successfully filled the third and fourth singles roles. D’Aquino, Pocsik and Zech each posted straight-set victories against rival Joel Barlow.
“Lila plays a different style than everyone else,” Parsons said. “She creates points by coming to the net – she mixes the ball around a little more. Taking players out of their comfort zone is what makes her so good. Mariel is one of the fiercest competitors I have seen. She refuses to lose. A lot of the matches she wins are the result of sheer guts and desire.”
On the doubles’ side, seniors Annika Mirchandani and Hailey Baileux have flourished in their first season at the No. 1 position.
“They have formed a great partnership and have really jelled and worked well together as a team,” Parsons said.
Juniors Charlie Glick and Samantha Godwin have experienced success at the second doubles spot, giving the squad a lot to also look forward to next season, while sophomores Natalie Haythorn and Jordan Conlon have flourished at No. 3.
Weston hosts Bunnell Monday, before visiting Immaculate (Wednesday) and Masuk (Friday). The Trojans edged Stonington for the Class S title last season, 4-3.
“Winning the Class S championship is the end goal, but my goals and expectations are probably different than everyone else’s,” Parsons said. “I want the girls to leave the team knowing they left the team better than they found it. I want them to feel that being a member of the team was a great experience for them.”