Newsday Athlete of the Week is Bayport-Blue Point's Lily Castka

Lily Castka doesn’t know how to say quit and was determined to capture the division title for the Bayport-Blue Point girls tennis team.

After losing to Longwood and Mount Sinai during the regular season, Castka defeated Sofia Matos from top-seeded Longwood, 6-4, 6-1, and Sofia Perez from No. 2 seeded Mt. Sinai, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, to capture the Suffolk Division III title for the Phantoms in an upset victory on Tuesday.

For her efforts, the sophomore is Newsday's Athlete of the Week.

"She lost to both these girls [in first singles] during the season, and her coming back to compete against them again and come out victorious again is another sign of her character and determination," coach John Selvaggio said. "Watching her play, especially after she lost to them previously, you can tell it motivated her."

"I kept telling myself to stay positive and that every point is a new point," Castka said. "My trainer [Dylan Roberts] and I focus on having main pointers before a match, and one of the main pointers is having a positive mindset and staying competitive, and that was important to me."

Castka's teammate, Emilia Romano, was originally going to play in the singles match but ultimately gave up her singles spot because Romano wanted to play in the doubles match with her sister, Evangeline. She was confident that Castka could win and get her redemption.

"From the first season Lily joined the team, she's been the top motivated player and always ready to go," Romano said. "I knew she had it in her; I knew she was going to come back and play harder; she played better than I could've imagined."

Castka's passion for tennis runs deep. She has played the sport since she was 6 but started taking it more seriously a year ago. Castka enjoys playing the sport because it's therapeutic and a great way to get her mind off things.

"I've been playing tennis every day for the past two years. It's been a great distraction and a way to press reset." Castka said. "I feel like no matter what is going on in my outside life, I can always come back to this."

Castka's talent isn't just shown on the tennis court. It is also displayed in her artwork, where some of her work was displayed in the Bayport-Blue Point library, and where she also does community work. She has received an award for community service since she was in the sixth grade.

"I do a lot of my artwork outside of my school, which is mostly when I do it,"Castka said. "It's just like tennis; it's a good stress reliever."

With such a young but talented player, coach Selvaggio sees the potential in the sophomore, and believes she can continue to progress as a tennis player, and knows the sky's the limit for Castka.

"From an athletic standpoint, she has what it takes, and from a determination standpoint, she has more than what it takes," Selvaggio said. "She's only a one-sport athlete, but she trains like a three-sport athlete."