Thanks to a 3-1 start, the Old Bridge High School girls tennis team has qualified for the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV tournament.
Like most area teams, the Lady Knights have had several matches postponed, but the relative inactivity has not hurt the team, according to coach Melanie Ogden.
But qualifying for the states was no easy task for anyone this year, as the number of postponements meant that teams had to win their first few matches without slipping up too much in order to be at or above the .500 mark by yesterday.
Fortunately for the Knights, they were able to do just that.
After dropping the season-opener to powerful East Brunswick, the top team in the Greater Middlesex Conference, Old Bridge has reeled off wins over Woodbridge, 3-2; Piscataway, 4-1; and Edison, 5-0.
"We have a much stronger team this year," Ogden said. "We have a lot of depth, solid doubles players, and a nice balance of experienced and younger players."
Captain Sarah Convery is the epitome of the experience Ogden mentioned. Now in her fourth varsity campaign, Convery moves up to first singles after going 15-2 at second last season; she played third the two previous years. Unfortunately, Convery suffered a sprained ankle in the Lady Knights’ first scrimmage and missed the first two matches, which cost her a chance to qualify individually for the state tourney. The senior has bounced back and is 2-0.
Another senior, Andrea Vago, holds down the second singles spot. Vago, a doubles player a year ago, played first singles in Convery’s absence and fared better than her 0-2 record, Ogden said. Vago has won both of her matches at second singles.
Yaa Acheampong, who also played doubles a year ago, is a solid 3-1 at third singles. The junior gritted out a big win against Woodbridge that gave Old Bridge the point it needed for the win.
Ogden combined senior lefty Rachel Lefkowitz with sophomore Sam Mushnick at first doubles and the two players have meshed, going 3-1 to qualify for the state doubles tournament. Veteran Wrenny Chin and surprising sophomore Alexis Varela are 2-2 in the second spot.
In reserve, the Lady Knights look to junior Irina Novoselsky to spell the singles players, while Tatiana Martinez, a junior, and Elizabeth Cooperman, a sophomore, form a third doubles tandem. Ogden said all three will see plenty of court time.
"Right now everyone is playing well," the coach said. "The girls will continue to improve as we begin to play more matches. I’m very pleased with the way they’ve started."
The Lady Knights find themselves ranked fourth in the GMC at this early point in the season, behind only East Brunswick, J.P. Stevens and North Brunswick. But the Old Bridge girls are ready to take on the best that the conference has to offer, and with Convery healthy, they should be considered a contender once the state tournament gets under way.