Girls TennisIt seems to be all or nothing for the Hopewell Valley Central girls tennis team. The Lady Bulldogs have either been winning by a comfortable margin or losing decisively.
By: Nick Schaefer
After defeating Allentown, 5-0, Hopewell lost to Nottingham, 4-1, then returned to form to beat conference rival Ewing on Friday, 5-0.
"When we win we seem like we can do no wrong, but when we lose our game seems to be a little bit off," said head coach Maria Gonzalez. "Sometimes the talent and depth of your opponent makes a huge difference in what the outcome will be."
The Lady Bulldogs (6-3) got strong performances from each of their singles and doubles players against Ewing. Sophomore Lindsey Drewry, freshman Danielle Morse and senior Katie Deutsch dominated to sweep all three singles points.
Following form, freshmen Amsi Shah and Cissy Ouyang won their first doubles match in straight sets. Junior Ashley Burrell and Christy Cramp won second doubles to give Hopewell a 5-0 victory.
"The bottom line is we have a team full of winners," said Gonzalez. "When the chips are down, I know we will rise to the occasion. The girl’s give maximum effort on the court each and every game.
"They have been winning every match that they should pretty much should win," added Gonzalez. "It shows our team has a real desire to win and stay focused no matter who they are playing."
Hopewell continued its winning ways in the first round of the Mercer County Tournament (MCT) on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs were able to win two matches, in second singles and second doubles.
Morse won her first second singles of the match of the tournament against Lawrence, 6-0, 6-1, and then defeated her Princeton opponent, 6-1, 6-1.
"Danielle played a marvelous match," Gonzalez said. "She played a clean match all the way through the end."
Burrell and Cramp swept Ewing in second doubles, 6-0, 6-0, and won against Pennington Prep, 6-3, 6-2, to advance to the second round of the MCT.
"Christy and Ashley played great tennis," said Gonzalez. "They were really consistent with their strokes and didn’t make many errors. Errors are such a huge part of the game and when you can limit them, it is a huge advantage."
The Bulldogs take on Trenton on Friday at 3:45 p.m.
"I don’t know too much about Trenton," said Gonzalez. "I assume we will do well if we play our game. I tell the girls all the time, it’s all about playing hard and leaving it all out on the court. Our team has been playing hard all year, so expect the same against Trenton."

