Cougars come through in second day of match
By: Justin Feil
EAST BRUNSWICK — The Montgomery High girls’ tennis team came into the completion of its Central Jersey Group II final with Holmdel with the match still in question.
The Cougars’ first singles Stacey Kalinina had lost to state standout Alex DeGuzman, who is still alive in the state singles tournament, but all four other matches were called due to darkness Thursday to force their completion Friday. The four flights were a variety of circumstances. Holly Clare led Helen Wang, 6-2, 5-5, at third singles. Every other flight was in a third set.
Friday, Clare wasted no time, breaking Wang’s serve and then holding her own to tie the match, 1-1, with a 6-2, 7-5 win.
On the end court, the MHS second doubles’ team of Ann Wright and Erika Mastsumoto came into the day with a 5-4 lead in the third set. They needed to win just one game, but it wasn’t that easy even though they served first. Holmdel fought back to tie it, 5-5, then again, 6-6, before the Cougars prevailed in the tiebreaker, 9-7, for a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7) win to put them one win from the team title.
They got it when second singles’ Shiho Kawashima came back from a 1-0 third-set deficit to begin the day to win, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 and clinch the first girls’ tennis CJ II title in school history.
Just for good measure, the MHS first doubles team of Eileen Wu and Renee Mastrosimone rallied from a 2-1 third-set deficit at one point to win, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, to give the Cougars an official 4-1 win over Holmdel, th team that knocked them out of the CJ II tournament last year in the semifinals.
"They all came through," said MHS head coach Larry Johnson, whose team improved to 14-2. "I don’t know how much they realize what they’ve done."
The Cougars will play Wednesday in the state Group II semifinal at Mercer County Park.
For complete coverage, see Tuesday’s Princeton Packet.

