By: Al Wicklund
The Monroe Township High School girls tennis team was hoping this week for an upbeat finish to a season that has had its share of lesser beats.
The Falcons were slated to meet John F. Kennedy in the season’s finale in Edison today (Friday).
They entered the week with a 3-11-1 record. The Falcons traveled to Perth Amboy Wednesday for a doubleheader (the completion of a suspended match that Monroe led, 2-1, and the playing of the regularly-scheduled match).
The season has been a jumble for the Falcons, more so than for many other teams in the area. Everyone shared in the early-season postponements caused by weather and the disruption caused by the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center.
The Falcons, however, had their added distraction when 14 teachers became ill for unknown reasons and the high school was closed on Oct. 18. The school is scheduled to be shut down until Monday.
"The athletic director (Doug Bayley) and I went into the school to get the girls’ equipment," coach Trudy Marmorek said. The school’s athletic program has been operating out of the field house, a free-standing building adjacent to the football stadium.
On the courts, Monroe lost to North Brunswick, 4-1, Monday and to Carteret, 3-2, Tuesday.
Against Carteret, Kaitlyn Schobert, at first singles, and the second doubles team of freshman Robin Romm and sophomore Surina Patel picked up the Monroe points.
Schobert, a junior, defeated Samantha Martin, 6-4, 6-1. Romm and Patel were dominant in a 6-0, 6-0 win over Carteret’s Caitlyn Keating and Sara Bardon.
Monroe’s Meredith Blumenstock, a senior, and sophomore Lorin Mordecai lost at second and third singles, respectively, while in the first doubles match junior Kim Gobac and Ashley Widmer, a sophomore, lost a three-set match.
In the North Brunswick match, Schobert defeated North Brunswick’s Sia Alexopolous in three sets, 6-0, 4-6, 6-2.
In second singles, Blumenstock and North Brunswick’s Zoie Flaks hooked up in the duel of the day. Blumenstock took the first set, but Flaks came back to win, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7).

