PHS, WW-PS find doubles trouble in state semis

Net play works against Little Tigers, Pirates

By: Justin Feil
   The net was a net advantage for the state doubles tournament opponents of Princeton High and West Windsor-Plainsboro High South.
   The last remaining Mercer County representatives fell in the semifinals of state doubles play Thursday at Inman Sports Club in Edison, PHS to Millburn in three sets and WW-P South to eventual champion Newark Academy in straight sets.
   "They match up well with us," said PHS head coach David Black, whose tandem of Chad Maisel and Nate Abraham lost for the second time this season to Millburn. "They were really good net players and Chad and Nate are real good baseline players. All else being even, two net players usually will fare better than two baseline players in doubles.
   "I think both matches were equally close. They pulled out the tiebreakers in the first match. We pulled it out in (the first set) of the second match. When you get to a tiebreaker, it’s anybody’s game."
   After falling in two sets to Millburn for the Group III state tournament final, PHS fell to 13-4 Thursday with a 6-7 (6-8), 6-2, 6-4 loss.
   "We weren’t putting away our shots at the net," Black said. ‘We weren’t missing our volleys, but we weren’t putting them away. When they stayed back, both at the baseline, we were able to win the majority of those points. Nate and Chad can rally with the best of them."
   Millburn saw that as well, and used its aggressive play at the net to swing the match in its advantage. The Little Tigers tried to counteract that, but to no avail.
   "I encouraged both of them to try to use the topspin lob," Black said. "Our lobs just weren’t as crisp as they needed to be. Some players think it’s difficult to lob indoors. For whatever reason, though, our lobs fell short and they put them away, or they were long. Overall, they weren’t very effective."
   WW-P South also had difficulty finding a strategy to contend with the top-seeded Newark Academy duo. The Pirates’ Shintaro Mori and Russell Nitzberg were in the match in the first set, before falling, 6-4, 6-1.
   "The first set was very close," said Pirate head coach Jim Giovacchini of his pairing that slipped to 13-3 with the loss. "The second set was honestly just as close. We won some big points in the first set and didn’t win them in the second set. Russell and Shintaro, they seemed to get a little tired in the end. They were put on the show court with a whole slew of people peering over them, and that was tough. It was an incredible run."
   That run ended when they too were unable to find enough consistency to counteract Newark’s attacking play.
   "The success they had came with lobbing, with offensive topspin lobs," Giovacchini said of his squad. "I knew that going in. I knew they’d need that shot. They executed great. But they’re tough to hit. That’s why most good doubles teams both come in. Newark had the best high school volleys I’ve seen. They’re a classic strong, solid doubles team that plays very solid.
   "Our only chance was to come up with these beautiful topspin lobs, and the other was passing down the alleys. That was tough because of the speed indoors and they hit their volleys deep. So we had to go with the topspin lob. They did the best they could."
   Mori and Nitzberg can take solace in knowing, first of all, that they will return. Mori is a freshman, Nitzberg a sophomore. And, secondly, they lost to the eventual champion. Newark Academy beat Millburn in three sets Friday.
   "It always makes you feel better to know you lost to the best," Giovacchini said. "If you lost to Newark Academy in the second or third round, you can still feel pretty good. If you lost to the team that lost to the team that lost to the (team), then you didn’t do well. We went as far as we could humanely have possibly gone. They fought valiantly. Everyone loses eventually. You just have to look at who you lose to then.
   "We had a phenomenal year. I’m extremely proud of them. It goes to show what hard work and a positive attitude will do."
   And though they didn’t meet in a Mercer County state doubles final, the first doubles teams of PHS and WW-PS could meet Wednesday as part of a make-up of their regular-season match. The Pirates have already sealed the Colonial Valley Conference Colonial Division. PHS needs a win to mathematically eliminate WW-P North for the CVC Valley race.
   It could be the final match for Chad Maisel, the PHS senior co-captain, who reached the state finals last year with Ted Distler and the semifinals this year with Abraham. He’s lost just five matches in two seasons.
   "Chad is a great player," Black said. "Chad can beat players because he can out-rally. Ted and Chad complimented each other’s game more than Chad and Nate. We didn’t have the dominant net force this year."
   And, in the end, that’s the shortfall that caught up with the PHS and WW-PS first doubles team in the state tournament semifinals.