Another solid campaign for SBHS tennis squad

By: Rich Fisher
   The South Brunswick High girls tennis team has not yet reached the rarified air of East Brunswick and J.P. Stevens, but the Vikings are holding steady in a pretty good comfort zone.
   South finished with another strong season in 2005, going 12-6-1 overall and 8-3-1 in the Greater Middlesex Conference’s Red Division. The Vikings finished third in division behind EB and JPS, and third in the GMC Tournament behind the same two teams.
   South Brunswick also reached the Central Jersey Group IV tournament, reaching the semifinals for the first time at that level, and had its first doubles team finish in the final 16 of the NJSIAA doubles tournament.
   "You never know how things are going to turn out," coach Barbara Whitman said. "Originally, we just wanted to be eligible for the states. When we got that far, it was really exciting. We exceeded our goals."
   The Vikings did so with a good blend of veterans, half of whom will return next season.
   Junior Christie Gagliano held down first singles, finishing 10-13 overall and 6-6 in the division.
   "She didn’t have a winning record, but she played well all year," Whitman said. "Her scores were competitive and she’s a strong player. She’s a very hard hitter, she’s definitely a first singles player. By her playing there she helped other girls play where they are more comfortable."
   At second singles, Rachel Amrhein was 10-13 overall and 6-6 in the division. She served as a co-captain with fellow-senior Poonam Misra.
   "Rachel and Poonam did a great job with the leadership," Whitman said. "Rachel has shown so much character, she is always playing year-round, very determined to get better. At the same time, she’s one of the best sports you’ll ever want to meet and her temperament is great. It’s all about the team with her."
   At third singles, Divya Toshniwal made a big splash in her first year on varsity. The sophomore finished 15-7-1 overall and 8-4-1 in the division. She came up with a clutch win in the Vikings CJ IV quarterfinal victory over Marlboro.
   "She’s been playing year-round, and word got around that she was a pretty good player," Whitman said. "We saw her coming. She lost her first match to North Brunswick and then to J.P. Stevens. After that she won every match she should have won. She just played really well, especially for a sophomore."
   The true strength of the Vikings this year was at doubles, where the first team of Meredith Ragany-Meena Ramachandra made school history with their efforts. The junior duo became the first Viking doubles team to reach the sweet 16 in the states. They finished 19-7 overall and 10-2 in the division.
   "They’re good players and they played really well together," Whitman said. "They were good last year but got even better this year. Playing together for this long has really helped them out."
   The senior tandem of Cathy Joseph-Rasika Chandrashekar were equally powerful at second doubles, going 18-5 overall and 9-3 in the division.
   "Rasika is extremely athletic and Cathy’s a hard hitter," Whitman said. "They played off of each other well.
   "Our doubles were our strong point this year, definitely. We could always count on them."
   Rounding out the varsity lineup were senior Mary Hesson and sophomores Irene Donne and Annie Zhang.
   The future looks bright for South Brunswick as well, as the JV team went 8-1. The doubles team of sophomore Sindhu Shamasunder and junior Prasannah Ashokkumar won the second doubles title at the GMC JV tournament. Zhang was a finalist at second singles, as was freshman Haley Berk at third singles. Juniors Kim Patel, Ambica Buddhavarapu, Erica Brokaw, Kavita Vemishetti, and Anisha Satyarthi and sophomore Anusha Koduru also contributed.
   The JV players will push the varsity girls for starting spots, making the competition that much keener.
   "Everything will be open to challenge matches next summer, but we’re really excited about next year," Whitman said. "We lose second singles and second doubles, but with the way these girls play all year, I think we’ll fill the spots."
   Whitman also had praise for her assistant coach, Kathy Zanon, "who really did a great job helping out."