Bulldogs wait on rainy weather

BOYS TENNIS

By: John Molaro
   One thing that a competitive team wants to do after a tough loss is to get back into action and get that bad taste out of the way.
   Unfortunately for the Hopewell Valley Central High School boys’ tennis squad, Mother Nature didn’t cooperate.
   Following last Friday’s 4-1 setback at Colonial Valley Conference Valley Division rival Princeton, the Bulldogs (11-2) were rained out Monday in a rematch with the Little Tigers and were postponed Tuesday in their scheduled NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III second-round date with Monroe.
   Fourth-seeded HoVal and fifth-seeded Monroe were rescheduled for yesterday (Wednesday), and one way or another, that match was going to be played.
   "The match was scheduled for 4:15 Wednesday afternoon at our courts," Bulldog head coach Alma Quinlan said. "If it rains, we have a contingency plan to move the match to 6:15 Wednesday night at the Princeton Racquet Club. We need to get this match in because the winner plays Thursday."
   Both teams received first-round byes and had time to think back to the 2003 state tournament match in which HoVal took a 5-0 triumph.
   "That was Tony Suozzo’s last year as coach and HoVal won easily," added Quinlan. "I think I have a stronger team at all flights. I expect us to beat Monroe.
   "We don’t know a lot about them. We are very deep on the courts and we will play hard. We are not taking them lightly but I like our chances."
   If the Bulldogs are victorious, they will face the winner of the match between top-seeded Ocean and seventh-seeded Hightstown. Thursday’s third-round CJ III match will be played at the higher-seeded team’s courts.In the setback to Princeton, HoVal was without first-singles player senior Matt McGranaghan. With a revamped lineup, the Bulldogs were competitive with junior Aubrey Holmes at first singles and freshman Nick Maida at second singles falling in three sets.
   Junior Steve Deitchman at third singles provided HoVal with a 6-2, 6-3 victory.
   HoVal trails the Little Tigers by one game for first place in the Valley Division and Monday’s rained out match must be made up because of the title implications. No makeup date has been set.
   The Bulldogs have not beaten Princeton since 1992, when they took both regular-season matches but fell to the Little Tigers in the state tournament.
   "I’d rather have it the other way," Quinlan said. "I want to win the final match between the teams. That’s the most important one."
   HoVal and Princeton tied for third in the recent Mercer County Tournament and the Little Tigers handed the Bulldogs one of their two losses.
   "I’m a very competitive coach and sometimes I have to step back and realize we have a very good team," added Quinlan. "We’ve only lost to matches—one to West Windsor-Plainsboro South, which is the class of Mercer County, and one to Princeton. South is way up there. Princeton is our benchmark."
   McGranaghan, Holmes, and Maida each won singles matches in straight sets in a 5-0 triumph over Lawrence on May 10. The first doubles tandem of Jeff Drake and Steve Deitchman also won in straight sets and the second doubles duo of junior Blake McArthur and senior Alex Scheidler were victorious in three sets.
    "The guys played well," Quinlan said. "Lawrence is one of the best teams we’ve faced this year. We were on a mission in this match. The guys were in a zone. They showed up to play this day."
    Although rain knocked out two of their matches, the Bulldogs were loose Tuesday and looking forward to their state tournament date.
    "Matt was at practice today," added Quinlan. "The team is happy to have him back. He will be in the lineup against Monroe. "We got a little hitting in today. We didn’t want to do too much with the courts still slippery."
    Back at full strength, HoVal is ready to get back into action. The focus right now is Monroe, but in the back of their minds the Bulldogs want another shot at Princeton and a share of the Valley Division crown.The Bulldogs are still on a mission.
    NOTES: Tuesday’s match against Monroe was postponed at 2 p.m. "In retrospect, we probably could’ve played," Quinlan said. "But the safety of the kids comes first."