GIRLS TENNIS
By: Tim Falls
Alexis Devaney walked off the tennis court with her first victory of the season last Thursday.
It wasn’t until a few hours later that the Hopewell Valley Central High School girls tennis team left West Windsor-Plainsboro North with its first win of the season.
Devaney was the first done with a 6-1, 6-3 victory at third singles.
She made the win look easy by comparison as her teammates struggled through seesawing sets to give the Bulldogs a 4-1 triumph over the Knights.
"You always want to win that first match so you start the season with a win," said Devaney. "You want to win every match, but to do that, you have to start out with a win."
Hopewell sophomore Kylie Smith gave her team another point with a 6-6 (7-3), 6-3 decision over WW-P North’s Alma Chang at second singles.
"It was tough," said Smith. "She was a competitive player. She didn’t let down."
Neither did the rest of the Knights.
First singles and the two doubles matches each took multiple sets as Hopewell worked for its first win.
Hopewell sophomore Kelsey Johnson defeated WW-P North’s Jackie Tseng, 6-1, 6-7(5-7), 6-2 in a hard-fought endurance-testing series.
Likewise, Hopewell’s first doubles duo of senior Caitlin Dalton and junior Becca Wolf prevailed over the Knight’s Betsy Berrocessa and Sinthia Renjan, 7-6 (7-2), 6-7 (5-7), 6-4.
WW-P North’s Caroline Chang and Sara Hoye edged Hopewell juniors Jane Bigelow and Lesley Keith, 6-4, 0-6, 6-4.
"We have talent all the way through, one to seven," said Devaney. "We have a lot of depth."
The Knights proved a serious challenge for Hopewell, and even Devaney, who had the biggest margin of victory, said she was tested in her match against the Knight’s Natasha Sastri.
"She had some nice shots," said Devaney. "I had to watch out for her backhand. Other than that, we were evenly matched."
Smith said she had to relax in order to stay ahead of her opponent.
"I needed to relax and focus," said Smith. "When I did that, I could emphasize my swing more, move my feet better and think more clearly about where I should put my shots. Not right at her."
Hopewell Valley kept the momentum going with another 4-1 victory over Steinert on Friday.
Johnson took first singles over the Spartans’ Allyson Kingman, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, Smith won second singles, 6-4, 6-4, over Becca Kingman and Devaney won third singles, 6-2, 6-0, over Christine Petrilla.
Hopewell’s first doubles team of Dalton and Wolf won, 6-3, 6-2, while its second doubles team of Bigelow and Keith fell 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
With just the weekend to rest, Hopewell shutout Robbinsville, 5-0 on Monday.
Johnson won first singles, 6-1, 6-0, while Smith and Devaney swept their singles matches, 6-0, 6-0. Dalton and Wolf won first doubles, 6-0, 6-1, while Bigelow and Keith won second doubles, 6-1, 6-0.
"I think we are definitely a strong team," said Smith.
Hopewell continued to keep a busy schedule with a match against Hightstown yesterday (Wednesday). The Bulldogs are also slated to play West Windsor-Plainsboro South at home on Friday.
While strenuous, the fast pace of the season is a good thing, according to Devaney.
"You just want to keep playing as much as possible," said Devaney. "Practice is good, but you want to play in as many matches as you can."