Bulldogs reach MCT final

MCT TENNIS

By: Tim Falls
   Alexis Devaney and the Hopewell Valley Central High School girls tennis first doubles team of Caitlin Dalton and Rebecca Wolf advanced to the finals of the Mercer County Tennis Tournament at Mercer County Park yesterday.
   Devaney and Dalton and Wolf won semifinal matches yesterday afternoon for their 10th straight victories with no losses this season. They were scheduled to play in the final yesterday evening.
   Devaney won her semifinal match against West Windsor-Plainsboro South’s Nisha Javeri, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. It was the first time she lost a set all season.
   Likewise, Dalton and Wolf defeated WW-P North’s first doubles team, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.
   "They did exactly what I thought they were capable of doing," said coach Alma Quinlan after the first day of competition. "To come back on two courts out of five isn’t bad."
   Devaney advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over West Windsor-Plainsboro North’s Caroline Chang in the first round on Monday.
   "Alexis is what you’d call a human backboard," said Quinlan. "She returns everything. She rarely makes an unforced error. She’s very consistent."
   Devaney then defeated Peddie’s Julia Helms, 6-0, 6-1, in the quarterfinals.
   "She has a lot of composure," said Quinlan. "She is a very steady third singles player."
    Javeri defeated Princeton ‘s Jenn Yi, 6-2, 6-1.The Bulldogs first doubles team advanced to the semifinals with a 6-0, 6-0, sweep in the first round and a 6-1, 6-0 victory in the quarterfinals.
   Dalton and Wolf already defeated WW-P North’s first doubles team in regular season, but it was a new pair Dalton and Wolf faces in the semifinals.
   The success of Devaney and Dalton and Wolf helped Hopestand in fifth-place with 10 points in the team competition after the first day of play and added more points to move the Bulldogs higher by reaching the final yesterday.
   Dalton and Wolf have been an important factor in Hopewell’s season so far, even though they play with a style coach Quinlan said is not the norm.
   "There style of play is not the typical style you’d see on TV," said Quinlan. "They stay close to the serve line, not near the net."
   While Dalton and Wolf play relatively far back on the court compared to other doubles teams, they’ve been able to win with their style.
   "They have a volley that’s pretty effective," said Quinlan describing how her first doubles team has handled the competition they have faced.
   Even though their style is not the norm, it’s not something Quinlan is worried about with Dalton and Wolf playing so well.
   "They’ve been having success with it so I haven’t tried to change their style," said Quinlan. "Is it the best? Well, they’re 9-0."
   Hopewell Valley ‘s Kylie Smith won her first round match at second singles, but lost in the quarterfinals to Princeton ‘s Alex Willig, 6-1, 6-1. Smith defeated WW-P North’s Alma Chary, 6-2, 6-2, in the first round.
   Kelsey Johnson, at first singles, and Hopewell’s second doubles team lost their first round matches on Monday.