MCT TENNIS
By: Mike Molaro
Mick Cimorelli found out two important things about his Lawrence High School girls tennis squad after Monday’s action at the Mercer County Girls Tennis Championships at Mercer County Park.
First, the Cardinals aren’t quite ready to take on the county’s heavyweight programs like Hun, West Windsor-Plainsboro South, Princeton, and Stuart Country Day.Secondand perhaps most importantLawrence possesses a strong resiliency and a refusal to back down regardless of the opponent.
"I was very impressed with our performances," the first-year head coach said after the Cardinals completed a difficult day without having anyone advance out of the first round. "Everyone competed. We had some very tough matchups. We had two matches against South and two against Princeton. Those are two of the county’s best teams."
Only the top five entrants in each bracket are seeded. All others are matched up with the luck of the draw. Unfortunately for Lawrence, it drew the Colonial Valley Conference’s elite.
Senior Sarah Rached at first singles fell to WW-P South’s Joelle Nitzberg, 6-3, 6-1; junior Aleeha Fazie lost to Claire Wiles of Stuart Country Day 6-1, 6-1 at second singles; and junior Ashley Russo at third singles lost to Princeton’s Jenn Yi, 7-5, 6-1.
Sophomore Jamisa Tucker and senior Michelle Drzewiecka fell in straight sets at first doubles to Princeton and junior Erica Nagy and senior Margot Berger dropped a straight-sets decision at second singles to WW-P South.
Despite the setbacks, the Cardinals performed admirably and have nothing to be ashamed of.
"Sarah (Rached) played some of her best tennis on Monday," added Cimorelli. "I was very impressed with her play. Everyone played well. We had some tough draws but I really liked the way we competed. What we did on Monday will help us when the state tournament rolls around."
In regular-season action, the Cardinals improved to 5-2 with identical 5-0 triumphs over Nottingham on Sept. 21 and Trenton on Sept. 20.
Against the Northstars, Lawrence needed to ensure it wasn’t looking past an opponent with the MCT looming ahead. Rached (6-1, 6-3), Fazie (6-4, 3-6, 7-6), and Russo (6-0, 6-1) won at the singles slots while Tucker and Drzewiecka (6-0, 6-0) and Nagy and Berger (6-3, 6-2) took the doubles tandems.
"Our goal was to play consistent tennis heading into the county tournament," Cimorelli said. "We wanted to work on some shots and get some momentum going into the MCT. Sarah (Rached) played well and she kept it going into the county tournament. Nottingham is having a tough year. We went out and did a nice job. We don’t want to take any match for granted."
Rached, Fazie, and Russo lost jut one game between them at singles slots against Trenton while Tucker and Drzewiecka and Nagy and Berger swept at first and second doubles, respectively.
"Trenton lost a couple of good players to graduation," added Cimorelli. "When you face a team you should beat, it is important to go out and work on your own game. We need to focus on that against the weaker teams."
There won’t be any county champions from Lawrence this year, but the experience gained at the MCT will pay huge dividends when the Cardinals step onto the courts for their upcoming first-round state tournament match.
NOTES: The Cardinals hosted Hunterdon Central Tuesday and visited Hightstown yesterday. They travel to Allentown tomorrow. "These are all winnable matches," Cimorelli said.

