HHS girls capture county team tennis title

Arribe wins third singles crown

By: Rudy Brandl
   
   MARTINSVILLE — The Hillsborough High girls’ tennis team walked into Friday’s final round of the Somerset County Tournament with a little extra swagger. Knowing they had clinched the program’s first county team title since 1996 two days earlier in the semifinal round, the Raiders tried to have some fun while pursuing individual glory in the finals.
   Not even the cold, damp conditions could spoil the enthusiasm of the HHS girls, who proudly wore their warm varsity jackets letting everyone know they were the county champs before play began Friday.
   While the Hillsborough singles lineup is loaded with veterans, all four doubles players are varsity newcomers. The Raiders made that combination work against some tough county competition.
   "We’re excited, we’re on top of the world right now," Hillsborough senior first singles player Emily Mannix said. "A lot of the girls have never felt this feeling before. This is really special."
   "It’s really exciting knowing we won as a team even if we all don’t win our matches today," HHS sophomore second singles player Paige Aiello added. "Even though it’s an individual sport, it’s more about the team."
   The Raiders earned the county team title by advancing all five positions to the finals. Three of those semifinal victories required three sets.
   "This is very, very nice," HHS head coach Larry Johnson said after Wednesday’s semifinal session. "It’s a very good day for the ladies."
   Johnson believed from the beginning of the tournament that his team could prevail. He liked the matchups in all five brackets and knew his players could reach the finals if they played to their potential.
   "It’s about getting them to be able to deal with certain situations and follow through with the plan," Johnson said. "They have to be able to handle that emotion. The girls handled their business today."
   Senior third singles player Reciel Arribe won her first county title with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Immaculata’s Megan Ryan. Arribe started slowly but found her consistency from the baseline and mixed in a few devastating backhand volleys to win points in the second set.
   "It’s really awesome, especially since this is my last year," an emotional Arribe said moments after stepping off the court. "I started out nervous, but I just focused on winning. I just did what I felt was right at the moment. I had a game plan but I went with the flow."
   The first doubles team of Mae Ling Strang and Caitlin Katzelnick was locked in a tough battle with Pingry’s Aly Kerr and Jackie Reef when darkness forced the suspension of play. The teams traded 6-4 sets but the HHS duo held a 5-4 lead when play was stopped. The match will be continued at a later date.
   Everyone else in the HHS lineup fell short in the finals. Mannix played her best match ever against Lindsay Clark of Bernards, the state’s top-ranked player. Clark defeated Mannix for the third straight time in county play and second consecutive year in the finals, but Friday’s match was much closer. Clark rolled to a 6-1 win in the first set but Mannix gained some momentum in the second before Clark closed it out by a 7-5 margin.
   Mannix played beautiful tennis in the second set, trading games with Clark most of the way. Trailing 4-3, Mannix won both games after the court change and ripped a forehand winner to break Clark’s serve and take a 5-4 lead.
   The HHS star was serving for the second set but Clark got tough and won the game at love. Clark then held serve, winning the next game with a backhand volley. She broke Mannix again to win her fourth straight county title.
   "I played really well, but not well enough," Mannix said. "I just pretended it wasn’t her. I was being consistent. Every other time, I played not like myself."
   Aiello made a nice recovery from a slow start in her second singles final with Chelsey Kohler of Bernards. Kohler blanked Aiello in the first set but Aiello nearly sent the match to a third set. Aiello bolted to leads of 3-0 and 4-1 before Kohler rallied. Aiello had a 5-4 lead and two set points but Kohler came back, forced a tiebreak and won it by a 7-1 margin.
   "Last time I played her, it was the same deal," Aiello said. "I came back in the second set. I always start out slow and get some momentum in the second set."
   It was still a fantastic tournament for Aiello, who came through with a huge semifinal victory against Pingry’s Chelsea Garber. Aiello won her first three set match of the year by a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 score.
   "It was really exciting," Aiello said. "I was really nervous going into the third set. I didn’t think I was going to win at all."
   Johnson was impressed with the way his second singles player turned it on late in the match. Aiello was down a break at 2-3 and playing against the wind, but she found a new gear and did not lose another game.
   "I find it easier to play into the wind, so I told her it was her chance to win two games," Johnson said. "She picked her head up and won it. All of a sudden, she turned it on and it clicked. The confidence was back."
   Both HHS doubles teams also prevailed in huge three-set matches in the county semis. Strang and Katzelnick dropped a tiebreak in the middle set but rolled to 6-1 wins in the first and third to defeat the Bernards team of Brittany Blackstone and Megan Masuret.
   Hillsborough’s second doubles team of Justine Turnbull and Alary Price fell short in the SCT finals but staged an important comeback win over Rutgers Prep’s Priya Gaur and Sophia Renda in the semis. After losing the first set in a tiebreak, Turnbull and Price won back-to-back 6-3 sets.
   "A lot of good mental stuff happened today," Johnson said. "We’re getting to the meat of it right now. We have to be mentally strong to keep it rolling."