HHS girls completed special tennis season

County team title higlighted campaign

By: Rudy Brandl
   While the Hillsborough High girls’ tennis team and head coach Larry Johnson take great pride in their fine 2006 season, they’re still not completely satisfied.
   The HHS girls captured the school’s first Somerset County team tennis title since 1996 but came so close to winning much, much more. The Raiders (17-5) came within one match of winning the Delaware Division title and Central Jersey Group 4 championship.
   They gave East Brunswick, the state’s No. 1 team, a major scare in the sectional finals before suffering a 3-2 setback. The Raiders dropped two frustrating 3-2 matches to division champion Bernards. Four of the team’s five losses came by 3-2 scores and most included several three-set matches.
   Johnson can’t help wondering what might have been after East Brunswick went on to the final round of the Tournament of Champions with easier victories over everyone else in its way. The Raiders matched up well with most of the other teams remaining in the state field.
   "If we get past East Brunswick, the possibilities would have been significant," Johnson said. "The state thing is a lofty goal, but we had a team that could compete on that level. That brings some kind of satisfaction, but you always want more."
   Even after that tough loss at East Brunswick Racquet Club, the HHS girls were poised to win the division title. They just didn’t match up well with Bernards, the only team all year to beat Hillsborough at first and second singles. Johnson remained confident his other three positions would prevail, but Bernards survived with a hard-fought win at second doubles.
   The high point of the Hillsborough season came at the Somerset County Championships, where all five Raider positions advanced to the finals to help the team clinch the title after the semifinal round. Somerset County is very solid in tennis, so winning this title truly means something.
   "A lot of coaches will argue that we have the toughest county in the state," Johnson said. "Going into the third round of states, there were still eight Somerset County players in and five were from our conference. There’s some good tennis being played around here and to win our county is definitely a big thing."
   "Winning the county was great," added senior first singles player Emily Mannix, who posted a 23-3 record this fall. "That was one of our biggest goals. We were disappointed that we didn’t win the conference or go further in the states, but that county title was nice."
   Hillsborough’s lineup featured an intriguing mix of talented returning singles players and new doubles players and partners. Once the doubles tandems became successful, the team became more balanced and tough to beat.
   Mannix finished her outstanding career with another great season, finishing second to Bernards star Lindsay Clark in the county and making it all the way to the NJSIAA quarterfinals for the second straight year. Mannix was the face of HHS tennis for the past four years, during which she piled up a school record 84 victories at first singles.
   "Emily is a special player and she defined our program," Johnson said. "She’s gotten better every year and she’s still not as good as she’s going to be."
   Losing Mannix will be a real blow to the Raiders, but sophomore Paige Aiello is poised to take over the No. 1 position. Aiello has completed two successful seasons at second singles but needs to take her game to another level as the team’s top player.
   Aiello (19-4) played some exciting tennis this fall, including some satisfying victories and tough losses. She won a huge three-set match in the county semifinals to defeat some personal demons. Aiello gave Chelsey Kohler of Bernards a tough match in the finals and nearly beat her in the division clinching battle at the end of the season. The HHS sophomore took the first set but couldn’t finish the job.
   "Paige had an opportunity to win that match even though she was the underdog," Johnson said. "She got closer every time but she’s still learning. She’s been in that position a number of times and maybe next time it will work out for her."
   Senior Reciel Arribe (22-2) completed another fabulous campaign as the team’s third singles player. Arribe lost just once at third singles all year and won her first county title to highlight the team’s championship performance. She was a four-year varsity player who elevated her status from second doubles to first doubles to third singles.
   "I’m really proud of her," Johnson said. "She made such a drastic rise as an individual tennis player and teammate. She was a good intelligent player and a great teammate and leader."
   Arribe wasn’t the only Raider to win a county title. All five positions reached the finals in a dominant display that saw Hillsborough clinch the team championship after the semifinal round. Arribe and the first doubles team of juniors Caitlyn Katzelnick and Mae Ling Strang earned a little extra glory for themselves.
   Katzelnick and Strang (23-4-1) had to wait a while to finish their championship match against Pingry’s Aly Kerr and Jackie Reef, who won the state doubles title before their county final could be completed. Darkness interrupted the county final with the HHS duo leading 5-4 in the final set. Katzelnick and Strang wanted redemption after losing in the NJSIAA quarterfinals and got it by defeating the state champs.
   "Both individual players knew how to play," Johnson said. "They were aggressive at the net and they realized the balls they could get. They have great instincts and they could see the angles. They were a question mark at the beginning but they worked out really well."
   The second doubles team of Alary Price and Justine Turnbull (16-8) enjoyed success but were somewhat inconsistent. They could be brilliant at times but also struggled on other days. Turnbull kept the ball in play and Price put away most points when this tandem was playing well.
   Many of these doubles players will vie for singles positions on next year’s team, which will be without Mannix and Arribe for the first time in four years. It will be a different team, but Johnson still expects the Raiders to be strong.
   "Every kid in the jayvee program and our doubles players have an opportunity," Johnson said. "If we do our work, we’ll always be good and competitive in Hillsborough."