Jayaraman leads South semis win
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
For the five returning players from last year’s West Windsor-Plainsboro South girls’ tennis team, reaching the Central Jersey Group IV state final is nothing new.
Those were expectations they returned with after falling in last year’s championship match.
It is, however, new to the two players at the top of their lineup and a new coaching staff though they had an early indication of the Pirates’ potential.
”The win over Moorestown, I kind of knew where this team was going to be,” said head coach Carla Crawbuck. “At that point, I knew this team was going to be good. And that was the first match of the year.”
The new Pirate freshmen, Ammu Mandalap and Sahana Jayaraman, were less certain of how far they could help the team go. It has almost helped them stay oblivious to the pressure that comes with playing at the top.
”Not really because I don’t have any expectations because I’ve never been in this position before,” said Jayaraman, the Pirates’ second singles player. “It’s just a fun experience.”
Except for those that have to play her. Jayaraman improved to 15-2 this season with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 win over Nikita Raman as the Pirates advanced to the CJ IV final with a 4-1 win over Marlboro on Tuesday. They took their top seeding into Thursday’s scheduled final against No. 2 East Brunswick that was after deadline.
”We’re really proud of ourselves because that’s a great accomplishment,” Jayaraman said. “We really want to win the finals this year.”
Princeton High was knocked out of the Central Jersey Group III brackets with a 5-0 loss to highly regarded Holmdel in the semifinals Tuesday. The Little Tigers play WW-P South today in a regular-season match.
WW-P South’s route to the CJ IV finals had grown tougher through the first two rounds of states as the Pirates won a 3-2 match against Hillsborough in the quarterfinals after a 5-0 opener, but WW-P South made it look a little easier on Tuesday.
Jayaraman and the second doubles tandem of Amanda Stanton and Mallory Wang quickly picked up wins, and third-singles’ Lesley Norris was quick to follow for the clincher. Annie Scharfstein and Larissa Lee Lum had a harder second set before picking up the fourth win for the Pirates.
”The first one is always a breeze if you make the states with a good solid, above .500 team,” Crawbuck said. “Then Hillsborough was a wake-up call.
”They had a good practice (Monday). The weekend was good too. Ammu played three state singles matches. The doubles played three matches. And those were good state teams. It was good for them.”
Jayaraman also got to experience her first trip to the state singles tournament. It opened her eyes to some of the top-flight players out there. She has been happy to slide into the Pirates’ lineup as a freshman.
”I knew actually almost everyone on the team because I’ve been in classes and clinics with them before,” she said. “I didn’t know actually (where I would play). I didn’t really have any expectations. I just tried to do my best. I was really happy to play second singles.”
She didn’t play for the middle school team because it conflicted with spring track and field. She is looking forward to competing in the 800 meters and mile this spring for the WW-P South track squad, though tennis holds a slight upper hand for her favorite sport. Playing Middle States tournaments for years helped when she jumped to the high school team.
”It’s definitely different with the team,” Jayaraman said, “but I really enjoy playing on the team because you have all the camaraderie. A lot of the matches are similar to tournament matches because there are a lot of nice players in New Jersey.”
Her experience has benefited her in her first year of varsity tennis. She hasn’t played like a rookie.
”Sahana is just a darn nice player,” Crawbuck said, noting her strengths. “Very good backhand. Very good forehand and very coachable. She will listen to anything myself or the assistant coach will tell her. Even if she doesn’t agree, she will listen. She lost the first set at Mercer County, then she calmed down and relaxed. She just listened and didn’t get all nervous. She went on to the next set. It’s so nice she was able to listen.”
Added Jayaraman: “My backhand is definitely a big help. It usually gets me out of trouble. I think having match experience from tournaments in general has been a big help throughout this season.”
The Pirates have confidence in Jayaraman. The Mercer County Tournament champion has been a steady winner for them all season. It has helped her take on older players.
”I think I have gained confidence, especially after Mercer Counties,” Jayaraman said. “That gave me a lot of confidence.”
The county team title also gave the Pirates a lift as a group. They have remained unbeaten at 13-0 after a win over Lawrence on Wednesday set them up for the sectional final that only recently became a more viable goal.
”Right after Mercer Counties, we started thinking about it a lot more,” Jayaraman said. “But it wasn’t a set goal from the beginning of the season.”
Jayaraman again didn’t know what to expect from the sectional finals. But she did have a tried and trusted strategy.
”I’m going to try to stay as calm as possible because that’s when I play my best,” she said. “In the counties, I was calm because I didn’t really have any expectations for myself.”
After a breakout first season of varsity tennis, however, it’s hard not to foresee even bigger expectations for the future of Sahana Jayaraman and the Pirate girls’ tennis team.

