LAWRENCE: LHS boys tennis off to a 3-1 start

by Bob Nuse, The Packet Group
   With all the rain that has hampered the first two weeks of the high school tennis season, getting on the court consistently has been a problem.
   And if there is one area where the Lawrence High boys tennis team could use some work, it is with consistency.
   ”We’ve had some good and bad in the competitive matches,” said Lawrence coach Pat Tarrant, whose team is off to a 3-1 start. “A couple of them could have gone either way. The one negative is that we have to play more consistent tennis and make less unforced errors if we want to win matches against the better teams.
   ”That is what happened to us against Hopewell. They played a more consistent match and we made some errors.”
   A 4-1 loss to Hopewell Valley is the only blemish on the Cardinals’ record right now. Lawrence owns wins over Nottingham, Notre Dame and Allentown.
   ”We’ve gotten off to a pretty good start, but we have also lost some matches due to the rain,” Tarrant said. “We lost to Hopewell and it was a close match even though we lost, 4-1. Our singles players were all in their matches but didn’t pull them out. Hopewell just played a little better.
   ”I expected us to beat the schools we have beaten. But all three of those teams have improved over last year.”
   In the loss to Hopewell, singles players Gurkirat Kohli, Shayyan Fazle and Tim Finnerty all lost straight-set matches that were closer than the score looked. The Cardinals picked up their win at second doubles from Ajan Sivaramamoorthy and Balkirat Chadha.
   ”They played No. 1 last year but right now they’re at No. 2 because they lost a challenge match to the guys who were No. 2 last year,” Tarrant said. “The guys we have at No. 1, Rakesh Bhaghe and Adam Czaplinski, have been a little more consistent in the beginning of the season.
   ”Balkirat missed most of the preseason because he was sick. So they have not had a chance to play together as much as they would have liked.”
   Through the first four matches the Cardinals have shown they can compete with the mid-level teams in the Colonial Valley Conference. As far as competing with the upper-echelon teams, time will tell.
   ”We just have to be more consistent to win the tighter matches,” Tarrant said. “Hopefully the weather will get better and we’ll get in regular practice and matches. The weather has not been ideal. We started the Hopewell match in snow flurries. But we have a lot of experience back on this team and I think we can do well.”