Freshman helps South stop top tennis seed
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Margaret MacArthur’s rally helped the eighth-seeded West Windsor-Plainsboro South girls tennis team upset top-seeded Marlboro, 3-2, Tuesday in the Central Jersey Group IV quarterfinals.
”It’s a pretty big win for me,” said MacArthur, a freshman who was a 6-4, 6-2 winner at second singles. “My win against Hopewell was probably my biggest win, but this was in states, and we want to go far.”
The Pirates also won at first singles with Belinda Ji and the second doubles team of Angela Li and Sanjana Ravi won in three sets, 6-0, 6-7 (3-7), 6-2 to seal the match. Sahana Jayaraman retired in the third set at third singles while fighting through shoulder problems that have lingered now for three years, and the first doubles team of Rebekka Hansen and Ivy Kang lost in two sets.
”I really, really thought we could do it,” said Pirates head coach Carla Crawbuck. “We beat them two years ago, 5-0. I couldn’t imagine them being that much better in two years.”
The Pirates’ win meant that three-quarters of the CJ IV semifinals would be filled by Packet-area teams. While WW-P South was scheduled to play fourth-seeded East Brunswick on Thursday in the semifinals, the other side of the bracket followed its seedings with second-seeded West Windsor-Plainsboro North scheduled to take on No. 3 Montgomery.
North picked up wins from second singles’ Harinee Suthakar, third singles’ Jessica Mao and second doubles’ Sheena Desai and Barbara Zhan for a 3-2 win over No. 7 South Brunswick. Montgomery swept No. 6 Middletown South, 5-0, as Rachel Casey, Amanda Tilles and Emily Szkudlarski won at singles as did the doubles teams of Kinjal Shah and Jessica Yang and Stephanie Allen and Tiffany Zhu.
In Central Jersey Group III play, top-seeded Princeton High advanced to the semifinals with a 4-1 win over Wall. Sarah Cen and Keely Herring won at first and second singles respectively, and the doubles teams of Maddie Cahill-Sanidas and Helena Ord and Vinita Su and Lena Sun were victorious as well. The Little Tigers were scheduled to play fourth-seeded Hightstown on Thursday in the semifinals. Semifinal winners will play for the sectional titles Tuesday at a neutral site.
”It definitely gives us confidence,” MacArthur said. “Every win definitely gives us confidence and makes us happier and closer as a team. We’re playing East Brunswick next. We’ll just go in there ready and hoping for the best. It helps us to win, especially state matches.”
Tuesday’s win over Marlboro wasn’t an easy one, and it was made a little tougher with a long bus ride and Crawbuck losing her voice.
”I wrote each girl a note what to do,” Crawbuck said. “I gave it to them and they tried to follow it.”
MacArthur, though, got off to a slow start in her match. She was quickly down, 3-0, when Crawbuck sent her another note.
”She was really supportive and so was the whole team,” MacArthur said. “I was just like, I need to start playing my best. I turned it around and won that set, 6-4.
”I definitely started hitting harder and moved her around the court more. She was a good consistent player, but if I moved her around and placed the ball, it worked out.”
Ji was looking strong at first singles and the second doubles team — both freshmen like MacArthur — started well, but then dropped the second set. Jayaraman was hampered by her shoulder and ended up serving underhand.
”Sahana, we were worried for her,” MacArthur said. “She had her shoulder problem. I have a friend from that school and she told me my match would be tough and Belinda’s match would be tough. Second doubles has been doing well, so we went in confident.”
When MacArthur came back to win in straight sets, it set the stage for her classmates at second doubles to pull through for the team win and keep the Pirates going where they usually are — toward at sectional final — in what is supposed to be a rebuilding year.
”Second doubles played two seniors,” Crawbuck said. “They’re two freshmen. They played two seniors on their home court, and won. It was a nice win.”
Said MacArthur: “This is my first year, so it’s different for me. I don’t have the hang of things. People are saying, you don’t have Ammu (Mandalap). We lost so many people. We have three freshmen on the team. That’s pretty great. We have some good people coming in next year. People misjudged us in the beginning of the year, but we’ve proved them wrong.”
MacArthur’s addition to the singles lineup has helped the Pirates replace some of their losses. She would have been happy helping anywhere.
”Going into the season, I just wanted to make varsity,” she said. “That was my goal since I was little. I had no idea that I’d have the honor of playing singles, let alone second singles. I played three challenge matches against Sahana. I lost the first, then won the next two. It was an awesome day for me.”
Since then, MacArthur has been adjusting to the high level of competition that she sees at second singles. She’s trying to grow as a player.
”I definitely need to accept advice more and work on that,” she said. “I’ve learned that over these weeks not to get down on myself. I have a whole team that I can’t let down. It’s a lot more pressure, but it’s also more fun knowing there are people by my side.”
MacArthur got her start in tennis at age 7. By 10, she was playing in USTA tournaments and getting a taste of the pressure that has helped her adjust to high school tennis matches against players sometimes three years older than her.
”All the high school matches are so much more pressure than USTA matches,” MacArthur said. “It’s not just you, it’s a whole team that you’re playing for. After North, I felt I’d let people down. Every match is important, especially state matches and with Sahana hurting.”
MacArthur didn’t let anyone down Tuesday as she pulled out a key win to extend the Pirates’ state run.
”She deserves credit,” Crawbuck said. “She’s a good player coming on. She’s getting so much better.
”The freshmen really, really pulled through for us.”