NORTH BRUNSWICK
W ith several key players returning,
North Brunswick Township High
School’s girls tennis team is looking to win the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) White Division title.
A year ago, the Raiders compiled a 16-1 record, with the only loss coming in opening round of the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV tournament. North Brunswick went through the regular season without a loss at first and third singles, as well as first and second doubles.
This time around, coach Cindi Totten will be without two graduates — top singles player Juilee Malavade and Kate Lonczak, who turned in a solid campaign in the second singles spot.
The good news is that junior Colleen Binbinon, who won 16 times at third singles, is expected to move to the top of the lineup. A steady all-around player who maintains her poise no matter the situation, Binbinon successfully moved from doubles to singles a year ago and is ready to move up yet again.
Seniors Taylor Lodise and junior Nakitha Rangineni, the Raiders’ first doubles pair in 2014, are both competing for singles posts. The speedy Lodise covers the court well and owns a strong serve, while the hard-hitting Rangineni likes to keep her opponents at the baseline.
Last year’s second doubles duo of seniors Komal Grover and Keertana Chirra are also in the singles mix. Grover relies on smarts and good placement, while Chirra likes to wear opponents down by keeping the ball in play.
All four are likely to be somewhere in Totten’s opening-day lineup on Sept. 9 at Metuchen High School.
“It’s a big jump moving up to singles, and Colleen [Binbinon] took a few matches to adjust last year,” Totten said. “It’s really tough to have to replace your one and two singles players. You never can tell how people will make the adjustment or how long it will take. It’s not the same style of play, and you have to think differently. Some players find it harder than others.”
Two other seniors, Nimisha Nandankar and Sridevi Kodati, are expected to form the Raiders’ second doubles team. In addition, Totten reported that her team has been augmented by a strong freshman class, and a couple of the newcomers could crack the North Brunswick lineup.
Last year, the Raiders battled the Wardlaw Hartridge School for the White Division crown, and both schools are expected to again contend for the title.
“One of the good things about our team is that we have a lot of veterans, and I know they were out hitting on their own,” the coach said. “They came in prepared and because of that, we’re looking for another strong season.”
North Brunswick will dive right in. The day after the Metuchen match, North Brunswick travels to Edison to face Wardlaw Hartridge.