By Josh Lashley, Special Writer
HAMILTON — Competing in the No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions on a tennis program is challenging enough for a student-athlete. Add to that the responsibilities those same players encounter being the team captains and the challenge becomes even greater.
But, it’s nothing that Tanisha Charles (senior, second singles) and Angelina Sferra (junior, first singles), captains this fall for the Nottingham High School girls tennis squad can’t handle. Each player is able to seek ways to navigate through the tough opponents they continually face as individuals while also considering what is best for their teammates.
“They have it tough, having the top two spots on the ladder; they have to play the best two girls from each team,” Nottingham head coach Jon Schwartz said. “Angelina got her first two wins at first singles against Trenton High School and Trenton Catholic Academy. I call her Angelina ‘The Wall’ Sferra because she hits almost everything back, so her opponents might feel like they’re hitting against a wall. Angie is always pleasant, coachable, responsive and even-tempered, which are all good qualities for a tennis player to have in this very mental game.
“Tanisha, a fourth year player in her second year at the No. 2 spot, has never had any tennis lessons but is a natural athlete with good instincts. She remains cool, calm and collected even when she’s down in a match,” Schwartz said. “Our captains lead stretching, running and conditioning drills, along with other team-building activities, including team parties and fundraisers. They encourage and motivate the other players by their words before and after matches and by their actions and behavior on and off the court.”
Charles and Sferra are amongst numerous athletes on the Northstars’ roster who do quite well in the classroom.
“Our top three players, who play first, second and third singles (Katherine Johnston, a senior) are all in the top 15 percent of their class,” he said. “While they could go to Mercer County Community College for free because of this and could play on their tennis team, they will probably be accepted to other good four-year colleges and get academic scholarships.”
Nottingham has a road match scheduled at West Windsor Plainsboro North on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
“Many of our players have never played tennis until high school, picking up a racquet for the first time in the summer preseason before ninth grade,” he said. “We have a tough conference, including such powerhouse teams as Princeton, West Windsor-Plainsboro North and South and Hopewell Valley, teams made up of some girls who have been playing tennis since they were very young.”

