MHS’ Roeper, Szakats win state doubles tennis crown
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Emily Roeper and Kim Szakats did all that they could in what became a dream season.
The Montgomery High School pairing completed a perfect year when it topped Montville, 6-2, 6-4, to win the state doubles tournament Saturday.
”It is crazy,” said Szakats, a senior. “I can’t believe it. It went by so quickly.”
Seeded second to enter the tournament, the Cougars did not drop a set on their way to winning the state tournament over Montville, the 19th-seeded Cinderella. Montgomery had fulfilled its seeding by reaching the final where it faced upset-minded Montville.
”It was pretty nerve-wracking,” said Roeper, a junior. “We were so nervous. We didn’t know what was going to happen. We were proud of ourselves for getting this far.”
Roeper is in her third year playing doubles for the Cougars, but she’d never been past the quarterfinals of the state tournament. It was Szakats’ first year at first doubles after a season at second doubles.
”It was natural to put them together since they had experience,” said MHS head coach Erik Tavel. “Once we put them together, I knew with their game styles and personalities it would be a good fit.”
Roeper and Szakats are the second Montgomery duo to win the state doubles tournament. Brittany Foxx and Julia Goldman won in 2010 when they avenged their only loss of the season. No one figured a way to defeat this year’s Cougar first doubles team that marched all the way to the state title.
”I wasn’t expecting this at all at the beginning of the season,” Szakats said. “Me and Emily played well throughout the entire season, but the state championship is not something you think you’re going to win.”
Montgomery had proven itself through the regular season, but the state tournament is its own entity, and with it comes a fresh set of pressure that the Cougars handled.
”It’s beyond what we thought,” Tavel said. “Being the second seed, we knew they’d have a good seed and have a shot to make a run. I don’t think we ever thought we’d win this. We just thought we’d make a run.
”Each match they won, they got more and more confident. It got to be a distinct possibility. We saw Millburn get knocked out. At the same time, we saw the other teams left and thought we had a shot. They started believing it.”
Montville’s doubles only had the lead against Montgomery early. It was 2-1 when the Cougars won the next eight games to diminish any chances for their upset bid.
”They knew what it was like to play someone that had that high seed and fight it out,” Roeper said. “For us, it was playing our game. We knew we had to play hard and be aggressive. That’s what we did. That’s what helped us.
”I think we’ve grown so much, together and separately,” she added. “Kim has become such an amazing player. I’ve realized what I can do and what I’m capable of. Together we know we can do it. We’ve grown as players all-around.”
The Cougars were up early in the second set, 4-1, but Montville clawed back to cut it to 5-4 before Montgomery closed out the match.
”You never know what’s going to happen,” Szakats said. “Until we got that winning shot at the end, I didn’t want to think about (the state title). It got very close towards the end. It was nerve-wracking.”
By closing it out to secure the win, the Cougars assured that they will be recognized as the top doubles team in the entire state. It’s quite an honor for the pairing that had earlier added a Somerset County Tournament title to their resume. The state championship capped an incredible year.
”With the seed, it was definitely a confidence boost,” Szakats said. “It was also pressure that we had to prove ourselves. As the tournament went along, we gained some confidence, but you never want to be too confident. As it went along, we played our game.”
It was all it took to secure a state championship for Emily Roeper and Kim Szakats, who was still beaming hours after the perfect ending to their dream season.
”It feels amazing,” Roeper said. “I never thought anything like this would happen. It feels unbelievable.”