Doubles sweeps for South girls tennis
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
The depth that helped to carry the West Windsor-Plainsboro High South girls tennis team to its first Group IV state championship in 15 years also helped the Pirates come within a match of the Tournament of Champions final.
Following the Pirates’ win over Ridge last Friday for the Group IV win, WW-P South drew the No. 3 seed for the Tournament of Champions. They rolled through New Providence on Sunday in the TOC quarterfinals to set up a showdown with No. 2 seed Holmdel, the Group II champion. In a battle of unbeatens, WW-P South won the doubles matches, but Holmdel prevailed with a sweep of the singles for a 3-2 win over the Pirates on Tuesday.
”Their doubles were good, but ours came back,” said Pirates head coach Carla Crawbuck after her team fell to 18-1. “The singles, they might have gotten a few more games. The singles for Holmdel was a little stronger.”
Holmdel’s Alexandra Wojciak topped Caroline Zhou at first singles, Sarah Yan stopped South’s Angela Weng, while Brianna Gibbs beat the Pirates’ Stephanie Ji at third singles. Angela Li and Sanjana Ravi made a nice comeback for a 2-6, 6-0, 6-4 win at first doubles. WW-P South’s Margaret MacArthur and Kim Wong won, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 10-3 for the second doubles point.
”To be truthful, I’d rather than do this than get blown away,” Crawbuck said. “They were just stronger at the top.”
The Pirates felt as though they had done a lot just in reaching the TOC for the first time since 1999. It hadn’t been an easy trip.
”One of the other coaches said, ‘This is nothing. The big thing was to get here,’” Crawbuck said. “The Millburn coach said this is extra stuff. It would have been nice to get to the final.”
It’s been such a good season after some shocking moves at the top of the lineup could have hampered hopes. WW-P South still had enough talent to post an historic season.
”I’m really happy with it,” Crawbuck said. “I’m glad to win that section. That six seed was a sleeper. They’re so good. They did beat Montgomery. That was really a spooky thing to have to happen. The group thing, I wasn’t worried about. What happens, happens. Getting through Central, we split sets, and they had good doubles. Those girls fought for that position.”
Winning the Central Jersey Group IV tournament was rewarding. WW-P South had faced tougher competition with each round in the sectional. They followed up a 4-1 win over Marlboro with the 3-2 win over Hunterdon Central for the sectional title that means as much or more than the state group title.
”Each year in that section, they’re happy with that,” Crawbuck said. “They don’t think of about anything further. They take it as it comes. When they won (groups) the other day, they weren’t even cheering. They were just happy when they beat Hunterdon Central.
”I was worried. Montgomery was beat by Central. North was beat by Central. I think that Central team was stronger than the two teams we beat in groups.”
The Pirates stopped Ridgewood, 3½-1½ and beat Ridge, 3-2, in the Group IV state final to make history. They crushed New Providence in their TOC opener, 5-0, Sunday.
”They weren’t that strong,” Crawbuck said. “It was a nice match. The girls are nice and very humble and happy to be there.”
Holmdel came to the Garden State Tennis Center in Edison with twice as many players as the Pirates. Their fans came out in force as well, but WW-P South quieted them on the doubles courts with their play.
”It just took a little while,” Crawbuck said. “The second set of girls were sick. Margaret and Kim were very close in the first set. They tied it in the second set, and then they cruised through the tiebreaker.”
The Pirates had a crucial Colonial Valley Conference match on Monday in between TOC days. They edged Princeton High, 3-2, to stay unbeaten at the time.
”It was good to get that win against Princeton,” Crawbuck said. “That was good to get. It was a little better than the first time, so the girls are getting stronger in their positions with that win, with the doubles. It’s good to have the team strong on the bottom.”
Crawbuck anticipates seeing more of the same next year. The Pirates will graduate their entire first double team of Li and Ravi along with quite an accomplished player, MacArthur, who has been a staple at second doubles the last two years after playing second singles.
”These other girls, they’re all coming back,” Crawbuck said. “The doubles is strong. We’ll have an undefeated doubles player coming back. Then one of the singles could match up with them if Claudia (Siniakowicz) comes back. The JV, they beat Princeton twice, so they look like they have some talent.
”The outlook is good. It’s nothing like a couple years ago when seven of nine left. It almost looks as good at last year returning. When it comes down to it, it’s like only two girls are leaving at doubles if one of the girls comes back.”
The returning Pirates will be chasing quite a standard again next year, a new level that hadn’t been achieved in 15 years, and one that this year’s group can treasure for their careers.