PDS girls tennis takes three flights
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Facing what would have been an emotional loss to end her high school tennis career, Emily Dyckman turned to Gatorade and a Nature Valley bar to reenergize her.
The nutrition helped to bolster the Princeton Day School senior after she lost the second set and was down, 0-3, in the third set of the third singles final at the Prep B girls state championships.
”I don’t think anybody expected me to win when I lost the second set and was down, 0-3,” Dyckman said. “Even my mom was ready to usher me to the car in tears. I couldn’t remember the third set. It was a blur.”
Recharged, Dyckman went back to the aggressive play that had won her the first set to win the next six games and close out PDS’ third state title in a row with a one-point win over Gill St. Bernards.
”I think it was more special for me being a senior and winning my last one,” Dyckman said. “And it was really close. It was much closer this year. If I had lost, we would have tied. It was really stressful.”
Dyckman was so intently focused on her match at third singles that she didn’t know where PDS stood as she played. The Panthers went into the second day of the tournament trailing Gill by one point but wins by Maria Martinovic at second singles and the second doubles team of Anna Kovacevich and Arya Jha kept them tied when Gill won the first singles final. That put the final outcome in the hands of Dyckman, who split sets at third singles.
”Maria was playing on the court next to me,” Dyckman said. “I knew she won. I hadn’t seen doubles. When I lost the second set, my coach told me second doubles already won. He said it didn’t matter what I did, we were tied for the lead. I think he said that to reassure me, but it stressed me out. I wanted to win outright.”
Dyckman did not start the third set well. She lost the first three games of the tiebreaking set, but did not lose another on her way to the clinching win that touched off a jubilant celebration.
”She was down, 0-3, in the third set and she proceeded to win six games in a row,” said PDS head coach Ed Tseng. “Then everyone storms the court and celebrates. I’m very excited for the seniors and all the girls to win it again.”
It’s the third straight win for the Panthers. It made for a fantastic finish for Dyckman, who is accustomed to winning states. She has played varsity all four years and won last year’s individual flight title after being runner-up as a sophomore. She played doubles as a freshman, and four years later celebrated one more team title and a flight crown.
”I asked her, was that the best match of your career?” Tseng said. “She said, yes. Not only did she pull out the win for us, but she played the best match of her career.”
It was the way that any senior would love to finish their scholastic career. It capped a 10-2 season for the Panthers.
”I thought it was very successful,” Dyckman said. “We won the matches we were supposed to. We lost to Lawrenceville and Montgomery. They’re very strong. I was impressed. We had some new freshmen come in and had some new people. I think we all came together and had a good team. I’m proud of everyone for sure.”
Martinovic won her second straight flight title since coming to PDS, and the second doubles team played its best tennis of the season just in time for a crown. The Panthers’ first singles player Renee Karchere-Sun and their first doubles tandem were both eliminated on the first day. It was a sharp contrast from the year before when the Panthers had wrapped up a team title by the end of the first day. This year was much more challenging.
”We counted the points,” Dyckman said. “We knew exactly what we needed to happen to win. We knew Krishna (Patel, the Gill first singles) would win. Maria had beaten this girl the previous year so we were pretty confident in her. I had no idea what to expect. Our second doubles, they’ve had some really strong matches, so I was really hopeful for them, but they were on the other side of the court so I had no idea what was going on.”
Said Tseng: “I knew it would be interesting. I knew we had a good shot to tie and possibly win it. We had to win three flights to win it outright on the final day.”
Things started fast for Dyckman before her opponent’s patience and steady return game began to affect her. When Dyckman got away from her original style, her results went down hill in the second set.
”In the first set, I was much more aggressive,” Dyckman said. “My opponent wasn’t very aggressive. She would just hit it back. She didn’t have many put-it-away shots. In the second set, I started playing not to lose. In the third set, down 0-3, I kind of realized I was going to lose if I didn’t play my game. That helped me get back on track.”
It also helped PDS stay on track to another title. They have become a dynasty at the state level, and this year’s group was particularly memorable.
”I was very pleased,” Tseng said. “I think this is the deepest team that I’ve had in my time at PDS. We even had 35 middle school players. Hopefully that’s a good sign for future years that there’s excitement for the program and a lot of players to develop. I wish we could have done a little better at counties. We did OK, but a couple matches here and there and it would have been different.
”Even before the season started, I knew we had a shot at counties and preps,” he added. “Going into last Sunday, I knew we had a good shot. At the same time, it’s sports and anything can happen. I just kept telling the girls, play like you’ve been all season, and you have a great shot.”
After a strong regular season, the Panthers went into the state tournament looking to cap their season. For Dyckman, it was a chance to punctuate a tremendous career, though thinking that way also put pressure on her.
”I was thinking the morning of, if I lose, I lose my last high school match ever,” Dyckman said. “That made me very nervous in the beginning, but in a way, having a longer match made it sweeter to win. It was nice to know how hard I worked for it.”
Dyckman isn’t sure exactly what the future will hold for her in terms of tennis. She is still completing applications to colleges, and could play tennis at the right school.
”I’m not trying to get recruited,” she said. “It’s something I’ve loved to do on the side. I like to do other things. If I did play, I’d consider walking on if I did decide to play, or playing at the club level.”
Dyckman will exit PDS as one of the most decorated players in the program’s history. She was able to share in three state titles collectively, and this one was the most memorable with a fight to the finish.
”You always want to keep it going,” Tseng said. “In my experience, not only with my teams, but with clients, the winning comes as a byproduct of putting your best effort in every day and getting a little better every day.”
And if you’re lucky enough, it ends in championship fashion as it did for Emily Dyckman and the PDS girls tennis team.