By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Maybe the Princeton High girls tennis is too young to feel any pressure.
With three freshmen in the starting lineup, Princeton shook off any nerves from being down 2-1 with two matches to play and rallied to defeat West Windsor-Plainsboro South, 3-2, on Monday to capture the Central Jersey Group 4 title.
“I am real proud of all the girls,” said Princeton coach Christian Herzog, whose team took a 17-2 record in to Thursday’s Group 4 state semifinal against Ridge. “It’s about their play on the court and they know that. I am their biggest supporter and biggest fan. I like to see them do well and I try to do my best to bring out the best in each of them.”
Princeton picked up a win from freshman Samantha Singer at first singles, while the Pirates earned a win at third singles from Kimberly Wong and another at first doubles from Michelle DeSouza and Dvimidha Muniappan. Trailing in the match, Princeton got even when Elise Gerdes rallied for a three-set win at second singles.
The outcome came down to second doubles, where Brinda Suppiah and Adriana Todorova pulled out a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 win.
“The pressure came down to second doubles again,” Herzog said. “They have proven time and time again, they’ll make you sweat it out but in the long run they are going to make it happen. They always joke to me that they like to make it harder on me to watch from the sidelines.”
Princeton won a sectional title in 2014 but fell short last year. The Little Tigers came into this season hoping to return to championship form.
“We had talked initially in the beginning of the season, especially the older players, about how we had come short and we weren’t happy with the progress and not finishing strong,” Herzog said. “That was one of the goals of this team, do well in MCTs and do well in states. Realistically we knew we would get some wins throughout the season. But a big confidence builder was our initial meeting with South when we won, 4-1. I had projected a 3-2 swing either way. So to come away 4-1, the girls started believing in themselves even more and that confidence carried into the second time we played them.”
The Little Tigers pulled out a 3-2 win over defending champion Montgomery in the semifinals before taking care of the Pirates in the final.
“You really earn it at the end,” Herzog said. “Friday we won 3-2 and then again today, 3-2. We knew it was going to be tough. Montgomery always has a strong team. They’re probably thinking about what would have happened if their No. 2 had played and not gotten hurt. You never know.”
Singer picked up a key win at first singles. The freshman has continued to get better and better and posted an impressive win on Monday.
“For Sam to win in two sets, I think everybody figured that would be another three-set barn burner,” Herzog said. “She gained a lot of confidence in the (third-place) match at the MCT. I could not be more proud of the way the girls played. Especially, the freshmen coming in and handling the pressure.”
While the Little Tigers are young and relatively inexperienced overall, they do have a veteran presence to lean on in Gerdes.
“Without Elise at second coming back the way she did, who know what happens,” Herzog said. “She lost the first set, 2-6, and she was beyond frustrated after that. She kept going on the straight path and eventually the other player will start to make mistakes and you’ll come back and that is exactly what she did.”
