Brick Memorial’s tennis team kept its hopes alive for a winning season for its senior-laden lineup as it goes into its final week of the season with a 9-6 record.
"We had a lot of matches rained out and finally had our first nondivision match last week," said coach Ron Gerulfsen, who said matches against Point Pleasant Borough, Asbury Park, Manchester and Henry Hudson were scrapped.
"Sometimes it’s just the luck of the draw."
The team was swept in the state tournament by Hillsborough, but Gerulfsen felt his second doubles team of Scott Adkins and Nate McClelland, which reached the Ocean County Tournament championship before losing, played very competitively. They’re 13-5.
And Gerulfsen is especially pleased with the emergence of freshman Colin Prybylowski, the only nonsenior in the lineup, who is 10-9 and finished in fifth place in the county tournament. Prybylowski got a defining victory over Brick Township’s Sean Kennedy that set the scene for Brick Memorial’s 3-2 victory. It tied the match at 2-2 before Adkins and McClelland won a three-setter to avenge a loss to Brick Township’s second doubles earlier in the season. The match reversed Brick Township’s 3-2 victory early in the season.
"Prybylowski is having a phenomenal season," said Gerulfsen. "He’s really coming on. He has improved as much as anyone I’ve seen."
The team also had an impressive 4-1 victory over Jackson recently, as well as a 4-1 victory over Pinelands Thursday. Despite a short-handed lineup because of the Senior Ball Friday, Brick Memorial lost to Central by a slim 3-2 margin. Marc Strafaci and Steve Scutellaro are 9-6 in first doubles and Adam Choper is 10-7 in second singles.
Although the team is wiped out by graduation, Gerulfsen feels there are underclassmen who can step in, including sophomore Peter Zeng and freshman Nick Cittadino on junior varsity.