Senior helps bolster PHS girls tennis lineup
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Much like tennis superstar Rafael Nadal, Rory Lewis held the racket in her non-dominant hand when she took up the game.
While Nadal has gone on to master the game as a left-hander, Lewis didn’t take long to realize that she was better with her dominant left hand.
”I wasn’t very good when I started,” said Lewis, a senior at Princeton High School. “I didn’t play very seriously. I switched after maybe less than a year. I tried to hit two-handed forehands.
”I don’t know why it turned out that way,” she said. “Maybe I’m a tiny bit ambidextrous. It was a weird decision, but I did it.”
Since Lewis figured out her best came as a lefty, she’s been steadily improving every year. She is in her third year in the Little Tiger girls team’s varsity lineup. She played first doubles as a sophomore after a year on JV, jumped to second singles last year, and is at third singles with her and Katelyn Hojeibane switching spots this year. Christina Rosca remains at first singles for a third straight season.
”I didn’t show talent like Chris,” Lewis said. “It was something I did for fun. When I started to work at it, I had to put in a lot of time.
”Some people might look at it as a chore. For me, it’s fun. With schoolwork and the intense academics at PHS, putting the time in, it’s fun and something enjoyable.”
Lewis has improved enough that she is exploring her options to play at the Division III level in college next year. For the moment, she is concentrating on helping the Little Tigers do as well as they can. The Mercer County Tournament begins Monday at Mercer County Park.
”I think we have a really strong team,” Lewis said. “It’s very deep. We have good players all around. The competition to get on varsity was really tight this year. We had a lot of competition, especially for doubles. We do have a loss to (West Windsor-Plainsboro) South, but we’re working hard and I think we can improve. We’re all playing very well.”
The Little Tigers’ only blemish on their record is a 3-2 loss to WW-P South. PHS has defeated Hopewell Valley, 3-0, in a match that was shortened due to weather.
”It’s definitely good to have some tough matches under our belt before counties,” said PHS head coach Sarah Hibbert. “There are years we haven’t had any challenges and we go in a little unprepared. Both our doubles lost three-set matches to South, and South’s first doubles has played together four years and ours played maybe five matches. It shows they have the potential if they keep working hard to be a force.”
The doubles teams of Zhenia Dementyev and Nikhita Salgame at first doubles and Gillian Samios and Elise Gerdes will continue to develop as they get time together. The singles lineup is veteran with Rosca back for a third year, Hojeibane in her third year in the lineup and Lewis more comfortable this year after playing a season in the singles lineup last year.
”Moving from doubles to singles is different,” Lewis said. “You don’t have someone out on the court pumping you up. Last year, I was a lot more nervous. I was a little anxious. Maybe this year as a senior, it’s changed my perspective. I look forward to every match, no matter who’s on the other side. I have more match experience, and more match endurance and that always helps.”
It helps that the Little Tigers can hit against each other in practice. Hojeibane and Lewis are well matched and get a lot out of their time together.
”It definitely helps,” Lewis said. “It’s great when you’re in practice when you have someone as good or better than you. All the girls are great, and Katelyn has a lot of singles experience. My first year, I played doubles. It’s great to have someone with similar experience. It’s great to know in tight matches she can pull it out because she has all that experience and is a great player.”
Lewis is a tough matchup for any third singles opponent. She looks more relaxed on the court, and more confident. It comes from her success a year ago and from the path she took to the singles lineup.
”She came out freshman year and you could see some talent there,” Hibbert said. “She didn’t fully have the consistency and the experience to be in the lineup. We had a good lineup. The next year, she worked hard and stepped up her game and worked into the doubles with Maddie (Cahill-Sanidas). That was a fantastic confidence boost. She had the game and not the experience yet. Maddie was a senior and vocal and really brought Rory along with her. Rory grew tremendously that year. She was able to take the confidence she gained with Maddie into the next year into singles. It kind of helped to shape her tennis personality a little bit.”
Lewis got a better understanding of the level of play at varsity singles last year. She took that into the offseason.
”I played a lot,” Lewis said. “You have to build up match tolerance. You have to build up the mental game. I think my backhand slice and my serve has gotten stronger. I think I have a bit more speed on it now. I hope to maybe play Division III in college. I just want to keep getting better all the time.
”As a lefty, I have the natural advantage for a serve,” she said. “I had a harder time last year hitting the flatter serve. Last year, my slice was weaker. It has more of a bite on it. It was more of a defensive shot I used last year when I was in trouble. This year, it’s more offensive.”
Lewis is hoping that she can pick up some big points for the Little Tigers in the county tournament. She was a victor when PHS played WW-P South in the regular season. It would mean a lot to get over the hump and win a MCT title.
”We’ve been doing well the past few years,” Lewis said. “We’ve gotten closer and closer to a title. Hopefully we’ll show as well as we have in the past and get through a lot of the rounds. South and Hopewell have a lot of strong players. There are a lot of good players in the tournament. I want to take every match one at a time and enjoy it.”
She has taken that same approach to her final year for the Little Tigers. She is trying to enjoy it while making PHS as good as it can be.
”There’s some nostalgia,” she said of being a senior. “Your approach is a little different. You want it to be your best. I really enjoy it. I’ve enjoyed being on the team for three years. The team dynamic is always great. I’m a little nostalgic. I’ll miss it for sure.
”I guess we just try to take it one match at a time,” she added. “Obviously we want to do well. It’s important to not get ahead of yourself. For me, my goal is to enjoy every match. With every match, you get closer and closer to it being your last match.”
Lewis continues to fine tune her game and do all that she can to be at her best right to the finish. It’s the way that she has come so far since she took up the sport.
”Rory is one of the hardest workers out there,” Hibbert said. “She’s the first one ready to go out on the court. She’s asking what she can help with, what she can do. She spent a lot of time working on her serve. It has the chance to be great. She worked at it a long time in practice the other day, and had a great serving day the next day. She’s tough on herself, and always wants perfection, but is always willing to work to get it.”
Said Lewis: “I put a lot of work in. For me, I do want to keep progressing. I’m nowhere near as good as I want to be. Every year I make progress. I put in the work. I do get better each year.”