BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer
METUCHEN — The Metuchen High School girls tennis team played its way into this year’s state tournament but came up short in its bid to advance past the first round, losing 4-1 to South River.
“The match was a lot closer than it appears,” Metuchen head coach Rob Strauss said. “Our No. 1 doubles team won easily and we were capable of taking some other matches, but unfortunately South River came out on top.”
The No. 1 doubles of team of juniors Melissa Martin and Amy Rutland coasted to a 7-5, 6-4 win.
“They’re having a nice year,” Strauss said. “I think they have a good chance of making the All-Blue Division team this year.”
The No. 2 doubles of team of sophomore Chrissy Wooding and junior Srivani Rachakonda nearly pulled off a second win against South River but lost in three sets. Wooding and Rachakonda took the opening set 6-3 before losing the next two 2-6, 3-6.
“South River had an interesting tactic at No. 2 doubles,” Strauss said. “Their net player stayed in the center of the court, and we’re used to going crosscourt. They intercepted a lot of our crosscourt shots and it took us some time to make the necessary adjustments.”
The Bulldog singles players did not fare as well in the state match as each player fell in straight sets.
First singles player Melanie Simms lost 0-6 in her opening set before playing much better tennis in the second set and losing 3-6.
“It took Melanie some time to adjust to her opponent’s style,” Strauss said. “After the match she voiced her excitement to play this opponent again. It’s always great to hear this from a player. After a tough defeat, for a player to be eager to play the opponent again is always a good sign.”
Simms and the rest of the Bulldogs will get another crack at South River as the two teams are scheduled to meet twice before the season ends.
Second singles player Christina Mancheno lost 1-6, 3-6 in her match but she’s proven to be this year’s biggest surprise. Mancheno, originally listed as the No. 8 player on the team stepped into the No. 3 singles role this year after Anna Lee went down with an injury.
“I think she was a little nervous,” Strauss said. “She’s proven to be worthy of playing at that level, and I think her rematch with South River will be more competitive.”
Mancheno moved up to play No. 2 singles when Lee returned, while Liana Vaccari moved down and will split time with Lee at No. 3 singles.
“Christina doesn’t make mistakes, and that’s the key,” Strauss said. “She gets everything back and is patient enough to wait for her opponent to make a mistake. She hits few winners, but she waits for the right opportunity.”
Mancheno’s moment of arrival came in a match with Cardinal McCarrick earlier this season. With the match score tied at 2-2, Mancheno was in a lengthy three-set match that would decide the ultimate outcome for the Bulldogs.
Mancheno went down 2-5 in the final set before mounting a comeback of epic proportions to win her match 7-5 and give Metuchen the team victory.
Vaccari gave her opponent from South River a battle at No. 3 singles but lost 3-6, 5-7.
“Liana played one of her best matches in the state match,” Strauss said. “She’s learning to play a more patient style and to go for opportunities when they arise. I want the girls to avoid trying to hit winners from the baseline but to be aggressive when our opponent commits a mistake. They are starting to learn that we have to make opponents earn points.”
Strauss thinks the message is getting through to his team and that his team is ready to surprise some people during the second half of the season.
“The players are getting more confident at the net, and that has been the biggest challenge,” he said. “They are starting to realize that is the correct tactic and they are consistently working on this at practice. I look for us to beat some of the teams that beat us in close matches. This will be impressive.”