Thursday,
September 13, 2012
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Olivia Cheng won her match at first singles as Pascack Hills swept Ramsey in a Big North-Patriot Division showdown on Wednesday afternoon. |
RAMSEY – When it comes to high school tennis, most of the press goes to the high-caliber players looking to collect titles and move on to play at the next level. And while having that clear-cut No. 1 player at the top of a flight is certainly a luxury, that is not what makes high school tennis what it is today. The fun part of playing high school tennis is the camaraderie among players who could never find any of that atmosphere of teamwork on the cut-throat USTA circuit. Pascack Hills has been as successful as any team in North Jersey over the past decade and the bond between teammates has been a big part of that.
Although the skill level and experience as a whole is not the same as some of the great Cowgirl teams have had in years past, this year’s squad still has the same high expectations and they plan on having a lot of fun along the way.
In a showdown with previously undefeated Ramsey for first place in the Big North Conference-Patriot Division, the Cowgirls sent a strong message that despite a shuffled lineup, they are still the team to beat.
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Ramsey’s Lorin Cangiano gave a solid effort at second singles. |
After a strong showing in the state tournament last fall, Olivia Cheng took over at first singles this year for her sister Samantha and picked up right where her older sibling left off. Olivia Cheng won eight straight games spanning the first and second sets to score the clinching point, as Pascack Hills did not drop a set in a 5-0 triumph over the Lady Rams on Wednesday at Ramsey High School.
The Cowgirls got their first point quickly as Felicia Gottheim has made a seemingly smooth transition from being a doubles player last year to playing third singles. She was very effective from the baseline both with her groundstrokes and her forehand lob in scoring a 6-0, 6-1 victory.
“This is my first year playing singles, but I’m starting to feel really comfortable on the court by myself,” said Gottheim. “You have to be mentally stronger because you have no one else to lean on or have pick you up when you’re not playing your best. I also try to put some of how I played doubles into my singles game like using angles more and hitting lobs. That gives me a little advantage and it also gives me a lot of confidence going into a match.”
A win at first doubles brought the Cowgirls within a point of victory and Cheng pulled away to earn a hard-fought 6-2, 6-1 victory over Erin Cangiano to give Pascack Hills the victory and hand the Rams their first loss of the season.
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Sam Benedict got Pascack Hills' toughest point with a 6-4, 7-5 win at second singles. |
The longest match of the day came at second singles as Pascack Hills’ Sam Benedict and Ramsey’s Lorin Cangiano battled it out before a big forehand from Benedict allowed her to break in the 11th game of the second set and hold on for a 6-4, 7-5 win.
Now that Pascack Hills has taken the lead in the league standings, this team has no intention of giving that up. Whether they can extend their run to six straight section titles remains to be seen, but with as much fun as they are currently having and how well they are playing this early in the season, anything is possible and they are going to enjoy it every step of the way.
“We having a lot of fun playing on the court together, but our team knows when to get serious too,” said Benedict. “With our number one singles player Samantha being gone, it’s definitely going to be tougher to go as far as we did last year. But if we keep working hard, we know we can still be a championship team and that’s our goal.”
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