Wednesday,
October 15, 2014
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Ariella Omar and the rest of Ramapo's seniors won their first state sectional title with a 4-1 victory over Mahwah on Tuesday in the North 1, Group 2 final. |
FRANKLIN LAKES – To go four years without winning a section title in girls' tennis is certainly not uncommon, especially considering how competitive and balanced the teams are in North Jersey. But when it is the Ramapo tennis program being talked about, four years between trophies is a long time. For this current crop of seniors, this was the last shot to break the drought and win a section title for the first time since 2010.
Senior Ariella Omar won easily at second singles and her sister Brianna, a freshman, clinched the match with a win at first singles as top-seeded Ramapo can once again call itself a section champ and earned a long-awaited trip down to Mercer County Park with a 4-1 triumph over second-seeded Mahwah in the North 1, Group 2 final on Tuesday in Franklin Lakes.
“To go down to Mercer County Park with my team for the Group semifinals and hopefully the final is something we always wanted to experience and now it's happening,” said Ariella Omar. “The best teams in the state will be down there and we're really excited for that challenge. I think playing such tough teams will bring out the best in us and all the pressure is off of us now. As a senior it's nice to finally say that we're section champs.”
Ariella Omar has battled through nagging injuries all season, but she did not want this to be her final high school tennis match and came out with a more relaxed approach to achieve success. Instead of trying to punish the ball with her forehand on every shot, she kept the ball in play and deep, using angles to her advantage. That led to breaks early in both sets as she maintained control throughout her 6-1, 6-1 victory over Mahwah's Kelly Pushie.
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Lauren Stern scored the point for Mahwah with a win at third singles. |
The second doubles tandem of Lauren Laino and Linda Lee followed suit by getting off to a hot start then holding off a late charge to score a 6-0, 6-3 win that put Ramapo ahead 2-0.
Mahwah answered back with a win at third singles. Freshman Lauren Stern put forth a steady effort against hard-hitting Liz Kogan of Ramapo. She showed poised well beyond her years by not trying to challenge Kogan shot for shot. Instead, Stern tried to keep points alive as long as she could before seeing an opportunity to get to the net or force Kogan into an unforced error. Stern came on strong late in both sets for a 6-2, 6-3 win.
“I'm proud of my team and we fought hard, but Ramapo is a very good team and they got the best of us today,” said Mahwah head coach Jason Schmitt. “We've had a great season and I'm happy we got to experience this run to the section final. We want to be here every year and hopefully we'll use this match as motivation to get better as a whole for next year.”
The Thunderbirds were down 2-1 but battled back from deficits to put a scare into Ramapo. After playing second singles for most of the year and coming off a run to the quarterfinals in the state singles tournament, Brianna Omar was locked in a battle at first singles with Mahwah senior Alyssa Baldi. The first set went back and forth including long games in 7th, 8th, and 10th games of the first set. The final game of the first set being the biggest as Baldi fought off four game points, hitting winners on all four of them. Omar stayed the course though and battled through adversity to take the first set before pulling away late in the second set for a 6-4, 6-2 win that locked up the section crown for Ramapo.
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Lauren Laino was half ofthe Ramapo duo that won at second doubles.
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“I wasn't playing so well in the first set but I had to stay strong mentally,” said Brianna Omar. “Winning the first set gave me confidence going into the second set and I used that to my advantage. I wasn't really happy with the way I played but we won a section title and that's what matters.”
The final point for Ramapo came at first doubles. Katherine Jo and Abby Shulman broke twice late in the third set for a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 win over Mahwah's Katie Butler and Elizabeth Finneran.
On Thursday, the Group 2 semifinals and finals will be held at Mercer County Park. If the Green Raiders are to win their first group title since 1995, they will have traveled a tough road. Although they do not know who their opponent is as of yet, the other three section champions in Group 2 (Summit, Holmdel, and Haddonfield) are three of the best teams in the state. But with a share of the Bergen County Groups 1-2 title and now a North 1, Group 2 section title in hand, it is time for the Ramapo players to finally relax and enjoy the ride.
“We set winning this section as one of our big goals and it is a good feeling to achieve that goal,” said Ramapo head coach Kim Marchese. “We knew Mahwah would come out ready to play and it was nerve-wracking there for awhile. We know we're going to play one of the top teams in the state right off the bat at 9:00 A.M. It's going to be a challenge but we're not going down there just to say that we were down there. We are have nothing to lose and we're going to go down trying to win a state title.”
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