After what head coach Carla Crawbuck called a “down year” in 2012, the High School South girls’ tennis team is back on the upswing. The Pirates are 13-0, haven’t lost a single regular-season set, and recently captured the Mercer County Tournament title over a tough Princeton team. Crawbuck said Princeton is one of the squad’s biggest hurdles.
“They have a very good number one,” she said. “It’s kind of a handicap. They have it. We have to get three out of four to play them, and they’re very talented.”
Crawbuck attributes a lot of the team’s success to its veterans, including juniors Angela Li, Sanjana Ravi, Megan Reilly, and Margaret MacArthur.
“I have strong juniors now who were on varsity two years ago,” she said. “That’s why they’re strong. We were weak, but they always came back.”
Three newcomers are also making an impact. Haley Rich and Angela Weng are freshmen, while Claudia Siniakowicz is a sophomore who didn’t play last year. Siniakowicz and Rich hold the first and second singles spots, and Weng plays doubles.
Crawbuck has known many of the girls since their middle school days, but not as well as she knows North’s players. She also coaches the Community Middle School co-ed team. “It’s interesting,” she said. “When they come to high school, it’s bittersweet for me.”
When Community faces off against Grover, Crawbuck can’t help but do a little recruiting. “In May, I go right over to them right away and say, ‘You’re coming to me. I’m going to be your coach next year,’” she said.
The Pirates won their first state tournament match, but not without a little injury scare. Ravi hurt her hand, and her status was uncertain in the days leading up to the match against Jackson. She recovered, though, and the team won 5-0. The Pirates advanced to the semifinals with another 5-0 win over South Brunswick on October 8.
High School North also advanced to the semifinals with a 3-2 win over Freehold on October 8. The crosstown rivals were set to face off on Thursday, October 10. They will meet again for their regular-season match-up on Thursday, October 17.
