Tennis team wins school’s first state sectional title Cougars beat Metuchen in Central Jersey Group I final

Tennis team wins school’s first state sectional title
Cougars beat Metuchen in Central Jersey
Group I final

The race to win the first state sectional title at Colts Neck is over. The honor goes to the girls’ tennis team (13-5) which won the Central Jersey Group I championship Thursday convincingly, 4-1, over top-seeded Metuchen (12-4) at the Manalapan Recreation Center.

"Being the first team to have its banner raised as a state champion is very special," said Christina Caruso, who plays first singles for the Cougars. "To win a state title in just the second year is great for the school."

Coach Arnie Lifland said his Cougars, seeded second in the sectional, won behind a collective effort.

"This a very special group," he said. "They worked hard to get to this level. We can count on anyone in the lineup getting a win for us. This championship is a major accomplishment for the team."

Last year, playing an independent schedule, the Cougars qualified for the Central Jersey sectional and surprised some by reaching the semifinals, where they lost to Middlesex. This fall, the Cougars were a more tested team, having moved into the Shore Conference where they played in the difficult A Central Division.

"Playing against teams like Holmdel, Manasquan and Wall prepared us for Group I competition," noted Lifland. "Because we’ve played tough competition, the girls don’t get too intimidated out there on the court.

"They were a little nervous at the beginning against Metuchen which was to be expected," he added. "But they settled down and played their game."

It was Caruso who got the championship express rolling out of the station first with a quick win at first singles over Jen Rasini, 6-1, 6-0. The junior credited the tough regular season schedule for making her better prepared for the competition she saw in the state tournament.

"Playing tough opponents made me pick up my game," she pointed out. "They showed me what to expect when you play at a higher level."

Last Thursday’s match began in very windy conditions at the Manalapan Recreation Center and it forced the left-handed Caruso, early on, to play a more cautious game.

"At first I just wanted to keep the ball in and play my game," noted Caruso.

As the match progressed, Caruso became more aggressive with her ground strokes, especially on the backhand side, and began to dominate points. Rasini had no answer to Caruso’s power and in just over half an hour, the Cougars got the first point of the match.

Shortly after Caruso left the court, she was joined on the sidelines by Colts Neck’s first doubles tandem of Jessica D’Elia and Basia DeGioia. They disposed of Carrie Lander and Stefanie Guglielmotti, 6-2, 6-0, to put the Cougars within one point of the championship. D’Elia and DeGioia are now 11-2 as a team.

The title clincher was scored by Danielle Lilonsky at third singles. She handled Catherine Frizell, 6-2, 6-2.

Lilonsky began the season at first doubles, but played her way into the singles lineup where she has proved to be very dependable.

Shannon Amann and Jakki Moller polished off the victory by beating Maureen Donohue and Meghan Campbell, 7-5, 6-4. After a slow start in September, Amann and Moller are coming on very strong and playing as well as anyone on the team. Lifland pointed out that getting a few wins under their belts helped them start to believe in themselves.

Robyn Appel, who has been as steady as any of the Cougars throughout the season, lost at second singles to Shannon Conniff in three sets. Appel let this one slip away after winning the first set easily at 6-1. Conniff won the second set in a tie-breaker 7-6 (7-3) and carried that momentum over to a 6-2 win in the decisive set.

Colts Neck began the state sectional with revenge on their minds. They drew Middlesex, seeded third, in the semi-final.

"We were looking ahead to playing Middlesex," said Lifland. "One of our goals was to do well in the sectional. We thought we had a chance to beat Middlesex because we had everyone returning. After that, if we did get to the final, you just don’t know what to expect. You just want to give it your best shot."

The Cougars beat Middlesex in their rematch 3 1/2-1 1/2 on Oct. 17. Colts Neck swept the singles with Caruso, Appel and Lilonsky all winning in straight sets while dropping a combined three games.

Next up for the Cougars is the Group I state championship tournament today at Mercer County Park. The Cougars will take on the South Jersey Group I champion Pitman at 9 a.m.