OCEAN CITY — The Red Raider girls tennis team has played many of the same teams this season as in seasons past, compiling a 10-2 record through Monday, but playoffs starting next week will bring changes.
This year, the Ocean City High School team was moved from Group III down to Group II. There is a change among all the sections. There are still four groups — I through IV, mostly based on the size of the schools — but the sections have changed.
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) has combined the sections. Through last year, there were four sections — South Jersey, Central Jersey, North Jersey 1 and North Jersey 2. This year, it is North and South. Central and South Jersey sections have been combined, as have the North Jersey sections.
The South Jersey Group II section includes 34 teams and puts Ocean City in with Middle Township, which used to be only a Cape-Atlantic League foe. Power Point standings have Middle at the top and Ocean City just below in second place through Tuesday morning. Power Point cutoffs are the end of Wednesday, Sept. 23, when the playoff picture will be decided. Manasquan is third, Haddonfield fourth and Pinelands fifth, although that could change.
“Obviously there is a lot more competition when it comes to time for state playoffs, so our girls understand that, no more easy first-round matchup in the playoffs,” head coach Tom Ballezzi said Monday afternoon as a light rain started falling during the team’s match with Haddon Township. (The girls won, 5-0.)
“We’ve got to bring our A game right from the start. We could be traveling a couple of hours to somewhere in Central Jersey even for a first-round, second-round matchup, but our girls understand that and are ready for it,” he said.
Ocean City made it to the South Jersey semifinal before losing to eventual champion Shawnee last year.
This year, six of the team’s seven varsity starters are seniors.
“There is great senior leadership among all of them,” Ballezzi said. “We have the same goal again this year — improve daily. The girls understand the only way to do that is to work hard every single day practice. They also know that hard work doesn’t guarantee success, but no success is possible without hard work. And that’s pretty much our motto for the year and years going forward.”
All three top singles players are back in their same positions — Cecelia Mirsky at first, Anna Wisnefsky at second and Sydney Halliday at third.
“Cecilia Mirsky returned at first singles, so every day she’s got to bring her A game facing off against the best of the best at every school that we play,” the coach said. “It’s always a challenge.”
Wisnefsky is “unusually calm, collected. She’s a great leader. Sydney Halliday, same idea. All these girls are great leaders for the underclassmen, every day at practice they bring their A game and are good role models for the rest of the girls.”
Annabelle Terruso, a four-year starter, returned to first doubles.
“She brings the experience there playing with alongside Isabella Bailey. The two of them play really well together. Annabelle really gives some great leadership to Bella on the court,” he said. Bailey played JV last year.
Second double’s Megan Hope and Bridget Higgins, the lone sophomore starting, “do everything you ask.” Both are first-time varsity players.
“It seems like everything is new this year between combining the South and Central and going from Group III to Group II,” Ballezzi said. “In our division (in the CAL), everything’s the same. It’s still playing Mainland, Middle Township, Egg Harbor Township.”
Heading to playoffs, however, “the first-round matchup could be very difficult,” he said.
This season, Ocean City lost only to Mainland 4-1, with four of the five matches going to third-set tiebreakers, and to Middle Township, 3-2. The Red Raiders posted wins over Woodstown, Millville, Kingsway, Egg Harbor Township, Southern, Cedar Creek, Absegami, Vineland, Holy Spirt and then Haddon Township on Monday.
They host Cedar Creek at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, and then Mainland at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24.
– STORY and PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
