Rivalry just as strong with two teams with mostly new players
OCEAN CITY — Even when it’s a season with mostly new players on both teams, the Raiders and Mustangs find a way to keep their rivalry matches tight.
On Sept. 4, Ocean City High School’s girls tennis team came away with a narrow 3-2 victory over Mainland Regional. Three of the matches were close in the season opener for both teams, with two going to third-set tiebreakers.
The most stable part of each lineup is the key top returning player — the seniors back at first singles, Catherine Stempin for Ocean City and Christina Htay for Mainland.
“This is really a different look team. Other than our first singles, Christina Htay, everyone else is either brand new to our varsity ladder or in a totally different position from last year,” Mainland coach Eileen Fortis said. “She looks great. She looks very relaxed. I expect her to do very well, but I know there are quite a few really good players in various teams this year that weren’t there last year.”
She noted Stempin is one of the returning first singles players.
“I expect great things from her,” Fortis said of Htay. “She’s an excellent player and a great strategist. I hope she can have the kind of season she wants.”
“This is a great group of girls,” Raider coach Tom Ballezzi said. “We have Catherine Stempin returning at No. 1 for us, so we’re excited to have her back in the one spot for sure.
“We have four sophomores starting varsity for us so we’re a young team, but three of them do have varsity experience from last year as well,” he added.
Ballezzi said he is already seeing great leadership from his seniors, including Stempin and Samantha Savell.
In the first singles match, Stempin won the first set 6-3, but Htay won the second by the same score. That put the girls into a tie-breaker that went back and forth, neither player gaining enough of an advantage until Stempin finally prevailed 11-9.
Mainland’s victories came in straight sets at second singles and second doubles. Mustang Marlee Campbell topped Raider Cecelia Mirsky 6-0, 6-1, and Mainland’s second doubles combo of Daisy Turner and Dilana Erenier won 6-0, 6-1 over Ocean City’s Sydney Halliday and Peyton Laricks.
There was another battle at third singles with Ocean City’s Savell prevailing 7-5 in the first set, then winning the second in a tie-breaker, 7-6 (7-2).
First doubles was a back-and-forth battle with Ocean City’s Annabelle Terruso and Anna Wisnefski falling in their first set 6-1 to Jessica Wise and Macenzi Campbell, then coming back to win the second 6-3. The Raider duo won the tie-breaker 10-3.
“We lost four of our seven starters from last year,” Fortis said of her team that went 15-2 (9-1 Cape-Atlantic American) and made it to the semifinals of the South Jersey Group III sectional. “We had a great season last year. It’s a question mark this year. We don’t know what to expect. Hopefully the younger kids and newer kids will step in nicely where their predecessors left off.
“I’m really excited for Marlee Campbell at second singles off of her back-to-back awesome seasons at first doubles. And Lily Turner, who was second doubles last year and the year before, is now third singles, so it’s a different game for both of them. Big adjustments and hopefully they can handle things.” Campbell is a senior and Turner a junior.
Wise, at first doubles, played some second doubles and some third singles last year, giving her experience. She is teamed with Macenzi Campbell, a sophomore and Marlee’s little sister, the coach said. “They’re pairing up for the first time this year. They’re a little less power and a little more precision” than last year’s first doubles duo.
At second doubles are junior Erenier and freshman Daisy Turner, who is Lily’s younger sister. Fortis said there are two more sets of sisters on the team as well.
“Daisy stepping in as a freshman looks good and is probably more used to singles play … but has a nice future ahead of her. Dilana is another decent player,” Fortis said.
For the Red Raiders, Mirsky, at second singles, is a sophomore and Savell, at third singles, is a senior. First doubles team Wisnefski and Terruso are sophomores and second doubles Laricks is a junior and Halliday a sophomore.
“We know we have tough competition ahead of us this year, starting off the season with Mainland. We have Egg Harbor Township, Vineland, everyone else in the Cape-Atlantic League all on our radar as well. That’s some tough competition but these girls are up for the challenge and looking forward to it,” Ballezzi said.
Ballezzi and Fortis said they aren’t setting their goals on titles because of their new lineups, but on improving day to day.
“One is to be able to reflect on what we do in each match and acknowledge the things we have done well but also figure out the things we need to improve upon for the next match. I have the kids do that as individuals and as doubles teams,” Fortis said, asking themselves questions. “What worked well for you today? What did your opponent do well? What are the things you would like to do better next time? And then we can grow as players and as a team. There isn’t a goal like we want this title or that one, it’s more about developing the kids and developing as a team and seeing where it takes us.”
“Our seniors are great leaders for us,” Ballezzi said. “Our goal for this year is pretty much looking to improve every single day. The girls know the only way to do that is working hard every single day at practice.
“I credit these girls and their senior leadership. They bring it every single day at practice. They work hard. They understand that hard work doesn’t guarantee success, but no success is possible without hard work,” Ballezzi said.
Like his Mainland counterpart, this is Ballezzi’s second year in the head coaching spot. “Tennis is really a great sport. I have my assistant, Tim Kelley, who is absolutely great for us as well. He is the head coach for the boys.” (Kelley and the OCHS boys team won the Group III South Jersey sectional title last spring.)
“He works great with the team and does an excellent job for us.”
– STORY and PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
