‘It was our day’

Schalick girls finally solve Gateway, reach South Jersey Group I sectional tennis finals; also includes Thursday’s scores around the county

THURSDAY’S SCORES
FIELD HOCKEY
Glassboro 3, Schalick 2
GIRLS SOCCER
Paulsboro at Penns Grove
GIRLS TENNIS
Pitman at Penns Grove
Salem at Overbrook
Woodstown 5, Gloucester Catholic 0
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Semifinals
Schalick 3, Gateway 2
Haddon Twp. 5, Pitman 0
VOLLEYBALL
Highland Regional 2, Salem Tech 0 (25-16, 25-15)

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – After two years of frustrating finishes, the Schalick girls tennis team was ready to get the gator, er, monkey, off their back named Gateway.

The Cougars showed the grit and guile that has epitomized their season and knocked off the nemesis that beat them in the South Jersey Group I Tournament each of the last two years 3-2 to reach this year’s SJ-I finals.

The Cougars (17-2) will play at top-seeded Haddon Twp. (15-3) Tuesday for the sectional title and a spot in the Group I Final Four Oct. 19 at Mercer County Park.

“It was our day,” Schalick coach John Romano said. “Our girls came out there, they were prepared. They were ready to get the monkey off their back so to speak. They were just ready to take that step forward, and they did.

“The last three years it could have gone either way. We were fortunate to get the best of them this time.”

The Cougars swept the doubles points and ultimately clinched the match on junior Ally Green’s 6-1, 6-3 win over Allison Eckstein at third singles. Green trailed in the second set 3-2, then, showing the drive that took her from first doubles to No. 3 singles this season, won the next four games convincingly to win her match with one still on the court.

She knew the match was close, but she didn’t want to ask if it might come down to her court.

“I didn’t want to put it in my head and stress myself out, but I had a feeling when I saw our first single walk off and I saw the stress going on at second,” Green said. “There was definitely more pressure on that second set.

“I felt tired for some reason today and there was a point she had me 3-2. We had switched sides and I could hear her coach give her a lot of confidence and when other coaches are hyping someone against me it makes me a little more nervous.”

But she overcame that with a smooth, consistent approach to every shot and started clicking off points.

“Any time you play you want to have a solid third singles player,” Romano said. “We’ve been very fortunate over the past few years to have very, very good third singles players and she epitomizes that. She’s gritty, she gets everything back. That’s what their coach said: She gets everything back. She’s tough.”

The Cougars have been to the sectional semifinals or finals eight of the last 14 years. They’ve played Gateway in one of them four times.

The Gators ended their tournament dreams each of the previous two years, both in 3-2 nailbiters. It was in the sectional finals in 2021 and the semifinals last year.

“I really wanted that for (the seniors), this being their senior year and this being their last shot at it, so it made me really happy we were able to take them further,” Green said. “But not only them, I really wanted it for Romano because I knew how bad he wanted that win and I know he wanted the season to keep going, so to see him get happy on the side and he was all pumped up, it made us all really happy.”

The other sectional finals are Highland Park-New Providence (Central), Kinnelon-Glen Rock/Lenape Valley (North 1) and Whippany Park-Glen Ridge (North 2).

SCHALICK 3, GATEWAY 2
Singles
Morgan McNally (G) def. Rachel Irizarry, 6-0, 6-1.
Tabitha Bay (G) def. Grace O’Neill, 6-1, 0-6, 10-8.
Ally Green (S) def. Allison Eckstein, 6-1, 6-3.
Doubles
Emma Adams-Katelyn Little (S) def. Viena Chen-Sarah Martin, 6-2, 6-0.
Miya Watkins-Rachel Goranson (S) def. Addison Packer-Ashley Jackson, 6-1, 6-0.
Records: Schalick 17-2, Gateway 11-9