Netting a title

Schalick girls tennis completes home-and-home sweep of Woodstown to win Diamond Division title

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – The Schalick girls tennis team may have come up short in its bid to win a state championship, but the Cougars did secure the last goal open to them Tuesday when they edged rival Woodstown 3-2 to win the Tri-County Conference Diamond Division crown.

With more than 100 fans ringing the courts on Senior Day, the Cougars won the first three points to clinch their 10th division title all-time and sixth under coach John Romano. They locked it up with a 6-3, 6-2 win by senior Rachel Goranson and Miya Watkins at No. 2 doubles.

“This is icing on the cake,” Romano said. “Like we said yesterday, it was one of those short term goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year, a stepping stone. Obviously it came after they crowned a state champion, but it’s still sweet.”

The Cougars earned at least a share of the division title with a 5-0 sweep of the Wolverines on Monday. The clincher got tighter when the Wolverines’ 1 and 3 singles both won 10-point tiebreakers after the match was decided.

“Jesse (Stemberger) had them coached up, ready to go,” Romano said of his Woodstown counterpart. “I think they felt they left a little on the court yesterday. They have two seniors in those spots and those girls were a little bit better than us today.”

The win was Schalick’s 21st of the season. They are one of only three teams in the state (any classification) currently with 20 wins. It’s the second time in three years and the third time since 2015 they’ve had a 20-win season.

“And it’s not like we’re playing any cupcakes,” Romano said. “When you pick up 20 wins with the schedule we had, it’s definitely another feather in the cap that this program is where it needs to be and now we need to keep it there.”

This story will be updated.

SCHALICK 3, WOODSTOWN 2
Singles
Abigail Mille def. Rachael Irizarry, 4-6, 6-3, 10-4
Grace O’Neill (S) def. Gabby Kurpis, 6-1, 6-0
Cara Delia def. Ally Green, 1-6, 6-3, 10-8
Doubles
Emma Adams-Katie Little (S) def. Vivian Ward-Nathalie Neron, 6-2, 6-0
Miya Watkins-Rachel Grandson (S) def. Julianna Lindenmuth-Molly Curtis, 6-3, 6-2
Records: Schalick 21-3, Woodstown 18-3.

Cover photo: Schalick’s No. 2 doubles team of Miya Watkins and Rachel Goranson won the match that clinched the Diamond Division title.