Tennis seeds hold

Schalick, Woodstown among top seven seeds playing in the first round advancing in the South Jersey Group I tournament

South Jersey Group I Tournament
First round matches
No. 9 Audubon at No. 8 Glassboro
No. 5 Lower Cape May 5, No. 12 Salem 0
No. 4 Gateway 5, No. 13 Palmyra 0
No. 3 Haddon Twp. 4, No. 14 Wildwood 1
No. 6 Woodstown 5, No. West Deptford 0
No. 7 Schalick 5, No. 10 Buena 0
Second round matches
OCT. 8
Glassboro-Audubon winner at No. 1 Pitman
Lower Cape May at Gateway
Woodstown at Haddon Twp.
Schalick at No. 2 Pennsville

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – The Schalick girls tennis team may still be trying to discover who they really are, but they took another positive step in that direction Monday in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I Tournament.

The seventh-seeded Cougars swept through tenth-seeded Buena 5-0 without dropping a game. The win sends them to face second-seeded Pennsville on the road Oct. 8.

“It’s important to take that step in the right direction and getting the first one out of the way is always good,” Schalick coach John Romano said. “You never know what you’re going to get with the seedings or where you’re going to wind up being. I do think my squad is better than a seventh seed, but that being said you’ve got to beat the competition that’s in front of you.”

The Cougars got straight-set 6-0, 6-0 sweeps from Emma Adams, Allyson Green and Miya Watkins in singles and the doubles teams of Julia Langley-Helana Tyers and Kayleigh Veach-Annie Podehl. 

They didn’t do that at all last year when they reached the Group I Final Four and while that team was senior laden this year’s team does return some players, albeit in elevated positions, from that experience..

“I’m kind of waiting for my girls to step up,” Romano said. “We always use the term Super Bowl Hangover. It’s almost like I don’t know that they’ve really found their identity.”

He saw signs of it last week in a 5-0 loss to Pitman that was much more competitive than the score. They were only shut out in one singles set and had two other singles sets go 7-5 and 7-6.

“I felt like something kind of clicked that day where they were like, all right maybe we can do that,” Romano said.  

The next step won’t be easy, but the Cougars do know they can play with their next opponent. They lost to Eagles 3-2 on Sept. 12 and are leading 2-1 in a Sept. 23 match that was suspended by weather and because of the timing may have cost both teams spots in the seedings.

“I think the girls have an idea,” Romano said. “Once they realize they can kind of play with the better teams in Group I, it’s doable. Even a Pitman that beat us 5-0, we’re so close with singles points right there, a couple balls here or there you could be looking at a 3-2.

“Sounds crazy to say that since we lost in straight sets, lost 5-0, but anything can happen and if I can get the girls to buy into that why can’t it be them, why can’t they repeat what happened from last year I think it will help. But I do think having that tight match two times with Pennsville now it does help.”

SCHALICK 5, BUENA 0
Emma Adams (S) def. Caroline Futty, 6-0, 6-0
Allyson Green (S) def. Tiffany Chen, 6-0, 6-0
Miya Watkins (S) def. Tori Thompson, 6-0, 6-0
Julia Langley-Helana Tyers (S) def. Amanda Martha-Kara Horton, 6-0, 6-0
Kayleigh Veach-Annie Podehl (S) def. Ava LoSasso-Lexi Wyckoff, 6-0, 6-0.
Records: Schalick 6-3, Buena 4-6.

WOODSTOWN 5, WEST DEPTFORD 0
Gabby Kurds (Wo) def. Gianna Concordia, 6-0, 6-0
Camille Osborn (Wo) def. Alyssa Taylor, 6-2, 6-2
Aubrie Rennie (wo) def. Carly Zanolle, 6-0, 6-1
Julianna Lindenmuth-Alyssa Berry (Wo) def. Lily Avila-Anastasia Besar, 6-2, 6-0
Noelle Neron-Nathalie Neron (Wo) def. Jumanna Abdelhamid-Hayley Dobbins, 6-0, 6-2.
Records: Woodstown 8-12, West Deptford 1-12.

LOWER CAPE MAY 5, SALEM 0
Maddie Gilbert (L) def. Cassidy Werkheiser, 6-0, 6-0
Ainsley Reed (L) def. Tytiana Miller, 6-0, 6-0
Bryn Popdan (L) def. Angelina Fothergill, 6-0, 6-0
Mia Gilbert-Kayla Heinold (L) def. Destiny Carr-Heaven Jones-McCullough, 6-1, 6-0
Reilly Fitzpatrick-Melanie Ortiz-Moreno (L) def. Bianca Gibson-Tahirah Davenport-White, 6-0, 6-3
Records: Lower Cape May 10-2, Salem 0-6.