Thursday, October 23, 2008

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

WEST WINDSOR – Pascack Hills head coach Eric Ganz saw his team in exactly the scenario he wanted. He had his standout first doubles tandem of Brittany Palish and Sarah Spellman in the final match on the court with a chance in the third set to hold serve and win the Group 2 state title. It was everything that Ganz could have asked for, everything except the final outcome.

Haddonfield’s first doubles team of Catherine Senopoulous and Jocelyn Perry played their best tennis down the stretch with the match on the line. With their backs against the wall, they broke serve twice late in the third set to stay in the match before winning a third-set tiebreak to end Pascack Hills’ season in a heartbreaking 3-2 loss at Mercer County Park.

“We’ve been waiting for this opportunity all season and we were prepared if it came down to our match,” said Perry. “It was definitely nerve-wracking, but we never lost confidence in ourselves or each other. We just focused on winning one point at a time.”

Haddonfield took a 2-0 lead when Spencer Ng beat Nicole Eisbrouch at first singles. But after Gabby Drucker’s 6-2, 6-3 win over Martha Theodoris cut the lead to a single point, the Cowgirls kept fighting their way back into the match, at both third singles and first doubles.

Michelle Feldman had every reason to look ahead to the second set, trailing Haddonfield’s Meghan Burns 5-1 in the first set tiebreak. But the athletic Feldman used her quickness to keep the next two points alive, both of which she won. She reeled off six straight points to take the tiebreak on her way to a 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 victory that evened the match at 2.

Palish and Spellman lost the first set and needed to hold serve to force a second set tiebreaker. They came alive at the net during the tiebreak. Both hit overhead smashes for crucial points and a Palish backhand volley closed it out and send the match to a third set.

The duo took the early lead and seemed to be in control. Haddonfield stuck with its high lobbing tactics and they worked. Palish and Spellman were not the aggressors they were earlier in the set and it opened the door just enough for Haddonfield to comeback to win.

Pascack Hills finished with the season with a 16-3 mark, including a 3.5-1.5 semifinal win over Shore Regional. Palish and Spellman won at first doubles, Julie Griggs and Harli Thau won a three-setter at second doubles and Feldman won in straight sets.

“I give Haddonfield credit, especially at first doubles where they took us completely out of our game,” added Ganz. “I have to be honest and say that I thought we were the better team coming in. But the reality is that when you get to a state final, you have to be better on that particular day and they were better than we were today. We’ve had a great season and our seniors have been great for me all four years. This is just a tough way to go out.”

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