Tuesday, October 28, 2008

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

EDISON – This was yet another dream season for the Immaculate Heart Academy tennis team. It won a fourth straight Non-Public A state title last week and carried an undefeated record into the Tournament of Champions semifinals on Monday. A win would have locked up the school’s first-ever berth in the T of C finals and a shot at three-time defending champion Millburn. Instead, it marked the abrupt end of a magical four-year run.

Dana Ferrari recorded the lone win at third singles for third-seeded Blue Eagles as the other four spots all lost in straight sets to second-seeded East Brunswick, as the Lady Bears beat IHA for the second time in the past three years in the Tournament of Champions semifinals, both by scores of 4-1.

“We knew what we were up against and to beat East Brunswick is a tall order,” said IHA head coach Kelly Oberle. “We knew what a great team they were up and down their lineup. For us, winning a group title was the goal of our season and we achieved it. Once you get to the T of C, you’re playing with house money and sometimes you just run into a team that plays better.”

IHA had an early first-set edge in all five matches, but four of those quickly evaporated.

Trailing 3-1 in the first set, East Brunswick’s second doubles tandem of Kristina Kouznetsova and Sabrina Shee ripped off 11 consecutive games to win 6-3, 6-0 over IHA’s Carly Piccinich and Lauren Ianelli to give the Lady Bears the first point of the match.

IHA tied it up behind the steady play of Ferrari. The senior closed out her brilliant career in style with a vintage performance. Against the hard-hitting Mallory Highstein, Ferrari kept it simple as she has throughout her career. She kept the ball in play, kept it deep, and did not make many unforced errors. Ferrari broke early in the first set and never looked back in taking a 6-1, 6-2 victory. In her last three seasons at third singles, Ferrari lost just four matches.

The marquee match came at first singles. IHA standout Ally Landers face off against Stefania Balasa, this year’s state single runner-up. Landers held a 3-2 lead in the first set, before Balasa broke in the 7th game to take the lead. She heated up from there in ripping off nine straight games spanning the first and second sets. Landers fought back valiantly from down 5-0 in the second set before falling 6-3, 6-3. The score was a reversal of the T of C semifinal two years ago when Landers beat Balasa for the Blue Eagles’ only point.

“I know Ally (Landers) is a great player and I just needed to get that one break to get going,” said Balasa. “I had to get a break to bring my game to another level mentally. It was a great match with a lot of long points. She started playing really well at the end and made things interesting. I just had to stay focused and find a way to close out the match.”

“After she broke my serve, the tide turned and I couldn’t really stop it,” said Landers. “I didn’t feel like I was falling apart by any means, she was just playing better and hitting some amazing shots.”

IHA’s first doubles team of Lia Barber and Jessica Lage had a big task ahead of them from there. In order to keep the Blue Eagles’ chances alive, they had to beat one of the state’s best doubles teams East Brunswick’s Margo Testa and Marina Tsay. Barber and Lage stayed within striking distance, but could break their serve in the second set in falling 6-3, 6-3.

Sonia Tsay scored the final point for the Lady Bears at second singles. She rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the first set and won 11 out of the last 12 games to score a 7-5, 6-1 triumph over IHA’s Kaitlin Pfisterer. East Brunswick (19-2) advanced to the T of C final to face Millburn, a 3-2 winner over Haddonfield.

With a record of 20-1, IHA finished off the best season in school history with another state title. For seniors Landers and Ferrari, they will leave as the most decorated tennis players ever to play at IHA.

“To do what we’ve done in my four years here is pretty amazing,” added Landers. “You obviously want to keep playing and go as far as you can. But I think we played well all season and we have nothing to be disappointed about. Every year we set a goal for winning the group title, and we did it all four years. So I couldn’t be happier with the way our season and my career here turned out.”

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