Old Bridge tennis falls in state tennis tourney
BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA Staff Writer
Thanks to a 3-3 start, the Old Bridge High School girls tennis team qualified for the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV tourney.

The Lady Knights were ousted in the first round by powerful Marlboro, 5-0, on Monday, but were scheduled to return to action yesterday at Edison.

Over its first six matches, Old Bridge upended Woodbridge, South Brunswick and Edison, and lost 3-2 decisions to both North Brunswick and J.P. Stevens, and a 4-1 contest to Piscataway. Prior to the Marlboro match, the Lady Knights dropped a pair of matches to East Brunswick.

"The girls have lost three in a row against two of the best teams in the state," coach Kristin Butler explained. "You can't be too upset about that. With a few breaks here and there, we could have five wins because the girls have played pretty well overall."

Old Bridge employs sophomore Christina Khodakova at first singles. A hard-hitter, Khodakova plays a strong all-around game while compiling a 3-5 record. Heidi Denn, who mixes things up with a variety of shots including a deceiving slice, is 5-1 in the second spot. At third singles, Anna Vaysberg, whom Butler called "the hardest hitter on the team," is 5-3, thanks, in part, to a powerful and accurate serve.

Both Denn and Vaysberg are seniors.

The Lady Knights pair senior Kelly Lee and junior Allie Chmiel at first doubles. Lee, who is solid at the net, is a good complement to the scrambling, keep-theball in-play style of Chmiel.

Butler has moved several players in and out at second doubles throughout the season. The current tandem, senior Natalie Szponar and freshman Julie Leong, is 1-1. Szponar owns the hardest serve on the squad, while the speedy Leong has displayed an ability to get to seemingly out-of-reach balls.

Other members of the team include Kathy Bui, Sonal Patel, sophomore Meya Shah and freshman Jenn Innamorato.

Our seniors have done a great job of creating a team-like atmosphere," Butler said. "That's really helped the younger girls get acclimated to playing at the varsity level. We have a good group and they work hard. We just ran into a few tough teams. I expect the girls to bounce back. Our goal now is to get back to .500 and to finish the season with a winning record."