All the Bridgewater-Raritan High School girls’ tennis team has done so far in 2024 is win.
With the first full week of classes of still in progress on top of this, the Panthers are off to a historic start to the new school year.
In a battle between the top two teams in Bridgewater-Raritan’s new Skyland Conference Raritan Division, Bridgewater-Raritan (6-0, 3-0) ended the evening alone atop the standings after taking down Bernards High School (3-3, 3-1) by a score of 4-1 on Thursday, September 12, at Bernardsville Middle School in Bernardsville.
“I think we’re off to a really good start this season,” said after the match by Bridgewater-Raritan sophomore Rhia Evans, who rolled to a victory in second doubles with freshman Skye Cabatu in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1. “I speak for both of us that we’re really proud of how we’re playing together, especially since this is both of our first years of varsity. I think we’ve been playing really well, and we’re really happy with how it’s going.”
Added Cabatu: “I think we’ve been doing really well together. During the games, we’re focused and we keep our heads in the game and our feet on the gas.”
Guiding them in the updated Skyland Conference Raritan Division with an even blend of experienced players and first-time varsity players: three seniors, one junior, three sophomores, and one freshman is rookie coach Evan Rosenberg, who has propelled the Bridgewater-Raritan girls’ tennis team to a 6-0 start and have already tripled last fall’s win total.
“It truly has nothing to do with me,” Rosenberg reflected on Bridgewater-Raritan’s unblemished start to the fall season. “It’s the seniors, their leadership, and their experience along with the highs and the lows from the last couple of seasons carrying through. I’m here for moral support, organization, Instagram, and the rest is our girls just being really good at tennis and really committed to winning.”
Bridgewater-Raritan senior team captains Jess Kozyra and Madison McInerney both remained perfect to begin the year after collecting their sixth victory of the year in first singles (win via forfeit) and second singles (6-0, 6-1), respectively. Also winning their sixth match in as many tries was the first-doubles duo of senior Riya Senjalia and sophomore Vivian Chao, who scored a 6-1, 6-4 victory.
Bridgewater-Raritan will try to remain undefeated next against neighboring rival Somerville High School (0-4, 0-3) on Tuesday, September 17, at 3:45 p.m. at the Green Knoll Tennis Center in Bridgewater. The Panthers will then have their biggest test of the regular season to date the next day at home on Wednesday, September 18, against Ridge High School (2-0), which is currently ranked No. 4 in the state.
