BY BOB SHWALB – THE RECORD
Shivani Naik always loved high school tennis.
Kushali Patel, not so much.
“I used to dread going to practice because I wasn’t as good as the other girls,” Patel said. “I barely knew how to hold a racket.”
These days, the Secaucus seniors share a huge love for the sport and make up one of Hudson County’s best doubles pairs.
Patel and Naik played second doubles last year and first doubles this fall and are ranked third and fourth, respectively, on their school’s all-time list for doubles wins. Patel has 25 and Naik has 21, and together they’re 13-2 this season — including a 10-1 mark in the NJIC Meadowlands.
“I’ve played as hard as I could in every match,” Naik said. “Getting that spot [in the school’s record books] tells me it was all worth it.”
Secaucus’ lineup also includes singles players Anshul Tank, Salma Elsharkawy and Tanisha Pardasani and the second-doubles pair of Daniella McGarrity and Ilana Zane.
PREPARED FOR TAKEOFF: Glen Rock’s hold on the NJIC Colonial has slipped over the last two years as it shared last year’s title with Rutherford and placed second to the Bulldogs this year. The teams met twice in league play this fall, with Rutherford recording a pair of 3-2 wins.
The Panthers hope to reclaim the top spot next year, though, with a lineup that’s stacked with promising underclassmen. Included are singles players Maya Doyle and Carly Erani, both freshmen; and Emma Mangino, a sophomore.
Coach Bonnie Zimmermann expects her team to be “rock solid for years to come.” She’ll have her entire lineup back next fall, including the junior first-doubles pair of Kate Gifford and Rachel Halpern and the sophomore second duo of Charlotte Arehart and Grace DeSalvo.
TOUGH CUSTOMER: This fall, Park Ridge first-singles player Jacey Zeug went 13-3 in the NJIC Patriot and 18-3 overall. The junior saved her best for last, though, as she played through severe pain in the Owls’ season-ending victory over Waldwick last week.
Zeug injured her neck the day before the match. But knowing one of her teammates would be missing, she told coach Muhammad Awais she could tough it out despite having neck pain that made it difficult for her to look up. Awais told Zeug she could serve underhanded if needed, but Zeug was her “usual dominating self” as she beat Waldwick’s Tara Reilly 6-1 and 6-0.
“I didn’t think she’d be able to play three games, no less the entire match,” Awais said. “Jacey is a throwback, though. She didn’t just help the team … she put the team on her back. And her injured neck, too.”
