"One of the big keys is that they like each other," Kingston, the Quakers' veteran coach, said. "That's always important."

Doubles teams move into the spotlight at this time of the season. Their play usually makes the difference in the state tournament.

This fall, South Jersey doubles teams are making twice the impact.

While Haddonfield, Moorestown and Holy Spirit - the top three teams in The Inquirer Super Six - have advanced in team play in the state tournament, each program's No. 1 doubles team also has advanced to the quarterfinal round of the state doubles tournament.

Haddonfield's undefeated doubles team of junior Martha Theodoris and sophomore Catherine Senopoulos (33-0) plays Holy Spirit seniors Kelsey Frost and Daniela Cassara in this morning's quarterfinals on the indoor courts at Mercer County Park.

Meanwhile, Moorestown senior Chrissy Chamberlain and junior Ally Curtis (23-1) face West Windsor South's red-hot team of Larissa Lee Lum and Sahana Jayaman in another quarterfinal.

"We're going into the match ready to fight," Curtis said after Moorestown's 4-1 victory over Cumberland in Thursday's South Jersey Group 3 final. "We know it's going to be a challenge, but we're ready for it."

Chamberlain and Curtis were given a 5-8 seed, while West Windsor South's team was given a 9-16 seed. But the team of Lum and Jayaman made the big news of the opening weekend of the tournament, winning the first 11 games en route to a stunning straight-set victory over Westfield's top-seeded team.

"We know we have to play our best," Chamberlain said. "If we do, we'll keep moving forward."

Chamberlain and Curtis have been strong all season. Their only loss was to Theodoris and Senopoulos in a regular-season match on Sept. 17.

"We would love to get the chance to play them again," Chamberlain said.

Kingston said Chamberlain and Curtis are a unique pair because they often play two-up, with both girls at the net.

"You don't see that very often, and it makes for exciting doubles," Kingston said. "Sometimes you have doubles teams that sit back, and you see a lot of moonballs back and forth. These girls are very aggressive and play a lot of exciting points."

Chamberlain and Curtis say they complement each other in playing style as well as personality. They also agree with their coach: Their friendship is a big part of their success.

"We're both very positive," Curtis said. "It helps a lot because we get along so well. We boost each other up."

Singles stuff

Ng (32-1), a 9-16 seed, will face Ramapo's third-seeded Amanda Muliwan. The winner meets either Hillsborough's Gina Li or East Brunswick's second-seeded Steph Balasa in the semifinals.

According to veteran coach Jeff Holman, Ng is the first Haddonfield player to reach the quarterfinals in the state singles tournament.

Team play

The Vikings face a tough challenge as they will meet West Windsor South (15-0), the No. 1 team in the state according to the Newark Star-Ledger, in Wednesday morning's state semifinals at Mercer County Park.

Moorestown (19-2) faces Holmdel in the Group 3 semifinals, and Haddonfield (27-0) plays Gov. Livingston in the Group 2 semifinals.

Holy Spirit plays Red Bank Catholic in the South Jersey Non-Public A finals Monday, with the winner advancing to Wednesday's state finals.

No sympathy

But what is a good team by Moorestown standards might have been a great team. The Quakers lost perhaps South Jersey's best singles player when junior Paulina Malts moved to Florida before the school year, and they lost another top player when senior Alex Ryan was unable to play this season because of a health issue.

Kingston knows Moorestown would have been "tough to deal with," if Malts and Ryan were in the lineup. But the coach knows something else, too.

"Not a lot of people are feeling sorry for us," Kingston said.