Haddonfield falls in T of C tennis semifinals

EDISON, N.J. – When her last shot landed in the net, Spencer Ng collapsed to the court in two kinds of pain.

The first was physical. Ng had been crippled by leg cramps through much of the third set.

The second was different. Ng felt the deep sadness from the disappointing end to a match, season, and career.

"It's definitely disappointing," Ng said, unsuccessfully fighting back tears after Haddonfield lost, 3-2, to Red Bank Catholic on Tuesday in the semifinals of the Tournament of Champions in girls' tennis.

Haddonfield (31-1), the defending champion and No. 1 seed, received victories from the first doubles team of Meghan Burns and Catherine Senopoulos and the second doubles team of Rebecca Senopoulos and Victoria Martinez on the indoor courts at Inman Sports Club.

Red Bank Catholic, the No. 4 seed, got victories from No. 1 singles Dena Tanenbaum and No. 2 singles Rocine Moschella.

The first four matches were finished by the time Ng and Red Bank Catholic sophomore Jenna Pellegrino completed the first game of their third set.

Ng won the first set, 6-4, but Pellegrino battled back to take the second, 6-2.

With Pellegrino holding a 2-0 lead in the third set, Ng fell to the ground in pain from leg cramps.

"First time I ever had them in my life," Ng said.

Pellegrino's patient style created some difficulty for Ng even before the leg cramps. Nearly every point in the match involved a long rally that ended when Ng hit a winner or Ng hit a shot long or into the net.

"She became a backboard," Haddonfield coach Jeff Holman said of Pellegrino. "You have to give her credit. She didn't make any errors."

The sight of Ng on the ground with leg cramps was eerily reminiscent of 2009 for Haddonfield's players and fans, who watched the decisive match along with Red Bank Catholic's players and fans through the windows of a little room on the second floor.

In last season's T of C title match, Burns had struggled with leg cramps but rallied to win the swing match at No. 2 singles in three sets.

"It was the worst kind of irony," Burns said. "I wasn't flashing back as much as I knew exactly what she was going through. There was nothing she could do."

Burns' victory in 2009 finished a 32-0 season for Haddonfield. The Bulldogs had won 63 matches in a row entering Tuesday.

Pellegrino built a 5-0 lead in the third set. Ng won the sixth game, but at 30-30 in the next game, she didn't move as a shot within reach sailed past her. Moments later, her last shot hit the net.

Pellegrino's 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory clinched the match for Red Bank Catholic.

"She was a great opponent," Ng said. "We did the best we could."

RED BANK CATHOLIC 3, HADDONFIELD 2

Singles: Dena Tanenbaum, RBC, d. Taylor Ng, 6-2, 6-4; Rocine Moschella, RBC, d. Martha Theodoris, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1; Jenna Pellegrino, RBC, d. Spencer Ng, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Doubles: Meghan Burns and Catherine Senopoulos, H. d. Leigh Oliver and Cara McGrath, 6-4, 6-2; Rebecca Senopoulos and Victoria Martinez, H, d. Kelly Cassidy and Meghan Mahoney, 6-0, 6-2.