MAPLEWOOD – The Columbia High School boys’ tennis team has gotten off to a strong start.
After defeating West Orange on April 29, the Cougars are 6-0 in the Super Essex Conference-Liberty Division and 12-3 overall.
Senior Jared Levi, the No. 1 singles player, has won ten times and is poised to qualify for the State Singles Championship. The Kaplan twins, Adam and Ben, have added consistently fine play, making the Cougars’ singles lineup truly formidable, said head coach Bob Lieberman. The regular first doubles combination of Kevin Tamayo and Seth Gordon and the second tandem of Avery Lieber and Seth Brand provide Columbia with the talent to compete against anyone they face, while Jackson Wagner, Armand O’Keefe, Ryan Perlee, and Daniel Pomper have come up with many big wins so far, Lieberman noted.
The highlight of the Cougars’ season was their exciting victory over a favored Chatham squad on April 14. With the score tied at 2-2 and all his teammates cheering him on, Ben Kaplan sealed the win in a thrilling three-setter.
Coach Bob Lieberman noted, “This is the deepest team I’ve had in my five years here with everyone contributing to the team’s stellar record and pushing each other at practice to be better players. I’m certainly pleased with the results we’ve had to this point.”
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