MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The Columbia High School girls tennis team is enjoying a fine season so far.
The Cougars, under head coach Steve Reichenstein, had an 8-5 record through Friday, Sept. 27. The third-seeded Cougars will host No. 6 seed Woodbridge in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 state tournament quarterfinal round on Tuesday, Oct. 8. If the Cougars win, they will play either No. 2 seed Westfield or No. 7 seed Kearny in the semifinals on Thursday, Oct. 10. The top seed is Bridgewater-Raritan. The final is Tuesday, Oct. 15, at the higher-seeded site.
The Cougars also defeated Glen Ridge in the consolation final of the Essex County Tournament.
The following is a Q&A with Reichenstein:
Q: What are your impressions of the team?
A: Enjoying and supporting each other, on and off the courts. Very positive vibe. Emotionally balanced by being competitive, but not stressed. Focused on playing point-by-point and shot-by-shot, playing their strategy, communicating and adjusting when necessary, but not tripping over what’s behind them or worrying about the score. Improving throughout the season.
Q: What is the starting lineup?
A: First singles – Amelia Burrroughs (10th grade), 11-2 record.
Second singles – Chloe Carlson (12th grade), 10-3 record.
Third singles – Anabel MacGuire (11th grade), 9-4 record.
First doubles – Stella Iyengar (12th grade) and Emerie Katz (11th grade), 8-5 record.
Second doubles – Claire Adams (12th grade) and Maya Kirkstone (9th grade), 7-6 record.
Q: What are your thoughts about winning the consolation final?
A: Of course, we’re glad to win! But we’re more focused on how we played and learning from each match. If we played well and applied improvements, but lost, then we still would have felt good about it.
Q: What are your goals for the remainder of the season and the keys to achieving them?
A: Our team philosophy is “STATS”, by which we mean positive individual actions that lead to team success: Sportswomanship – how you treat your opponents. Teamwork – how you treat each other. Attitude – how you treat yourself. Tactics – how you improve your skills and courtsense. Strategy – how you play and adjust your points.
And, we prioritize the mental game, because if you focus your mind on positive actions toward who you want to be and what you want to do, then you will move closer to achieving your goals. Our first team goal is to win the remaining two matches in our division, which would mean that we’ve beaten every other team at least once. We played Verona twice, winning our regular season match, but losing in the first round of the Essex County Tournament. Our second team goal is to win our Section 2, Group 4 state team championship, in which we’re seeded third. Our third team goal is for Amelia to win the state singles tournament, in which she’s seeded with the 17-24 group.
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