Mustangs' finest season one for the record books

BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Staff Writer

A fantasy finish to a dream season helped Brick Memorial's girls tennis team crack the top 10 in the Shore for the first time at the No. 10 spot.

Nicole Esposito at first singles, a junior who had struggled earlier in the season with a new grip and a new swing, was part of that late-season surge when the Mustangs won their last eight matches in a maddening two-and-a-half week stretch to end up 17-6, believed to be the best record ever at the school. Esposito won her last five matches against elite competition in the Shore Conference to finish 13-11.

Kelly Friedrich, a senior who finished 20-5 in second singles and made the NJISAA singles tournament, spearheaded that blistering run that included a 4-1 victory over Lacey, which fell to 16-4 with the loss, and a 3-2 victory over a 17-4 Pinelands team. Five losses came to the top two teams in the Shore - Toms River North and Toms River South. The Mustangs also got their first-ever NJSIAA Tournament victory before losing in the second round.

"The question we keep asking ourselves during the season is, are we better today than yesterday," said coach Jay Bloom. "We continually improved and played well."

Esposito, who is looking to regain her USTA ranking, was not the only one who followed Bloom's philosophy. The coach felt every player got better as the season unfolded, and he said, as a result, "at different times, different people stepped up."

That was evident in first doubles with seniors Amanda Lewis and her new partner for this season, Solongo Boldbataar.

"They got better and better as the season wore on," said Bloom. They were 19-7.

And the second doubles team of senior Caitlin Lackey and junior Chelsea Rueda got match point against Lacey. Even Courtney Babo, who had a back injury early in the season, bounced back and picked up some big victories later in the season at third singles.

"For me it was great because I got to see the girls do something that never happened at Brick Memorial," said Bloom, whose team also had its best ever finish in the Ocean County Tournament at third place behind Friedrich, a finalist in singles while every other position got to the semifinals.

"This sets on the kids" minds that just because they were not successful in the past did not mean they wouldn't be successful in the future," said Bloom, whose team won only seven matches last season.

The key, said Bloom was hard work and commitment.

This shows if you work hard enough, you see results," he said.

But Bloom knows that he has some rebuilding work ahead next season that he did not face this fall. Esposito and Babo in singles and Rueda in first doubles are the only players coming back. Ellen Williams, who played in first doubles with Lewis last season until an ankle injury early in the season kept her out of the lineup, is graduating along with Amanda Britton.

But juniors Rebecca Szymialowicz and Melissa Daniels could be a factor for next season.

Szymialowicz filled in nicely for Babo when she was injured.

"She won a couple of nice matches. It's good when you can have someone who can step in and compete," said Bloom.

Daniels just missed making the lineup.

"She battled tough in challenge matches. I'm looking to see her improve and battle for a spot on the roster," said Bloom.

And he doesn't feel he'll have to push them into off-season work.

"Success breeds pride. Pride motivates you to work hard," said Bloom.

If that adage holds up, Brick Memorial's players will be working hard through the months ahead.