Shore Regional tennis rolls toward the postseason BY DOUG McKENZIE Correspondent While it has certainly been a stellar year for the Shore Regional girls tennis team, the best may be yet to come. The Blue Devils, who knocked off Ocean Township, 4 1/2 to 1 1/2, on Monday to improve to 15-3 on the year, are ranked in the top 10 in the Shore, and are well on their way to claiming the B Central Division title. Though they still have a few divisional matches to play before they are crowned champions, head coach Michelle Gruskas expects to have a reason to celebrate in the next 10 days. "We haven't played everyone in the division twice yet, but we won every match decisively the first time around," she said. "We'll be busy over the next few days, as we have three more matches this week, and a match every day next week." And Gruskas knows that every match her team plays the rest of the way will be a learning experience for a squad that will graduate just one starter, senior first doubles player Allie Rodriguez. The rest of the Shore lineup features underclassmen, starting with junior Nicole Lippens at first singles. "Nicole has had a great season and had a great showing in the NJSIAA individual tournament," Gruskas said. "I'm not sure what round it was that she reached, but she played two matches on Saturday and two on Sunday before she lost a tough match to Ali Tierney of Governor Livingston (one of the state's top players)." Another junior, Taylor Reinhard, has been one of the very best second singles in the Shore this year. "Taylor has had another great year," Gruskas said. "I think she didn't know what a good player she was, and is just now starting to believe that she can play with any of the girls out there at second singles. She's had some very tough matches this year, and I expect her to continue to get better." Junior Rebecca Granet is another player who has shown consistent improvement at third singles. "Against Ocean [on Monday], Rebecca beat a girl that beat her in the [Monmouth County] Flight Tournament earlier this year, so she's also getting stronger," Gruskas said. "It was a battle though, 7-5, 6-4." Seniors Sierra Knotts and Holly Colaguori have also seen some time on the courts, and have contributed to the Blue Devils' fine season. "They've been our cheerleaders on the bench, but have also rotated in and done a nice job when we've needed them," Gruskas said. "I think Sierra played in five matches, and Holly four." The Blue Devils' doubles lineup featured an unusual swap late in the season. The tandem of sophomores Jenny Kohler and Adrianna Eisele held down the first doubles spot for most of the season, only to be beaten in a challenge match two weeks ago by the team of Rodriguez and junior Ali Weinman. While such a late switch was a bit unconventional, it nearly paid off huge dividends for the Blue Devils. After beating Somerville, 5-0, in the first round of the Central Jersey Group II tournament on Oct. 4, the Blue Devils took on a Manasquan team that despite getting the fourth seed in the bracket, was the consensus pick to win the title. Early on, however, the Blue Devils appeared to be making their top seeding stand up, giving the Blue Warriors all they could handle. "We were right there with them in the first set of every match," Gruskas said. "For a while there, everybody looked good, and I thought to myself, Hey, we might do this. But they came back to beat us (3 1.2 to 1 1/2), and went on to win the bracket." While the loss to Manasquan ended the team's title run, the head coach was hardly disappointed. "I think that the girls were happy with the way they played, and I was certainly pleased," she said. "We're still a young team, and we're still growing and learning how to get better." With the next two weeks' matches marking the end of the Blue Devils' season, Gruskas is understandably excited about the status of the program. Looking ahead to next season, the Blue Devils should again be among the best teams in the Shore, though they will face a stiffer challenge in terms of their schedule. "We're moving up to the A Central Division, which includes teams like Holmdel, Manasquan, Red Bank Catholic and Rumson Fair Haven," Gruskas said. "And I believe Holmdel (ranked No. 1 in the Shore once again after winning the SCT and reaching the finals of the North Jersey II Group III final before losing to Millburn) will have everybody back next year too, so it should be interesting." Making the jump from B Central to A Central certainly will be a daunting task. However, the transition will be made quite a bit easier with the talent and depth the Blue Devils will return to their lineup next year. Notes… After knocking off top-seeded Shore in the state sectional tournament, Manasquan faced another local team, sixth-seeded Rumson-Fair Haven, in the final. The Bulldogs, who advanced via wins over third-seeded Roselle Park, 4-1, and seventh-seeded Allentown, 5-0, also gave Manasquan all it could handle before falling 3-2 in the sectional final. RFH got wins from Nicole Cardelfe at third singles and the tandem of Sarah Mc- Donald and Bianca Caracapa at second doubles, all after they lost their first set to their respective matches. With Manasquan's Tahlia Smoke, the top player in the state, cruising to the win at first singles, and Paige Foley and Haley McNeel winning at first singles, that made the second singles match the deciding bout. Manasquan's Farrah Smoke won the first set, 6-1, before Rumson's Bridgette Quinn came back to take the second set, 6-2. Once Quinn broke Smoke to open the third set, it looked like Rumson was poised to upset the Warriors. However, Smoke was able to raise her game to the next level despite a spirited effort from Quinn and emerge with a 6-1 third-set victory. With the win, Manasquan claimed its fourth sectional title in the past five years. However, Rumson, which also returns most of its lineup next year, proved that they, too, will be a force to be reckoned with in the future.