SINGULAR FOCUS: Princeton High girls’ tennis player Nicole Samios rips a serve in recent action. Sophomore Samios posted a win at third singles but it wasn’t enough as third-seeded PHS fell 3-2 to sixth-seeded South Brunswick in a Central Jersey Group 4 sectional quarterfinal match on October 10. The Little Tigers bounced back from the setback to defeat Steinert 4-1 last Monday in a regular season match to improve to 12-2. PHS hosts Nottingham on October 20. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Coming into the fall, Nicole Samios was primed to have a big season in the first doubles spot for the Princeton High girls’ tennis team.

But due to injury, the PHS lineup was reshuffled early in the campaign and sophomore Samios moved up to the third singles spot.

For Samios, switching to singles required some adjustment. “It was difficult because I really got along with my partner, Caroline Tan,” said Samios.

“It is a lot more lonely playing singles. I think it is better for my technique and it really forces me to concentrate on getting my serve in.”

Displaying her powers of concentration against South Brunswick in a Central Jersey Group 4 sectional quarterfinal match last week, Samios pulled out a 6-1, 7-6 win over Saniya Bagewadi at third singles to provide a highlight as third-seeded PHS fell 3-2 to the sixth-seeded Vikings.

“She started playing better, and I got nervous because it is an important match in the states,” said Samios, reflecting on her win.

“I like tiebreaks. For some reason it seems a lot less daunting to get seven points than it does to win a game even though it is four points for a game.”

The encouragement of her teammates has made playing singles less daunting for Samios.

“It is a great way to get closer with people from other grades and everyone is very supportive,” said Samios.

“They wait until every match is over and cheer you on. It is really fun. Tennis is a lonely sport so it is nice to have a team that is always going to be there.”

While PHS head coach Sarah Hibbert had hoped for a better result against South Brunswick, she credited her players with giving a nice effort in defeat.

“It was competitive match all around and unfortunately we weren’t able to pull it out today, which is disappointing,” said Hibbert.

“The girls fought hard and I certainly don’t fault any of them. They tried and they gave it their all. There were a couple of let cords that didn’t go our way, a couple of rule things that didn’t go our way right at the end. In a match like this, it comes down to a point here or there and unfortunately the breaks didn’t go our way today.”

Hibbert like the way Samios fought to get her win. “Nicole played great in the first set,” said Hibbert. “She got a little tight in the second set but she was able to regroup and close it out when it mattered instead of having to play a third set. She has done well for us this season.”

The second doubles duo of sophomore Sora Sato and junior Adriana Todorova did well in pulling out a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 win in their match.

“They were able to come through, that was great for them,” added Hibbert. “They really worked hard in the third. It was hot today and people weren’t feeling great but they were able to fight through and close it out when it counted. That was a good win for them.”

With two weeks left in the regular season, Hibbert is looking for her team to close things out on a high note.

“We still have some big matches left this year and obviously this didn’t end the way we would have liked but we still have a lot of competitive regular season matches that we have to be ready to play,” said Hibbert, whose team rebounded from the loss to South Brunswick to defeat Steinert 4-1 last Monday to improve to 12-2.

“We want to be as competitive as we can and not let this color the rest of the season in a negative light.”

Samios, for her part, is proud of how the Little Tigers have competed this fall.

“Considering that our lineup has changed so much over the course of the season, we practiced through it and I think we are doing well,” said Samios.