NOAH’S ARC: Princeton High boys’ tennis player Noah Lilienthal shows his forehand form. Last Wednesday, freshman Lilienthal posted a 6-0, 6-1 win at first singles to help PHS edge Tenafly 3-2 in the Group 3 state semifinals. The Little Tigers went on to lose 5-0 to powerful Millburn in the Group 3 championship match later that day to finish the spring with a 17-3 record. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Noah Lilienthal was nervous as he took the court for the Princeton High boys’ tennis team at first singles in the Group 3 state semifinals against undefeated Tenafly last Wednesday at Mercer County Park.

“I started a little bit slow,” said freshman star Lilienthal. “I was a little tight, these are pretty big matches, being in the state semifinals.”

Showing his talent and composure, the precocious Lilienthal found his rhythm and rolled to a 6-0, 6-1 win over Scott Einsidler.

“I started getting into my groove and just focused on improving after every shot,” said Lilienthal, who won the first singles title at the Mercer County Tournament earlier this season.

“It was probably my transition balls, getting up to net and putting balls away. I did that better than I usually do and my return of serve was also working pretty well.”

Lilienthal’s win helped PHS pull out a 3-2 victory and earn a trip to the finals. The freshman was thrilled to see PHS make it up to the top level of Group 3.

“I am really happy that we are in this position,” said Lilienthal “We have worked really hard to get to this spot, we all do it as a team. We all contribute. It shows that we have really good character and I was happy we could do it for Princeton.”

The team’s veterans showed their character earlier in the season as they welcomed Lilienthal to the fold without jealousy or rancor.

“It was really great, before the first ball had even been hit before the season, everyone was really looking forward to having me on the team, especially Rishab (Tanga) and Tyler (Hack),” said Lilienthal.

“It was not easy for them to give up their positions. They are my biggest supporters, they have really helped me and they have stepped it up.”

PHS head coach Sarah Hibbert was proud of the way her team stepped up against Tenafly as the second doubles team of Eric Lin and Kevin Yang prevailed in a third set tiebreaker and senior Tyler Hack posted a hard-earned 6-4, 6-4 victory at third singles to give the Little Tigers the three points needed to advance.

“We didn’t really know much about their team but I just told everyone to go out and do the best they could,” said Hibbert.

“Both doubles teams had really close matches. Second doubles did a great job of getting through that tiebreaker and not letting the second set affect them and coming back to win a clutch point for us. Tyler did a great job. He has been fighting his allergies and was not feeling well all week. He knew that we needed him and he worked hard. He was able to close out a great game at 5-4 to clinch the match for us. Noah is Noah, he played a fantastic match.”

Later in the day, the Little Tigers were unable come up with another great match as they fell 5-0 to perennial power Millburn in the Group 3 final.

While Hibbert would have liked to have seen her squad give Millburn a better fight, making the state finals was a major accomplishment.

“We haven’t been able to get out of our sectional for the last several years, I think ’08 was the last team,” said Hibbert.

“It was nice to not only get out of the area but also to be able to make it to the final. Millburn is a tough team, they have won the Tournament of Champions over and over again. They just outplayed us but we worked hard to get there.”

Throughout the spring, the Little Tigers put in some good work as the team posted a final record of 17-3.

“Overall, we had a very strong season, especially considering that we had four new players in the lineup,” said Hibbert.

The future looks bright as the team is only graduating Hack and second singles player Rishab Tanga.

“Obviously losing Rishab and Tyler will be tough for the team to replace,” said Hibbert.

“Having Noah back will be huge, he is an incredibly strong addition to our lineup.”

Lilienthal, for his part, believes that PHS has developed the mindset to keep getting better.

“I think it is that we all try to improve,” said Lilienthal. “It is not just about getting the win, it is the gradual everyday grind and making progress.”