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Hun Girls' Tennis Makes History; Wins Prep Crown for 2nd Triple
By Bill Alden
The Hun School girls' tennis team entered this fall with a huge bull's eye on its collective back.
In 2003, the Raiders made school history as they won the Mercer County Tournament championship, the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) title, and the state Prep A crown.
With other teams targeting Hun and the Raiders dealing with the loss to graduation of stars Erica Wood, Nina Licciardello, and Ann Wright, the odds seemed stacked against the Raiders achieving another triple crown.
In early October, Hun easily accomplished the first leg as it swept to the team title in the MCT, winning four of the five flights of the competition.
The MAPL crown came a little harder as Hun had to dig deep to fend off the challenges presented by improved Peddie and Blair squads.
By the time the State Prep A title rolled around last week, the Hun players were psyched to duplicate their special triple.
"They have been talking about it since we clinched the MAPL," said Hun head coach Joan Nuse. "They have been saying 'repeat-three-peat' all week. They were really anxious to do this. They have been totally determined the last few days."
That determination won the day for Hun as it emerged as the only team to advance players to the finals of all five flights of the tourney.
The Raiders' show of depth meant that it clinched the team title before playing in the finals held last Wednesday at Pingry. Hun was followed in the team standings by Kent Place and Peddie.
Possibly lacking a bit of the edge to its competitive fire, Hun lost four of the five finals with only No. 1 singles player Angela DiPastina taking home an individual crown.
The Raiders were second in the other flights with Lucy DiPastina at second singles, Caitie Druker at third singles, Alex Connell and Gwen Birnkrant at first doubles, and the team of Nora Saunders and Ashley Wycoff at second doubles.
In Nuse¹s view, the special team unity that helped push Hun to great heights this season may have actually held it back a bit in the finals.
"The girls all approach things from a team standpoint," explained Nuse, who is in her 18th year at the helm of the Hun program.
"They don¹t care about themselves as much as the team. They rise to the occasion when the team needs it. The fact that we had clinched it may have been a factor. They all had tough matches. They went out and tried their hardest. It was somewhat disappointing."
It was fitting, however, that DiPastina was the lone Raider to win in the finals. The triumph meant that the senior ends her career going a perfect 4-for-4 in state Prep finals.
"Angela was going for her fourth straight, she really wanted it," said Nuse. "She is the best player I¹ve ever coached. I¹ve had other good ones but never anyone who has accomplished what she did."
According to Nuse, her gifted star¹s impact on the squad extends far beyond her wins on the court. "She does it with such class," asserted Nuse of DiPastina, who won two MCT titles at first singles during her career and went undefeated this fall.
"She does things the right way. She comes to every practice and does her other stuff on her own time. I know that has a positive effect on the team. She is not a rented player, the girls know she is part of the team."
In the end, it was the special camaraderie on the Raiders that pulled them through as they repeated their triple.
"The team really came together,² said Nuse, noting that one player even went so far as to calm down a barking dog near the Hun courts at one match to help her teammates concentrate. "It's definitely an amazing thing. I really didn't know if we could do it. They fought every inch of the way."
Next year, the Raiders face the challenge of a three-peat triple without some of their pivotal performers. "Losing Angela is tough," acknowledged Nuse, whose club blanked Mercersburg Academy 7-0 last Friday in a make-up match to improve to 9-2 in dual matches.
"Losing Gwen and Ashley is also tough; they were the cornerstones of our doubles. We have a lot to replace. We still have Lucy and if Caitie improves as much over the next year as she did last year, she is going to be really tough."
And with Hun's blend of camaraderie and competitiveness, it will be tough to keep the Raiders from achieving another triple crown next year.
