(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) KASEY MASTERPIECE: Princeton High senior doubles star Kasey Reisman smacks a forehand in action this fall. Reisman and sophomore partner Allegra Bianchini produced a dominant season in helping PHS finish 17-1.

PHS Girls’ Tennis Shook Off Sectional Loss, Ended Season Cementing CVC Dominance

Bill Alden

It was a defeat that could have dampened the spirit of the Princeton High girls’ tennis team.

Losing 3-2 to its nemesis Wall Township in the Central Jersey Group III sectional final in early November to suffer its first loss of the season, PHS could’ve gone through the motions in its remaining regular season matches.

Instead, the Little Tigers played some of their best tennis of the season as they never lost again, winning six straight matches to end the season with a 17-1 record and cementing its dominance among its Colonial Valley Conference rivals.

PHS culminated its superb fall with a dramatic 3-2 win over longtime rival WW/P-S.

In assessing the season, PHS head coach Sarah Heyman was proud of how her team kept its focus after the loss to Wall.

“I think they did a really good job of continuing to push after that disappointment,” said Heyman.

“They still played some really good tennis. It was good that they didn’t let down. They ended the season with a win over WW/P-S and I was proud of how they fought. They ended up undefeated in the conference.”

The Little Tigers got some tough fight out of its first doubles pair of Kasey Reisman and Allegra Bianchini in the season-ending win over WW/P-S.

“They certainly didn’t start out playing well,” recalled Heyman. “They were down 1-5 and I talked to them. I said you don’t want this to be the last memory of your season. They won the next six games and were fine after that.”

The Reisman-Bianchini pair produced a lot of great memories for PHS this fall as it won the Mercer County Tournament title in their flight and advanced to the semis of the state doubles tournament.

“I knew they had the potential to be good; Kasey had been a good player at first doubles for us last season and Allegra did a great job at second doubles,” said Heyman.

“They both worked hard last summer and you could see that they were playing well. You never know how it’s going to go when you put players together; they did better than I would have ever imagined. They were a rock for us.”

PHS also got fine play from its season doubles team of freshman Pooja Joshi and sophomore Jesse Delaney.

“Jesse and Pooja came on varsity in a big way,” said Heyman. “I’m proud of the way they were able to win some big matches for us.”

First singles star Priya Joshi won a slew of big matches this fall for PHS. “Priya started out so dominant; I think she only lost one game in her first seven matches,” said Heyman. “She had some good rounds in the state tournament. She is a very solid player; you can always count on her to fight for everything.”

The two other singles players, seniors Alex Willig and Jenn Yi, had their moments as well.

“Alex had some great matches as soon as she started believing in herself and played with confidence,” said Heyman. “Jenn Yi was very solid for us.”

The departing trio of Reisman, Willig, and Yi have left an imprint on the program and their coach.

“They were freshmen in my first year as the head coach and I went through four years with them,” said Heyman. “They have done some great things for us; it’s really tough to lose them.”

The leadership from the seniors led the team to develop a good chemistry. “They really got along well, they were friends on and off the court,” added Heyman.

“We all went out to dinner after the Wall match and there was no finger pointing. Everybody knew that each player had given everything she had.”

The players gave Heyman a superb fall and laid the foundation for a big future. “It was a very successful season,” asserted Heyman.

“It’s sad to lose three seniors but we have four players coming back. I always expect good things from Princeton High tennis teams. The girls are competitive and work hard.”

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