S.B. tennis hopes to move forward after injuries
BY GEORGE ALBANO Staff Writer
The 2007 season might have started just a bit too early for the South Brunswick High School girls tennis team.

Plagued by some early-season injuries, the Vikings certainly could have used another week or two before diving into their schedule. Instead, an undermanned South Brunswick team opened the season last Friday with a 4-1 loss to Piscataway.

The Vikings did bounce back, however, to edge Edison 3-2 on Monday to take a 1-1 record into next Monday's match at East Brunswick.

"We've had a little bit of a bumpy beginning," said head coach Nancy Mc- Donald. "We had to change our lineup quite a bit, but the girls are all playing hard where they are right now. They're doing the best they can with what they have.

The Vikings were actually forced to revamp their lineup even before injuries set in, when four out of seven starters graduated from last year's team that went 12-6, finished third in the GMC Red Division, and advanced to the semifinals of the Group IV Central Jersey state tournament in McDonald's first year as the girls coach.

The most significant loss was the No. 1 doubles team of Nina Ramanchandron and Meredith Ragany, who qualified for the state doubles tournament and were named the team MVPs.

"They were pretty solid for us," said McDonald, who has coached the South Brunswick boys tennis team for nine years.

Another solid player who graduated was Anbica Buddarapu, the Vikings' No. 3 singles player a year ago, while Prasannah Ashokumar, a member of the second doubles team, also received her diploma in June.

But that was just the beginning of South Brunswick's problems. Allison Noll, who played No. 1 singles as a freshman last year and qualified for the state tournament, injured herself last month, delaying the start of her sophomore season.

"On Aug. 1 she suffered a stress fracture to one of her ribs from playing a lot of tennis," McDonald explained. "She's been resting it for four or five weeks now and we hope to get her back to the level she was at this summer.

"She's supposed to be back at practice on Wednesday, but I don't know how quickly it will take her to get back into playing shape. She's a quality player and we look forward to her returning to the lineup."

As a result of the injury to Noll, senior Divya Toshniwal, who was returning at No. 2 singles, has been forced to play in the No. 1 spot at the start of the season.

"Right now she's filling in playing first singles. She's stepping up until Ali gets back," McDonald said. "The way the rules are, at the time of the match your best player has to play first singles and your second-best player has to play second singles.

"So we're really playing with a weakened lineup. Divya has to play all the No. 1 singles players from other schools. She's had to play above where she usually does, and she's doing real well, but it still makes the team makeup different."

Toshniwal isn't the only one "playing above" her normal spot. Anusha Koduru, another senior who would normally play third singles, has had to move up to No. 2.

Meanwhile, Hayley Berk, a junior who played JV last year, has been inserted in the No. 3 singles position.

That spot might have belonged to sophomore Karyn Engel, who McDonald said "was a force to be reckoned with in singles or doubles." But Engel had to undergo knee surgery for an injury she suffered during basketball season and is still rehabbing.

"So, she's out for the year," McDonald said. "She definitely would have been in the mix."

At least South Brunswick's doubles lineup is a little more stable. Senior Sindhu Shamasunder, who played second doubles last year with Ashokumar, has moved up to No. 1 doubles, where she's been paired up with Irene Donne, another senior who played mostly JV last year.

"She played a little bit of varsity doubles," McDonald noted.

A pair of sophomores also up from the JV ranks, Erin Kurkela and Karen Sendner, are now playing No. 2 doubles.

But that could all change in the near future.

"When Allison [Noll] gets back, we'll have to re-do everything," McDonald said. "Haley [Berk] would be an extra player, and she could challenge to play No. 2 doubles."

Be that as it may, when Noll returns to her No. 1 singles spot, and Toshniwal returns to No. 2 and Koduru at No. 3, the Vikings will no doubt be a stronger team and ready to regain their winning ways of a year ago.

In fact, South Brunswick might have caught a little bit of a break Tuesday when their match at Old Bridge was postponed because of rain and was rescheduled for next Wednesday. The Vikings could be a little closer to full strength by then.

"I definitely think we'll be able to qualify for the state tournament again," McDonald said. "We'll just do the best we can until we get our full lineup back."