Boys’ Tennis Clinches Winning Season With Win Over Union

Their goal from the start of the season was to have a winning record.

Mission accomplished, as the Cranford boys' varsity tennis team nailed down a winning mark with an exciting 3-2 home victory over Union, improving their overall record to and impressive 9-7.

"It was fantastic," said Cranford head coach Richard Goldstein. "Before the match, I said we can be an 8-8 team or a 9-7 team. In order for us to get to that point we have to play together, we have to be team-oriented. We have to be focused 125 percent, and you have to have fun. That's the main thing with the team this year. They all came together as friends, they all had fun together. They all root each other on from one court to the next, play after play after play in order to make sure they get the job done."

"We played very well," said captain Derek DeCagna, the only senior on the squad, who teamed with Danny Buono for a key victory which improved their season record to 10-3. "Our opponents liked to take a lot of time in between points. That was a little frustrating, but it was a good win overall."

"It was a tough one, despite the score," said Buono. "A lot of games went to deuce. It was kind of frustrating at times when I knew I was better and I made some mistakes. But we came through and that's all that matters."

Freshman Christian Woo won again at third singles, continuing to impress his coach with a 6-1, 6-0 triumph.

"In the beginning I had a tough time because I was really struggling with their guy," said Woo, who improved to 10-4 on the season. "He hit a lot of good shots. But when I realized his weakness, I just kept exploiting that and I ended up winning."

"He's got a tremendous record this year coming on as a freshman. He's one heck of a tennis player," said Goldstein. "For him to be as good as he is this year, we look forward to the next three years from him."

"I think I have improved a lot," said Woo. "I never thought I'd be out here against these types of people who, beforehand, I ordinarily would have lost to. But this experience, being able to play with so many other people, has really helped my game."

The second doubles team of Will Allen and Russ Hathaway cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 straight set victory.

"We played well together like usual and we were both on our game," said Allen. "We let them make the mistakes."

The Cougars also achieved one of their pre-season goals, and it was a big one to check off the list.

"The goal of the team was to finish over .500," added DeCagna. "That's an accomplishment. It feels good, definitely. It's something that we've kind of struggled with the last two years or so. It's good to get there."

"It's a pretty big surprise," said Woo. "In previous years I heard we didn't do this well and it's really amazing to see everyone come together and start winning. It's sad that the only person leaving is Derek, but it's great that most of the team will be here and we can do the same exact thing."

The Cougars final match of the season will take place this afternoon in North Plainfield, where they hope to reach the 10-win mark. That would make an already successful season even better.