Girls Tennis Wins Sectional Title

Strong performances in first, second and third singles lifted Montville to a North 1, Group III state sectional title by vanquishing Northern Highlands 3-2 on Monday in a match held at Indian Hills High school in Oakland. Kaitlin Sanzone, Kirstin Godau and Molly Smith each earned singles victories to give the Mustangs their title and send them to the Group III finals later this week. The competition was tied 2-2 and everyone watched as Smith’s match with Northern Highlands Maggie Mulder extended to a third set before the Montville senior was able to finish off her opponent, thrilling her teammates and fans.

Records: Montville 11-0; Northern Highlands 11-2

First Singles

Kaitlin Sanzone (M) def. Alexa Albricht, 6-2, 6-0

Second Singles

Kirstin Godau (M) def. Sophia Annitti, 6-1, 6-3

Third Singles

Molly Smith (M) def. Maggie Mulder, 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2

First Doubles

Kristina Kuskinen and Chelsea Golub (NH) def. Jillian Garfunkel and Joanna Fass, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4)

Second Doubles

Molly Danzig and Amanda Levin (NH) def. Alyson Resnikoff and Sam Metz, 6-2, 6-1

IN SHORT
The play of Montville’s singles made the difference. Kaitlin Sanzone and Kirstin Godau had excellent matches and had little trouble toppling their opponents. The sophomores, who have been pushing each other to improve this season, play with similar styles, striving for consistency.

The first doubles team of Jillian Garfunkel and Joanna Fass performed well, but could not put away their strong Northern Highlands opponents, leaving the section to be decided by Molly Smith.

MUSTANG OF THE MATCH
Molly Smith—A four-year varsity player, Smith overcame a bout of nausea which necessitated a 10-minute break to secure the win. Smith took advantage of some unforced errors and won the first set 6-2. In the second set, Smith didn't convert on a match point and Mulder evened the match. In the third set, Smith won the first three games and Mulder rallied to take two before Smith asked for a 10-minute medical time out. Smith felt better after her break and was able to finish off the set and give Montville girls tennis a title.

THEY SAID IT
"I’m just happy for the girls. They’ve worked hard. It’s something that you set as a goal early in the year and when you reach a goal like that it feels special. … Molly has played every position during her four years. She’s our captain and our other senior along with Lindsey Macheska. It says a lot about her resiliency and her resolve. She wasn’t aware that it was 2-2. That made it even more special. Her positive nature, her work ethic and her team-first mentality are very important to this team." –Head coach Ken Sachs

“Undefeated, sectional finals—this is a dream season. This is nothing I’ve ever felt before in all four years of high school tennis. I didn’t know at the time (that the match would decide it). My coach during the medical timeout asked me, 'Do you want to know what’s going on?’ I said, 'No. Don’t tell me. I have to stay focused.’ I’ve been the last one on the court before and it’s tough when the other team has this whole group of cheerleaders and you are the only one out there, but you have to hang tough. It took a lot of concentration to finish her off. I just had to focus and be consistent.’’ –Molly Smith

“We’re really happy. We lost two or three seniors last year so being a young team we are doing really well. I’m surprised we got this far but we were a good team last year so we knew we could stay that way. I love our team. Kirstin at second singles is a really good player. We’re about the same level. She’s only lost one match. Molly is a senior and has a lot of experience. The doubles are new. This is their first time playing together but they are doing really well. …  In my match I just went in there thinking I could win. I’m consistent and I get to a lot of balls and my first serve was pretty good. I didn’t make too many unforced errors which was one of my goals." –Kaitlin Sanzone

"I think I played good and aggressive overall. I didn’t want to give (my opponent) any shots. Everything just came together. We expected to do well because we’ve been training hard. I play with Kaitlin a lot. We are about the same level and we like to practice together." –Kirstin Godau

Up Next—Group championships Wednesday at Mercer County Park in Trenton.