The battle for the Mercer County Tournament came down to two girls' tennis teams from Princeton.
Princeton Day School held off Princeton High to win the MCT, which concluded on Sept. 21 at Mercer County Park. PDS finished with 17.5 points, just edging out the 16.5 points scored by Princeton High.
"Before the season started, we set a bunch of team goals," noted Princeton Day School Coach Ed Tseng. "One of the goals was to win the Mercer County Tournament. Hey, why not shoot for the top?"
Find out what's happening in Princetonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In addition to being the top team, PDS also had the top player in the field. Samantha Asch, a junior, won the MCT title at first singles for the third straight year. Asch defeated Hightstown's Sneha Rangu, 6-0, 6-1 in the title match.
"It feels great," Asch said. "I played really well.
Find out what's happening in Princetonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"I come into matches just thinking about what I need to do to be successful. I don't worry about what someone else might do in a match. The score reflects that approach."
The score did not surprise many people, including Asch's opponents.
"She is not beatable," Rangu said.
Next year Asch will try and complete a four-year sweep of the MCT.
"That would be great (if I won a fourth title)," said Asch, who started playing when she was 5 years old.
"When I was 8 or 9, I started playing every day. This summer I went to Tennessee and Arizona for matches. I've played in California before. I want to take this as far as I can. You never know what's possible."
Because the score was so close, PDS needed a lot more than a win from Asch to earn the team title.
Nicole Keim placed second at second singles. Mary Atkenson placed third at third singles. Atkenson's match was one of the last of the day and clinched at least a tie in the team championship for PDS.
"I didn't know that (the match was so important in the team standings)," Atkenson said. "Good thing I found out about that now and not before."
The first doubles team of Emily Dyckman and Hope Boozan placed fourth at second doubles. Emily Seto and Allie Persky didn't place in the tournament, but they won a match. And this was a year where every win mattered.
"Of course it's satisfying when you have to work as a team to win (the MCT)," Tseng said. "TEAM stands for 'together everyone achieves more.'
"It's a great win. It just shows that if you fight hard and give it your best effort, anything is possible."
