SP-F Wins Tennis Match Against Summit, 3-2

It came down to first doubles, where junior Eve Rosenheck and freshman Alex Sullivan outlasted Summit’s Chelsea Nyman and Katherine Grayeski 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to deliver a 3-2 win at LaGrande Avenue Tennis Courts. The match ended just as darkness was falling.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood, which finishes the season Friday with a meet at Governor Livingston, improved its record to 13-6. Rosenheck was a varsity alternate, but got called up because of an illness to second singles player Christina Reiman.

“The girls really picked it up today," said Scotch Plains-Fanwood coach Gary Wasserman, whose team went 14-8 last year. "Missing Christina is a big loss and everybody filled in their places and a couple of substitutes came in and came up big. I mean it was a lot closer than I thought it was going to be, but the girls from Summit really fought tough and we look forward to seeing them again next year. I knew the doubles match would go three and I was just hoping they had enough to pull it out. It was really exciting. It was great stuff.’’

The other big win came from senior Alex Szczuka, who won her 20^th match at first singles. She beat Summit’s Emily Koernig 6-3, 6-0.

Szczuka, who is having an interview at MIT this weekend, was a runner-up at the Union County Tournament to Westfield phenom Lexi Borr.

”I’m happy," said Szczuka, who won 21 matches last year. "I didn’t play as well in states as I hoped I could, but I was a little sick. That’s no excuse, but I can’t complain."

Senior Neha Pannuri was bumped up in Reiman’s absence to second singles and lost to freshman Tasha Kewlramani 6-2, 6-2.  Summit freshman Heather Pearson beat Lyndsey Douglas 6-4, 6-3. The Raiders second doubles team of Isabel Lopez and Alyssa Leydon beat Nina Verghis and Emma Radest 6-4, 6-3.