North Penn tops CB West, continues strong start

DOYELSTOWN >> The North Penn girls’ tennis team has left singles in the hands of its underclassmen, plugging its experienced players into doubles.

So far, it has paid off. Tuesday, the relatively young but very talented Knights picked up a key 5-2 road win over CB West to open up SOL Continental play.

Spurred by straight set wins from No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles, North Penn continued its hot start to the season.

“We know our first singles would probably win but the doubles matches would have a big impact,” senior Erin Hurry, part of the No. 1 doubles team, said. “Most tennis players don’t really play as a team like a field hockey team comes together to play as a team. Most of these kids are playing club matches and tournaments so we got lucky with a big group of people who have been playing since they were young.”

North Penn’s No. 1 singles, freshman Neha Velaga, has been as good as advertised so far. Tuesday, she topped the Bucks’ No. 1, Anna Sukharev in a 6-2, 6-1 match. Despite the final set scores, it was a good match with both players hitting some quality shots and making each other work for each point.

At No. 1 doubles, Hurry and partner Felicia Yan, a sophomore, picked up a 6-4, 6-4 win over Addie King and Emily Gruver to give the Knights key points at the top of each competition. Hurry said they were able to use deeper shots and lob balls past the Bucks’ top pairing to pick up points.

“Erin worked really hard in the offseason,” North Penn coach Kristina Alling said. “All the girls in the top positions did a lot of work since last year and it’s showing off.”

The match win was a big one for the pair, who hadn’t been seeing the wins early in the season. But, Hurry and Yan have been working hard on communicating and have a good sense of how to play with each other on the court.

“We have great communication,” Hurry said. “My coaches outside of school always say to talk in between points because it looks competitive to the other players, it can be intimidating and it helps you bond with your teammate.”

Hurry’s younger sister Elise picked up a hard fought 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 3 singles while CB West’s Reganne Gonser topped Karely Alling 7-6, 6-0 at No. 2 singles. Alling gave it a good run in the first set, fighting out of a 3-0 hole to tie the set and force the tiebreaker game.

Aside from young players stepping up, North Penn’s early success, which featured a strong showing at Phoenixville’s tournament over the weekend and two match wins last week, the team has shown unity. From Velaga fitting in seamlessly to the upperclassmen taking leadership roles, North Penn has built a strong chemistry in the early stages of the season.

“We’ve done a lot of team bonding, we’re a lot closer than we were last year and I feel like we’re a better team,” Erin Hurry said. “We’ve had past parties, gone out for dinner. We’ve even had pre-preseason practices where we’ve worked out without our coaches.”

CB West has begun the year 2-2 but still has plenty of potential with several returning players from last year and upperclassmen in key positions. For the Bucks, it’s a quick turnaround with CB South on Thursday and they’ll need to be a little sharper, especially at the net.

“They moved well but they need to work on playing together as a team,” Bucks coach Marcy Wouch said. “It’s little points here and there. They have to realize they need to concentrate on every single point.”

It was an important win for North Penn, especially after losing to the Bucks last season. Alling said West, CB East and CB South are usual the top squads in the Continental, so getting a win over one of those three to open things up was a big win for her squad.

“It’s the fact that it’s the entire team that’s contributing,” Alling said. “It’s the pairings and matchups. I try to put someone strong from the baseline with someone who’s a good net player. That’s the thing, I think all four of my doubles teams just want to win and that’s one of the biggest things, just going out there and competing.”

North Penn 5, CB West 2

Singles 1. Neha Velaga (NP) d. Anna Sakharev 6-2, 6-1; 2. Reganne Gonser (CBW) d. Karley Alling, 7-6, 6-0; 3. Elise Hurry (NP) d. Lydia Hu 6-4, 6-4
Doubles 1. Erin Hurry and Felicia Yan (NP) d. Addie King and Emily Gruver 6-4, 6-4; 2. Tian Butler and Maggie Wisniewski (CBW) d. Jessica Szuchan and Madha Willian 6-4, 6-2; 3. Sarah Tung and Olivia Hauser (NP) d. Bailey Welsh and Elizabeth Howell 7-5, 6-0; 4. Sarah Stavely and Sabrina Palmer (NP) d. Abby Monahan and Jesse Rubin 6-2, 6-1.

Top Photo: North Penn’s Neha Velaga sends a backhand shot to Central Bucks West’s Anna Sukarev on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. (Bob Raines/Digital First Media)