Haddonfield girls look to repeat as state tennis champs

Haddonfield's No. 1 doubles team, junior Catherine Senopoulos (left) and senior Martha Theodoris, went 44-1 last year. "It's a lot of pressure, but I think we can do it," Senopoulos said.

By Phil Anastasia, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: September 09, 2010

No girls' tennis team from South Jersey has ever won back-to-back Tournament of Champions titles.

Haddonfield could become the first.

But that's far down the road for veteran coach Jeff Holman and his starting players, all seven of whom return from last year's 32-0 team that captured the state Group 2 title and then beat Group 3 champion Millburn and Group 4 champ Westfield in the Tournament of Champions.

"Since we did it last year, I'll be disappointed if we don't do it again," said junior Catherine Senopoulos, who teamed with senior Martha Theodoris to go 44-1 last season at first doubles. "It's a lot of pressure, but I think we can do it."

Veteran Moorestown coach Bill Kingston, whose teams won T of C titles in 1992 and 1994, says this year's Haddonfield team "may be in a class of their own."

Haddonfield traditionally has strong teams under Holman that feature balance and depth. The Bulldogs have won 16 state titles, and many of them were achieved through strong play at the back end of the lineup - at No. 3 singles and at both doubles.

What makes this Haddonfield team so special is that the Bulldogs are strong through the lineup. No. 1 singles Taylor Ng, a sophomore, is among the best players in the state, and seniors Meghan Burns and Spencer Ng are standout singles players as well.

The Bulldogs' doubles teams are as strong as usual, if not stronger. Theodoris and Catherine Senopoulos reached the finals of the state doubles tournament last season. Senior Taylor Noll and junior Rebecca Senopoulos, Catherine's twin, went 36-4 and arguably were the best No. 2 doubles team in the state.

All those players are back. Haddonfield also has an influx of talented freshmen.

In some ways, the Bulldogs' biggest challenge could be maintaining their focus and competitive edge in the season after the perfect season.

"Last year was a great experience, but we can't think about that too much," Burns said. "This is a new season, and we have to approach it with that mentality."

Spencer Ng, who along with Theodoris has 107 career victories, believes the Bulldogs can use 2009 as a springboard for a better 2010.

"The attitude is we're building on last year," Spencer Ng said.

Contact staff writer Phil Anastasia at 856-779-3223 or panastasia@phillynews.com.