The preseason for the next high school girls tennis season might not start for another nine months, but forgive Kearny head coach Michael Silpoch for already having an eye toward August.
This fall saw the Kardinals make a bit of a surprising run all the way to the Hudson County Tournament final before falling 3-2 to Hoboken on Oct. 24 and finishing the year 13-8. And with several underclassmen playing key roles, Silpoch doesn’t see this year as a surprising run, but rather the start of what should be a stellar run within the county and beyond.
Prior to the final, Kearny defeated neighboring rival Harrison in the quarterfinals and defending champion McNair in the semifinals.
“As a coach, it makes you look forward to the next couple of years knowing that you’ve got this talent to work with and to build up,” said Silpoch. “They’re excited for next and then they’re excited for the year after because it’s right there for us.
“I think our team is going to be able to win the championship because I see the work these girls put in without me around on weekends (and the offseason).”
Leading the Kardinals in the present and future is freshman Juliet Olson. Olson went 16-3 in his rookie campaign and made it to the First Singles final at the season-ending Hudson County Individual Tournament.
Right from the start, Olson displayed a poise and maturity at a young age that reminded Silpoch of former HCIAL Player of the Year and current Stevens University player Glenda “Gigi” Arenas.
“You kind of know when the girl steps onto the court and she just hits that first forehand or backhand, you know this girl’s going to be something special,” Silpoch said of Olson. “It was the same with GIgi.”
Slotted in behind Olson were a pair of senior captains in Valeria Valencia and Samantha Cheng.
Valencia, a second-year player who saw her junior year cut short by injury, was a steady presence at second singles. Cheng, a four-year varsity player, was 13-3 and made it to the Third Singles final.
“She always gives it her all. She’s played through injuries,” said Silpoch.”She was somebody this year that I am so indebted to and so thankful for because of the leadership that she showed.”
Senior Fizza Raza, the third senior captain, and junior Kamilly Bravo were at first doubles. The duo got several key wins, including a tie-breaker victory in the Kardinals’ NJSIAA North 2, Group 4 win over Piscataway.
According to Silpoch, Kearny, as a team, really took off after freshmen Keyla Petrillo and Natalis Terrero emerged as the Kardinals’ pairing at second doubles. The two rookies combined to go 10-4 after being paired together this season.
“I think this year more than ever, we had a complete team,” Silpoch said. “Not many teams within our division could say that. Yeah, one team’s got a good first singles and one team’s got a good first doubles. But I think we had the best all around team.”
For Petrillo and Terrero, their futures will likely be as singles performers. Whether it’s as singles players or in doubles, Petrillo, Terrero and Bravo are set to join Olson as the core for next year and beyond. It was something Silpoch reminded them when they watched Hoboken celebrate its county championship.
“We stood on the court as Hoboken was celebrating and I said to them next year we’re going to be back here because of the level of talent and commitment that these girls have,” said Silpoch. “That we got as close as we got (this year), knocking off defending champion McNair (in the semifinals) shows we have a very bright future.”
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During the Oct. 29 Hudson County Individuals Tournament, Harrison’s Serenity Maldonado earned second place in Second Singles.
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)