RFH Tennis Girls Victorious in County Tournament

Caroline Heins and Jesse Rigby, who play as number two doubles on the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) Varsity Tennis Team, were announced as winners at the Monmouth Country Tournament held on Sept. 21 and 22 at Tindal Park in Middletown.

Heins, a senior at RFH and Rigby, a junior, prevailed in the semifinals against Manasquan High School.

"These two girls are gritty and determined," RFH Tennis Coach Maria Manley said. "They played through the pressure with poise, and it was quite a match to watch."

Heins and Rigby were down 8-3 in the 10-point tiebreaker of the third set and came back to win with a score of 10-8.

Also making it into the semifinals of the tournament were freshman Katie Foos and junior Phoebe Short at number one doubles; junior Sophie Pavluk at number two singles; sophomore Katie Kane at number three singles; and Abbey Weis and Tara Sulak at number three doubles. Freshman Camryn Short, a number one singles player, made the quarterfinals.

The RFH tennis team also made an impact with a 3-2 victory over Marlboro in the Shore Conference Girls Tennis Tournament on September 26, which included a first singles victory by Short over Marlboro's Hayley Barnett with scores of 6-3 and 6-4.

The number five-seeded RFH team prevailed over the fourth-seeded Marlboro team to earn a trip to the semifinals, where they faced the top-seeded team from Holmdel High School. Holmdel prevailed in that match where, according to Manley, "Our girls played tough and I think we gave Holmdel a scare."

"As the season progresses, I only see us getting better as a team," said Manley. "Our net game is improving with every match, and that is what will make the difference."

* Provided by Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School