Holmdel Boys Tennis Wins Third Straight SCT Title

Veteran Holmdel tennis coach Chuck Chelednik admits that he enjoys the underdog role much more than that of the heavy favorite, but his Hornets certainly had no problem being the team expected to win Wednesday’s Shore Conference Tournament.

The top-seeded Hornets cruised to their third straight SCT title with a 5-0 win over sixth-seeded Marlboro on the courts at Long Branch High School. It marked the first time in school history that Holmdel has won three straight SCT titles and their fifth in the last 10 seasons.

“We were kind of expecting it, but we still had to play our best,’’ said senior second doubles player Jacob Yang. “With a team as deep as this, it’s just an awesome feeling.’’

“It’s a testament to our depth,’’ Chelednik said. “We knew we were going to get Marlboro’s best effort because this was a big moment for them. They had momentum and it’s easier to be the underdog than the favorite, but our guys did a nice job.’’

The Hornets (23-2) have not lost to a Shore Conference opponent all season, with its setbacks coming against Morris Knolls in the semifinals of a tournament at Delbarton early in the season, and a 3-2 loss to a tough West Windsor South team only a day before facing Marlboro.

Holmdel won every match of the SCT by a 5-0 score, and did not drop a set against Marlboro on Wednesday. Derek Liu (19-6) helped set the tone at first singles with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Marlboro freshman Julian Rozenstein.

“We definitely felt we were good enough and felt that if we worked hard enough and played well that we could be on top,’’ Liu said. “It was definitely better than we expected. We expected tough matches because we knew they were coming off some upsets, so we’re definitely really excited to win by such a big margin.’’

Senior Charlie Seifer, one of four starting seniors for the Hornets, picked up a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Ryan Lau at second singles. Daway Chou-Ren made it a sweep at singles with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Marlboro freshman Alex Raman, who was coming off a huge win in the SCT semifinals that helped the Mustangs upset Freehold Township to reach the championship match.

Holmdel also flashed its depth in doubles because it was without one of its regulars at first doubles, senior David Lyu, whom Chelednik said went away to Taiwan for the week. By rule, Lyu’s partner, senior Neeve Nikoo went down to second doubles without his regular playing partner. Nikoo and Lyu are 22-0 at first doubles this season, but Nikoo didn’t miss a beat when he was paired with Yang, a senior, at second doubles for the championship match. The duo picked up a 6-3, 6-2 win over Cameron Barnett and Rishi Kapoor.

“We just had to play normally and not feel the pressure,’’ Yang said. “I don’t play well under pressure, but I just pretended it was a normal match and it worked out well.’’

The usual second doubles team of Mike Li and Ganesh Natarajan, which is 22-0 this season, moved up to first doubles and beat Marlboro’s Wesley Lam and Serhiny Moshak 6-3, 6-3 to complete the shutout for the Hornets.

 Next on the agenda for Holmdel is a run to its first NJSIAA Tournament of Champions crown since it finished No. 1 in the state in 2002. The Hornets are the No. 1 seed in Central Jersey Group III and will most likely have to go through Princeton and either Wall or Hopewell Valley to win the section. After that, it will have to deal with a Millburn team that has been a major stumbling block in recent seasons.

 “If we can get by Millburn, I really think we have a legit chance of competing with the Newark Academies, the Delbartons and the Livingstons,’’ Chelednik said. “With our seven seniors, four who start, I would really like that class to get a chance because most of them have all been with me (on varsity) since they were freshmen.’’