MOUNTAIN LAKES — As the final tennis ball bounced on the bright blue court, Mendham pressed up against the fence. “I want to storm the court,” senior Maya Gieszczynski said.
The Minutemen settled for surrounding senior first singles Sofia Cicarone as she walked out of the gate, shrieking and leaping into the air in celebration. Cicarone had the longest struggle as Mendham captured its first Morris County Tournament title since going back to back in 2011 and 2012.
The Minutemen came into the final round with 18 points, three ahead of the field and enough to clinch victory. Mendham snapped Chatham’s 12-year winning streak with wins at first and second singles and second doubles.
“Finally winning was so good,” said Cicarone, who edged Nora Shi of Montville in three sets after losing to Whippany Park’s Audrey Rha in the first singles final for three years.
Cicarone planned to text the now-graduate Rha afterward, possibly with a photo of her good-luck charm: her 2-year-old sister Siena, and a small, stuffed white dog named Snowball. That’s the same as Rha’s ever-present Pomeranian-spitz mix, translated from Korean.
“She brought me to win. She uses her cuteness and loving energy to make me happy,” Cicarone said of Siena. “I don’t cry, but I had to, because I was so stressed out the entire match. If I’d lost, I didn’t know what to do. I was second guessing myself. Winning made me feel accomplished. It was nice to prove myself wrong during that time of doubt.”
For Mendham coach Jon Cataldi, the title was 20 years in the making – plus a couple of extra weeks.
Thanks to Mother Nature and the NJSIAA, this was the longest tennis MCT in history.
Players got through the first two rounds and quarterfinals as planned on Sept. 25 at Delbarton and Villa Walsh. Due to the nor’easter, the semifinals were pushed back to the following week. The finals began on Oct. 1 at Mountain Lakes, but were halted due to a brief rainstorm, and were rescheduled again due to the NJSIAA individual tournament.
All matches resumed in the second set on Oct. 9, at the same point where they’d been halted more than a week earlier. Though Shi and Mendham senior Maya Vinu at third singles were able to force decisive third-set tiebreakers, the original leader won every match.
“It’s been a long time coming. It was good to get it over with,” said Chatham junior Aileen McEnroe, who took first doubles with junior Olive Yaun. “At this position, Chatham had won the last three years. It was important for us to keep it going.”
Mendham and Mountain Lakes will each play for sectional titles on Tuesday.
“It feels surreal,” said Gieszczynski, the second singles champion. “I’m so proud of these girls and everything they’ve done. I’ve seen them grow over the past four years as players and people. I’m so happy to share this with them.”
Team scores
Mendham 21; Chatham 16; Mountain Lakes 15; Montville and Morristown Beard 12; West Morris 10; Mount Olive, Parsippany Hills and Whippany Park 8; Morristown 7; Morris Hills and Randolph 6; St. Elizabeth, Hanover Park, Morris Knolls, Pequannock and Villa Walsh 4; Kinnelon and Madison 3; Roxbury 2; Boonton, Morris Catholic and Parsippany 0
Final round results
First singles: Sofia Ciccarone (Mendham) def. Nora Shi (Montville), 6-4, 6-7 (7-2), 10-7; Second singles: Maya Gieszczynski (Mendham) def. Ruyi Zheng (Mountain Lakes), 6-2, 6-4; Third singles: Kelly Nie (Chatham) def. Maya Vinu (Mendham), 6-1, 5-7, 10-7; First doubles: Olive Yaun and Aileen McEnroe (Chatham) def. Ava Goldberg and Brielle Maroukian (Morristown Beard), 6-1, 6-4; Second doubles: Mia Larry and Julie Amin (Mendham) def. Alessandra Ledon and Chelsea Huang (Chatham), 6-3, 6-2.
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Mendham ends Chatham’s Morris County Tournament tennis dynasty