BY JOSH LASHLEY
WEST MILFORD — The regular season in the sports of high school tennis in New Jersey is only a few weeks old, but some teams are already showing that they will be strong contenders throughout the fall. West Milford High school is one such program.
The Highlanders are playing well already this year and the even better news is that in all likelihood, they will only get better as the season progresses.
West Milford finished the season with an overall record of 10-12.
“We have five players back and four of them are in the same spot as last year,” West Milford head coach John Finke said. “We have started the season 2-0 with a win coming over Conference rival Wayne Valley. We are hoping to be able to host a State Tournament match this year. We expect to compete for the Conference and County title, but most importantly we want the girls to have fun and continue to improve throughout the year.
“Zach Montgomery and I share the head coaching responsibilities. We work well together and split the duties of being a head coach. This is not done in many schools but it works for Zach and I. We do the same thing in the spring with golf.”
Key returning student-athletes for the Highlanders this fall include Tess Korinko (senior, first singles), Theresa Fernbacher (senior, second singles), Lisa Zazi (junior, third singles), Abby Johnson (senior, first doubles) and Allison Borelli (senior, first doubles).
Promising newcomers looking to be solid varsity players include Emily Fulton (senior), Sofia Zemser (senior), Cassidy Travers (senior), Tatiana Nicheporouk (junior), Samantha Schuchardt (junior) and Tess Olzsewski (sophomore).
“Our senior captains will be our leaders: Korinko, Fernbacher, Johnson and Borelli,” Finke said. “We have one of the best girl athletes to have played at West Milford in recent years. I have been coaching at West Milford since 1989 and there have only been a handful of female athletes that have the athletic ability and academic success that Tess Korinko has established.
“Theresa Fernbacher is the leader by example of this team. She plays year round, works on her game and trains almost every day and would do anything for this team. She is an incredible person and great leader."
The County Tournament is scheduled for Sept. 29. The cutoff date for teams to qualify for the Sectional Tournaments is Sept. 23.