Anne Mkrtchyan and Tiffany Trivers didn’t know what to expect on Thursday when they stepped onto the court at Vineland High School for the Cape-Atlantic League girls tennis doubles championship against Millville’s Macy Taylor and Sydney Shannon. Mkrtchyan and Trivers had lost a regular-season match against the Thunderbolts duo, so it looked as though defending their league doubles title was going to be a difficult task. That task got even tougher when, midway through the first set with Mkrtchyan and Trivers holding a 4-3 lead, Trivers went down with a right knee injury. The Eagles’ doubles team fought through the adversity, however, and went on to win 6-4, 6-1 to win their second straight CAL doubles title, earning them our Bunting Family Pharmacy Athlete of the Week honors. The Eagles were in a back-and-forth battle with the Thunderbolts throughout much of the first set, then Trivers landed awkwardly when she jumped to try to put away a shot at the net. Her partner said she was concerned, but knew that Trivers would do whatever it took to finish out the match. 
Anne Mkrtchyan, left, and Tiffany Trivers of Egg Harbor Township teamed up last week to win their second straight Cape-Atlantic League doubles championship. (Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan) “I knew she would pull through. She’s such a strong girl, and I believed in her 100 percent,” Mkrtchyan said after the match. Trivers was tended to by the Vineland High athletic training staff, and after a few minutes and a good wrapping of her knee, she was able to continue. The injury didn’t inhibit her strong play at the net, and her aggressiveness, combined with steady return shots from the baseline by Mkrtchyan, ultimately proved to be the difference. “I was trying my best to get to every shot that I could (despite the injury),” Trivers said. Mkrtchyan credited the strong support system she and Trivers had with giving them some added confidence. Parents and extended family were in the crowd, as was the entire Egg Harbor Township tennis team. “During the past year, both of us have grown and matured a lot and I think that showed in our game,” Mkrtchyan said. “We’ve both changed very much, but we have a great support system behind us. Our parents are at every match. We just go out there and try to make everyone proud.”
— Dave O’Sullivan, publisher
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