By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher VINELAND — Doubles tennis is all about chemistry between the two players, and having been partners for the past two seasons, Egg Harbor Township junior Anne Mkrtchyan and sophomore Tiffany Trivers have developed the kind of cohesion it takes to win championships. The duo successfully defended their Cape-Atlantic League doubles championship on Thursday afternoon at Vineland High School, outlasting Millville’s Macy Taylor and Sydney Shannon 6-4, 6-1 to hoist trophies for the second consecutive year. Vineland star sophomore Tess Fisher took care of Absegami senior Cassidy Calimer 6-0, 6-0 to defend her singles title. The doubles championship was hotly contested through the first set, and things looked shaky for EHT as Trivers went down with a right knee injury. But after getting it wrapped by the Vineland training staff, Trivers was able to continue, and the Eagles’ duo took command in the second set. “I knew she would pull through. She’s such a strong girl, and I believed in her 100 percent,” Mkrtchyan said of her partner. Trivers said winning for a second straight year was just as exciting as the first championship last year. 
Junior Anne Mkrtchyan, left, and sophomore Tiffany Trivers captured the Cape-Atlantic League doubles championship for the second straight year with a win over Millville’s Macy Taylor and Sydney Shannon on Thursday at Vineland High School. (Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan) “It feels the same. Maybe a little happier because this is the second time. I was trying my best to get to every shot that I could (despite the injury),” Trivers said. “It really is amazing. We weren’t expecting it, but we’ve worked hard all season. I’m ecstatic right now. During the past year, both of us have grown and matured a lot and I think that showed in our game. 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,” Mkrtchyan added. “It’s amazing. I can’t explain the feeling. It’s great.” The win was a bit of redemption for Mkrtchyan and Trivers, as Shannon and Taylor had beaten the Eagles’ duo 6-1, 3-6, 10-5 on Sept. 18 in a regular-season match. Shannon and Taylor also had beaten Egg Harbor Township’s second doubles team on their way to the title match. “We played them before and we lost, but it wasn’t our best day. That was in the very beginning of the season. We knew coming in that we had progressed as players and that we could do it,” Mkrtchyan said. “We just reassured ourselves after every game that we were focused enough to win it.” 
Absegami senior Cassidy Calimer returns a shot during the singles championship against Vineland’s Tess Fisher. Fisher, a sophomore, won 6-0, 6-0 to claim her second straight league title. The Eagles’ entire team showed up in support of the first doubles squad, as did a throng of family members. Fisher and Calimer also had big support groups in attendance. The Vineland football team even stopped its practice to cheer Fisher on through most of the first set of the singles championship before heading back to the practice field, which is right next to the tennis courts. “They always come out and support us, I love them for that. They are all great,” Trivers said of her teammates. There wasn’t much Calimer — the all-time overall wins leader at Absegami — could do to slow down Fisher’s powerful baseline game. Fisher was coming off an appearance in the singles state championship match, and was crisp throughout her duel with Calimer. Calimer tried at times to rush the net and force Fisher into a mistake, but Fisher responded by simply ripping winners down either sideline. “She has great serves. Basically great everything,” Calimer said. “The first time I played her, I didn’t play that well and I wasn’t really happy with the way I played, but today I felt like I played better. I went into it with a little bit more of a positive attitude. I knew she was the stronger player, but I had to play my strongest game.” Despite the loss, Calimer said she is proud of a record-setting career with the Braves that is coming to a close. “I broke the school record, won the doubles title (with Kristen McCormick) two years ago and have been to the finals three times, so I think that’s a really big accomplishment,” she said. Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]
Girls tennis: EHT’s Mkrtchyan, Trivers win second straight league doubles title; Vineland’s Fisher defends singles crown
