Girls tennis: EHT’s Tiffany Trivers follows in mom’s footstep with Cape-Atlantic League doubles title

By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher It took Tiffany Trivers, a sophomore at Egg Harbor Township High School, until this year to finally beat her mom, Jennifer, at a game of tennis. She wasn’t just going up against any mom, however. Jennifer Trivers, known during her days at EHT by her maiden name, Jennifer Drain, won the Cape-Atlantic League doubles title as a senior in 1987. Perhaps all those games against her mom paid off for Tiffany, who this year teamed up with junior Anne Mkrtchyan to win her second straight league doubles championship. Always nice to one-up mom. “I play against my mom sometimes. She beats me, but I’m close. I think just this year (was the first time I beat her),” Tiffany said. Tiffany and Anne teamed up to win the doubles championship a year ago, when Tiffany was a freshman. This year there was some trepidation, however, as Tiffany went down with a knee injury halfway through the first set. She and Anne were holding a 4-3 lead in the first set on the Millville duo of Macy Taylor and Sydney Shannon when Tiffany leaped to make a return shot at the net, then landed awkwardly. Egg Harbor Township’s Tiffany Trivers was part of a doubles team that won the Cape-Atlantic League championship this year. Her mom, Jennifer, accomplished the same feat when she attended EHT High in the late 1980s. (Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan) She was down on the court for several minutes, and had to get her knee wrapped by the host Vineland High School athletic training department before she could continue. She and Anne went on to win that first set, then cruised in the second set to capture their second straight championship. “I was very nervous after she took that fall because I didn’t know if she was going to be able to continue or not. I didn’t know how bad it was, so I was very concerned,” Jennifer said. “I was scared in the beginning, but when I saw that she was going to be able to continue, I felt much better (about their chances).” Tiffany said it was pretty neat that she accomplished the same feat her mother did, albeit nearly three decades later. “I think it’s great. It’s a good feeling that she won it, too. We were confident and we just tried our best. It was pretty cool,” Tiffany said. “She’s taken me to a lot of tennis lessons, and my dad (Michael), too, and they support me in everything I do.” Jennifer said that her daughter and Anne have made quite a duo the past two seasons. “I was very proud. They do well together. They are great partners and have good communication together. I don’t think (Tiffany) felt pressure. She’s always been a much better player than me. She started with it earlier in life, getting lessons. I picked it up in high school,” Jennifer said. “I was very confident in her. I’m am surprised she won it twice in a row, though, that’s very impressive to me.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]