Captains Courtney Macfarlane, Taylor Guttesman, and Dakota Silver hope to lead the Hopewell tennis team to its fifth consecutive Patriot Division title.
It’s all about upward mobility this year for the Hopewell Valley Central High School girls’ tennis team—and that includes its head coach.
Veteran head coach Alma Quinlan is taking the year off, so David Burchell made the move up to varsity after eight years at the helm of the junior varsity squad. Ten of his players joined him, as just one player returned from last year’s team, the most successful in school history. The 2012 Bulldogs made it to the sectional final for the first time ever and ended up with a 16-4 record, allowing them to capture their fourth consecutive Patriot Division title.
This isn’t Burchell’s first varsity experience, though. He took over for Quinlan, who received the State Tennis Coaching Award from the NJSIAA last year, during a season-long hiatus four years ago. He said they speak frequently.
“She certainly is missed,” he said. “I’m in touch with her all the time. She’s terrific. We don’t really discuss strategy because strategy in tennis is not as much as people think, but we do talk about the girls and their personalities.”
Only one player, junior Dakota Silver, returned from last year’s varsity team. The other 10 girls are all former JV members, including current senior co-captains Courtney Macfarlane and Taylor Guttesman, who share their duties with Silver.
Macfarlane and Guttesman are used to the role; both helped lead the JV team last year. Guttesman said renewing their captainships hasn’t been difficult because the group of girls is, for the most part, the same. The “level of responsibility” is the only change.
“It’s not much different,” Macfarlane said. “It’s more of just trying to get the team together and making it more of a team spirit thing. We’ve played some teams that are so disconnected, and it’s almost easier to play them because you know they might not always get along.”
Burchell practices that, too. He often has the varsity and JV teams practice together to create unity.
“[Macfarlane and Guttesman] organize well,” he said. “They create an atmosphere of team spirit. We’re trying to emphasize that you’re all a part of the tennis team whether you’re on JV or varsity. A lot of kids that play JV for us would start in many of the other schools in Mercer County, so they’re in a tough spot, but they realize that they’re doing what is best for the good of the team. That, I appreciate.”
Their outlook seems to be working. After opening the season with two straight losses to both West Windsor North and South, who Burchell said are among the top teams in the state, the Bulldogs bounced back with three straight wins over Nottingham, Notre Dame, and Ewing.
Burchell said the Notre Dame match could set the tone for the entire season.
“A lot of what will happen depends on that result,” he said. “After that, we have several matches in a row which I’m pretty sure we should win. This is going to be a pretty good team, but we’re lacking varsity experience. Sometimes that’s a disadvantage, but the girls work hard. They push themselves.”
Two of the top tennis players in Hopewell history, Sarah Ehrenberg and Natalie Kawalec, graduated in June. The two put up a combined 110-38-1 career record and were key figures in the state tournament run. Burchell said the current squad isn’t dwelling on their loss or even the success the Bulldogs saw last year.
“We don’t want to look back at that,” he said. “I try not to point back at that intentionally. The future is now. All of our singles are underclassmen. This is the year to just enjoy yourself. I’ve told the kids this many times at every level.”
Guttesman said the team has one eye on the present and one eye on the future.
“It’s kind of like a transition or rebuilding year,” she said. “There are five of us that are leaving next year, so the girls on the team now that are new are just kind of getting ready for that.”
The word “rebuilding,” though, sometimes connotes mediocre expectations. Not for this team. The Bulldogs hope to capture their fifth consecutive Patriot Division title, something Burchell feels is entirely possible. They are consistently the favorite, though Burchell said they’re expecting to see some competition from Robbinsville, who they play on October 4. Led by Silver, it won’t be surprising if the team ups its title count by the end of the season.
“[Silver] does set a standard,” Burchell said. “Mercer County is a very difficult place to play tennis, and she’s going to run into a lot of talent, but she is clearly one of our best players. She sticks around. She’s persistent. The kids all see how hard she works. She is a good role model.”
The key to this season, Burchell said, will be winning graciously and taking losses “in stride.”
“As I’ve told the girls, when you come out on the court, sometimes there are matches where clearly the other team is superior,” he said. “You just have to do your best. Sometimes, you’ll come out and you’ll be the clear favorites. Those are the matches you have to take care of. Then, the exciting part comes when you and the other team are just this close.
“Those are the matches that really change or decide things. Just like we don’t like to look back, we don’t like to project too much ahead. Our goal is to be competitive, win the matches we should win, and see what happens with these close matches. It could be a terrific season,” he said.
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