New champions crowned as Chatham girls tennis claims 10th straight Morris County Tournament
MOUNTAIN LAKES — Sometimes, Audrey Rha considered quitting tennis. She played for hours nearly every day in the summer, and she was really tired.
But all that court time paid off as Rha won the Morris County Tournament first singles title on Monday. Rha is believed to be Whippany Park's first female MCT tennis champion.
She wasn't the only player to rewrite history at the MCT.
Parsippany Hills freshman Laura Mosiello outlasted West Morris freshman Aarah Patel, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1, in a match that stretched after the other teams had gone home. They even had to move from their original court at Mountain Lakes to one that had lights.
Chatham won its 10th straight Morris County Tournament tennis team title, taking the third singles and both doubles crowns – exactly the same positions as last fall.
"I was just playing like it was a regular match. I felt like I was just playing, and my team was here to support me," said Mosiello, who is Parsippany Hills' first tennis champ since the 1980s – long before she was born.
Audrey's older brother, Jacob Rha, had also played tennis for Whippany Park, but his graduation and move across the country to UC-Irvine allowed Audrey to "feel like myself." Rha made sure to thank her Wildcats teammates for supporting her, celebrating quietly with each of them before finally returning to her dog, a Pomeranian-spitz mix called Som – "snowball" in Korean. Rha said Som, which has been at almost every match she's played for three years, is her good luck charm.
"I was really nervous, but kept cheering myself on, giving me that motivation," Rha said. "Last year, when I was a freshman, I played a senior (at the MCT) and gave away so many games. (Sofia Cicarone of Mendham), she's a freshman. I know the nerves she felt. I felt really bad."
More: 2023 Morris/Sussex girls tennis team-by-team preview capsules
There were no repeat MCT champions this fall, at least not at the same positions.
Junior Jin Zhang, part of the Cougars' winning second doubles team two years ago, was the third singles champion. Chatham senior Angela Yang used her experience from winning at second doubles last fall to steady her first doubles partner, sophomore Michelle Moran.
Karina Bliss and Mary Zhang of Chatham outlasted Morristown's Olivia Gustavsen and Megan O'Brien at second doubles.
Like last fall, the MCT was impacted by weather delays forcing the final to be played on Monday.
"The pace is definitely faster at first doubles," Yang said. "It's definitely different. It's good to win my senior year. It's a good end."
Team scores
Chatham 16; Mendham and Morristown 13; Parsippany Hills and Mountain Lakes 11; Whippany Park and West Morris 10; Hanover Park and Villa Walsh 9; Montville and Randolph 8; Madison 7; Kinnelon 6; Morris Hills and Morristown Beard 5; St. Elizabeth 4; Mount Olive and Parsippany 2; Morris Knolls, Pequannock and Roxbury 1; Boonton 0
Finals results
First singles: Audrey Rha (Whippany Park) def. Sofia Cicarone (Mendham), 6-2, 6-0; Second singles: Laura Mosiello (Parsippany Hills) def. Aarah Patel (West Morris), 3-6, 6-1, 6-1; Third singles: Jin Zhang (Chatham) def. Mira Sun (Mountain Lakes), 6-3, 6-1; First doubles: Angela Yang and Michelle Moran (Chatham) def. Ella Hardy and Natalie Verga (Morristown), 6-3, 7-6 (8-6); Second doubles: Karina Bliss and Mary Zhang (Chatham) def. Olivia Gustavsen and Megan O'Brien (Morristown), 6-1, 3-6, 6-2.
Jane Havsy is a multimedia journalist for DailyRecord.com, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis, subscribe today.
Email: JHavsy@gannett.com Twitter: @dailyrecordspts
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: NJ Girls Tennis: Morris County Tournament
