Cougars Net Big Wins in Tennis and Soccer, While Volleyball Battles Hard Against Voorhees

Nicholas Mistretta

MHS ’79 Cougar Sports Correspondent

Montgomery Girls Tennis Defeats Bernards, 4–1

The Montgomery High School girls varsity tennis team continued its strong start to the season with a 4–1 victory over Bernards on Monday, improving its record to 4–1.

Montgomery controlled play in both doubles matches and at the third singles spot to secure the team win. Emily Ma was dominant at third singles, not dropping a single game in a 6-0, 6-0 sweep over Nylah Failey.

In doubles action, the first-pairing of Karina Konyukhov and Mihika Doshi cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Ella Johansson and Saira Failey, while the second team of Rachel Silverberg and Lanxin Xiao delivered another shutout, defeating Georgia Bradford and Olivia Highland 6-0, 6-0.

At second singles, Nicolette Shackelford rallied from a tight first set to earn a straight-sets win over Claire Ren, 7-5, 6-1.

Bernards picked up its lone point at first singles, where Elizabeth Chen defeated Tongxin Xiao 6-1, 6-1. The loss dropped Bernards to 1–7 on the season.

Montgomery Girls Volleyball Falls to Voorhees in Straight Sets

The Montgomery High School girls varsity volleyball team was unable to find its rhythm on Tuesday, falling in straight sets to Voorhees, 25–16, 25–18. The loss dropped the Cougars to 2–5 on the season, while Voorhees improved to 2–6.

Despite the setback, Montgomery had several strong individual performances. Polar Zacherau and Anna Braem each recorded three kills to pace the Cougar offense, while Anshika Verma added two kills and two blocks. Meredith Shore chipped in with two kills and a block.

On the defensive side, Maya Flores anchored the back row with a team-high seven digs, and Isabella Barber added six digs along with an ace. Setter Ritisha Mungi spread the ball effectively, tallying 11 assists and three digs.

Montgomery battled to stay close in both sets but couldn’t overcome Voorhees’ momentum late in each frame.

Montgomery Boys Soccer Rolls Past North Hunterdon, 4–1

The Montgomery High School boys soccer team continued its strong start to the season with a 4–1 victory over North Hunterdon on Tuesday. The Cougars struck early and often in the first half, netting all four of their goals before halftime to improve to 5–1 on the year.

Sid Goyal powered the offense with a hat trick, scoring three goals to lead the Cougars. Mac Jerdonek added a goal and an assist, while Luke Oliu contributed two assists and Nate Doelling added one.

Montgomery applied steady pressure throughout the first half, putting eight shots on goal. Defensively, goalkeeper Alex Acot turned away four shots to secure the win.

North Hunterdon managed one goal in the opening half but was held scoreless the rest of the way as Montgomery controlled possession. The Lions fell to 1–4 with the loss.

Photo Credit: Nicholas Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomery.com