Red Bank Catholic led by Skilled Singles Trio By James Smith

 

A season ago they challenged for a sectional state championship as well as a conference crown, and one year later Red Bank Catholic is aiming to retain its stature as a local and state power.

 

The Caseys are certainly off to a promising start with victories in their first four matches (including triumphs over crosstown rival Red Bank Regional, Manasquan, Wall Township and Ocean Township), and according to Lynn Di Gioia, her club’s strength lies in its singles experience.

“We have talented players at every position, but having all three singles players back from last season gives us a big advantage,” said Di Gioia, who is in her 23rd season at the helm of the Red Bank Catholic program.

In the team’s most recent triumph over Class B North rival Ocean Township (a 4-1 decision on Sept. 15) Sarah Fazzolari and Alexis Fuda kept their individual second and third singles records spotless at 4-0, while standout sophomore Julie Moschella logged her third victory of the year.

Moschella, who earned All-Shore Conference honors as a freshman, dropped her opening match to a fellow local star in Red Bank Regional senior Abby Decker.

Moschella’s lone blemish wasn’t without a great fight, as she took Decker (another All-Shore Conference caliber player) to three sets. The sophomore took a 6-3 decision in the first, before dropping the second and suffering a 9-7 loss in the tie breaker.

Despite the early loss, Di Gioia is confident that her youthful luminary will grow from the experience.

“I’m sure she was upset at the time, because she’s a competitor, and no competitor wants to lose let alone to a rival,” Di Gioia said. “But it wasn’t as if she was blown out. It was a great match that went three sets. It was tight the whole the way between two of the the top players in the Shore… and Julie is still just a sophomore. She’s still a player that is developing and improving her game each day.”

Though the focus may be on Red Bank Catholic’s skill and experience up front, it’s the talent at the back end that will determine the Caseys’ longevity come tournament time, as the club will go through the 2017 campaign with two new doubles duos, including a top team of senior Brianna Leon and junior Jenna Ryan, and a second pairing of seniors Catherine Coffenberg and Michalena Iannacone.

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