A 22–1 start, the consensus best team in South Jersey and favorite to win another state championship. Or as some would call it, just another season for the Haddonfield Memorial High School girls tennis team under head coach Jeff Holman.
Holman’s resume is the stuff of legend. Nineteen state championships, 31 South
Jersey sectional championships and 34 Colonial Conference championships. Head coach since 1976, Holman recently added another accomplishment to his legend, 1,000 victories.
“I knew I was pretty close, so I was aware the day was coming, but when the day arrived, it was more emotional than I expected,” Holman said. “Seeing old players from past teams, people that I coached and mentored was really a special thing.”
The match, against Audubon on Sept. 19, that clinched win №1,000, attracted a large crowd hoping to salute Holman on his most recent achievement. The size of the crowd was a bit out of the ordinary for the team.
“The girls are not accustomed to playing in front of a crowd like that, so it was different for them; fun, I think. They deserve to play in front of that many people more often. They’re having a great season,” Holman said.
Calling it a great season is even an understatement. The team won 23 of its first 24 matches to open the season. In the 23 victories, 19 were by a 5–0 margin; the other four were 4–1 wins. That’s the type of success the team anticipated before the season.
“I would not say we are surprised. Five of the seven starters from last season’s team returned, so we knew our players and we knew that they had worked hard in the offseason in preparation for this year,” Holman said.
Last season’s team went 32–0, winning the tournament of champions for the third time in HMHS history. Led by 2013 graduate Taylor Ng, the Bulldawgs experienced their greatest era of success, winning state titles every year since 2008. They went 123–2 over the last four years with Ng, now a Dartmouth freshman, as their №1 singles player. Holman’s three senior captains ensured the team would continue the program’s tradition of success.
“Victoria Martinez, Amanda Lanciano and Erica Pascocello have all been involved with the team since they’ve been at HMHS. The three of them share a close bond as they’ve been playing together most of their tennis careers. They talked about wanting to continue the tradition and the success the team has had in recent years. They really have embraced the leadership role and the challenge of competing
at the highest level,” Holman said.
Holman said the team doesn’t openly talk about repeating as state champions or the postseason in general. His focus is more day-to-day.
“I try to focus on how the team is playing every match and how we can get better every day,” Holman said. “I know that if we focus on that, match in and match out, then the championships will come.”
