October 30, 2009
Dabu wraps up career with title
Senior Angelika Dabu won her third straight singles title and finishes her career 76-3.
Click Here for photos from the Hudson County Tournament Finals
JERSEY CITY - On the eve of the Hudson County Tournament First Singles final, County Prep’s Angelika Dabu experienced something that had never happened to her – a loss to a Hudson County opponent. But this loss wasn’t on the court, but in a nightmare.
“I actually had a dream last night that I lost the match,” Dabu said. “I woke up this morning and I was so nervous all day.
“I usually don’t dream,” Dabu added. “For some reason last night I just had that dream that I lost. Not a game, but the whole match, and I was just devastated.”
That dream couldn’t have been any further from reality yesterday as the senior locked up her third straight high school singles title, defeating Union City’s Gabriela Sarrate 6-0, 6-0 yesterday at Lincoln Park.
Dabu’s victory capped off one of the greatest high school tennis careers Hudson County has ever seen. A winner of the HCIAA A-Flight Singles tournaments in 2007 and 2008, Dabu finishes with a career mark of 76-3. All three of those losses came in the state tournament where she made it to the quarterfinals in each of the past two seasons.
“(Angelika) and her sister (Alexa) really put the County Prep tennis team and Hudson County on the map,” Hurricanes head coach Gunther Pelipada said. “She has set the bar for girls tennis in high school (in Hudson County) for the next 20 seasons.”
This season, was especially dominant for Dabu as she didn’t drop a single game in a county match. Being perfect in Hudson County play was one of the goals Dabu had set for herself going into the season.
“I think it’s a really good accomplishment,” Dabu said. “I was so nervous to lose that one game because it was my last high school match ever.”
Dabu’s game streak appeared to be in jeopardy in the fifth game of the second set when Sarrate took a 40-15 lead in the game. But Dabu stormed back to take the game and achieve perfection on a day she felt her game was anything but that.
“I got really nervous in my match because I was down 15-40 in one game and I got really frustrated because I wasn’t playing well today,” Dabu said, admitting she got mad at certain points of the match. “But somehow I managed to win the game and won 6-0, 6-0.”
Even in an “off-day” Dabu was too much for Sarrate. The junior, who is the second best player in the county, admitted that the pressure of facing Dabu affected her game.
“(I was) thinking about things you shouldn’t be thinking about,” Sarrate said about the pressure of being a heavy underdog to Dabu. “Maybe that was my problem today. I focused more on the score than I was on my shot. She wasn’t making errors and I was making all the errors.”
With Dabu no longer around to terrorize opponents, Sarrate takes over the mantle of being the “player to beat” in Hudson County next season. It’s a role that Dabu think she’ll be more than ready for.
“I think (Gabriela) has complete control next year,” Dabu said. “I’m sure she’s going to do well. She’s a really good player.”
Dabu wasn’t the only County Prep player to walk home with a title on this day. Fellow senior Agnes Bangayan defeated McNair’s Daisey Crego 6-2, 6-3 for the Second Singles title in an emotional match where Bangayan sobbed tears of joy after the win.
Secaucus’ Emily German took home the Third Singles championship with a 6-0, 7-6 (7-5) victory over North Bergen’s Sarah Kijpatanasilp.
Despite the loss, it was a successful day for the Bruins as they took home both doubles crowns. Mayara Canas and Stephanie Fuentes won the First Doubles title, defeating Kearny’s Christine Castelluber and Sara Vargas 6-2, 6-0 and avenging a loss to them last week in the Team Championship semifinals.
In the Second Doubles final, the Bruins’ Darlene Avalos and Alexandra Rodriguez downed Kearny’s Angie Garma and Nicole Holzer 6-1, 6-2.
Stephanie Fuentes (pictured) and Mayara Canas took home the First Doubles crown.
| Hudson County Singles and Doubles Championships |
|---|
First Singles |
Angelika Dabu (County Prep), def. Gabriela Sarrate (Union City), 6-0, 6-0. |
Second Singles |
Agnes Bangayan (County Prep), def. Daisey Crego (McNair), 6-2, 6-3. |
Third Singles |
Emily German (Secaucus), def. Sarah Kijpatanasilp (North Bergen), 6-0, 7-6 (7-5). |
First Doubles |
Mayara Canas/Stephanie Fuentes (North Bergen), def. Christine Castelluber/Sara Vargas (Kearny), 6-2, 6-0. |
Second Doubles |
Darlene Avalos/Alexandra Rodriguez (North Bergen), def. Angie Garma/Nicole Holzer (Kearny), 6-1, 6-2. |
| First Singles Championship, Second Singles Championship, Third Singles Championship, First Doubles Championship, Second Doubles Championship, Team Championship |