Thirty-seven days ago, freshman Skye Cabatu and sophomore Rhia Evans made their varsity girls’ tennis debuts in Bridgewater-Raritan High School’s 2024 season opener.
With Bridgewater Raritan's season on the line in the state sectional semifinals on a very chilly and windy Thursday, October 10 afternoon, this dynamic duo sent their school to its first state sectional championship in six years.
After top-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan (14-3) split its first four courts with fifth-seeded J.P. Stevens High School (5-8), senior Tvisha Parikh and sophomore Aditi Rajaraman rallied to win game two and eventually force and win a seven-point tiebreak in second doubles.
But with all eyes on this remaining court, Cabatu and Evans scored the first three points of the resulting 10-point match tiebreak and never looked back to seal a 3-2 victory for Bridgewater-Raritan in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 state sectional tournament semifinals at the Green Knoll Tennis Center in Bridgewater.
“It was incredibly stressful, and I am so proud of them that they pulled through,” praised Bridgewater-Raritan senior co-captain Madison McInerney of Evans and Cabatu’s massive victory. “They knew that they had their team behind them no matter what happened. They played great tennis out there today, and watching them win was great.”
Bridgewater-Raritan will now meet second-seeded Westfield High School (9-6) in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 state sectional final on Tuesday, October 15, at 3 p.m. in Bridgewater.