After a season of intense competition and remarkable performances, NJ.com presents the best girls tennis players in New Jersey.
Take a look below at our All-State First Team selections.
ALL-STATE FIRST TEAM
SINGLES
Aria Nina Abalos, Montclair Kimberley, Senior
No player was more dominant than Abalos was the last three years. The recent Notre Dame commit captured her third-straight NJSIAA singles title last month when she defeated Pingry’s Fiona Hu. Abalos became just the fourth girl in Garden State history to win at least three state singles championships. Abalos this season also won her fourth Essex County singles title over Amelia Burroughs. She also posted other standout victories against Sofia Basto-Cabrera, Leala Kramer, Jaime Carlin and Sylvie Yao. Abalos posted 91 wins for her career, and went undefeated her sophomore, junior and senior seasons. She did it all with grace and ultimate sportsmanship.
SINGLES
Fiona Hu, Pingry, Sophomore
Hu made the move up to first singles this season for Pingry and she made the most of the opportunity, going 14-1 at the top spot in dual matches. Late in the year, Hu advanced to the final of the state singles tournament where she matched up with Abalos. She also won titles at the Prep A and Somerset County Tournament, and guided the Big Blue to an unbeaten record and the Non-Public state championship. Playing a tough schedule, Hu defeated many strong players including Valerie Sinitsyn, Keira Kapur, Lyra Patel, Jaime Carlin, Jordan Lee, Kylee Hung and Britney Lee this season.
SINGLES
Britney Lee, Ridgefield Park, Senior
Despite her Ridgefield Park team winning only eight matches in four years, Lee continually showed up and excelled at first singles for the Scarlets. Lee’s talent showed this season as she made the state singles tournament semifinals. She also made history by winning the first-ever Bergen County Singles Tournament even though she was dealing with an illness for the quarterfinals and semifinals. In her four seasons, she dropped just one regular-season match at the top spot in the lineup, and that as a freshman to that year’s state champion. This year, she posted strong wins over the likes of Jaime Carlin, Priscilla Chow, Sylvie Yao, Jazmine Natividad, Jordan Lee, Leala Kramer and Olivia Lai.
DOUBLES
Angelina Gao, Junior/Rachel Bai, Freshman, Pingry
Gao and Bai together won the state doubles tournament in a thrilling three-set marathon against Mia Custodio and Norah Park of Holy Angels. The Pingry duo edged the Holy Angels pair twice this past season with the other win coming in the North, Non-Public sectional tournament final. Gao became just the fifth player to win multiple state doubles tournament titles, and with one more year left, she could be the state’s first three-time winner. As a tandem, Gao and Bai lost just once this season, and they also won doubles crowns at the Prep A and Somerset County Tournament. Wins on the season for the two include Glen Rock, Chatham, Millburn, Ridge and Kent Place.
DOUBLES
Mia Custodio, Senior/Norah Park, Senior, Holy Angels
Custodio and Park paired up this fall and won the Bergen County Tournament first doubles title against Bergen Tech’s Olivia Domski and Katie Chung. They also defeated Pingry’s Gao and Bai in the regular season to earn the top seed for the state doubles tournament. At states, the two made the championship match where they were a few points away from winning the three-set thriller. Custodio and Park this season beat the likes of Newark Academy, Ridgewood and Millburn.