DOUBLE PLAY: Princeton Day School boys’ tennis doubles players, from left, Will Sedgley, Oliver Silverio, Aaron Phogat, and Mark Santamaria show off the medals they earned after winning titles at the state Prep B tournament last week. Senior Phogat and sophomore Silverio prevailed at first doubles while seniors Sedgley and Santamaria won the second doubles flight. Their victories helped the Panthers take third in the team standings in the event behind champion Pennington and runner-up Rutgers Prep. (Photo provided by Michael Augsberger)

By Bill Alden

Aaron Phogat came into his final season for the Princeton Day School boys’ tennis team this spring looking to star at singles while Oliver Silverio was simply hoping to contribute to the squad in his first varsity campaign.

After some injuries and lineup juggling, senior Phogat and sophomore Silverio ended up being paired at first doubles late in the season and clicked immediately. They went on to win the state Prep B title in their flight last week as did the PDS second doubles team of senior Will Sedgley and Mark Santamaria, helping the Panthers take third in the team standings in the event behind champion Pennington and runner-up Rutgers Prep.

Silverio sensed something special right away with the duo. “From our first match against Hill, we had a really good partnership, especially in terms of  communication with each other and overall chemistry,” said Silverio.

“That helped us through our matches, especially longer three-set matches. We encouraged each other and problem solved together.”

Phogat saw the partnership as a good fit from the start as well. “I didn’t know Oliver too well, I am two years older than him,” said Phogat. “What is nice is that right off the bat, we got along really well. We had really good chemistry. What felt really nice too is that when we were on the court, we were always in synch. We always knew where we needed to be and where the other guy was. We never felt like we were disorganized.”

In addition to being in synch, their styles of play meshed well.

“We both have solid groundstrokes from the baseline and  think Aaron’s work at the net is very good,” said Silverio.

“I think it complements our baseline game because it allows us to be very opportunistic at the net, going for the aggressive shot and getting points quickly.”

Taking charge at the net came naturally to Phogat. “Oliver is a bit more of a baseliner than I am, he doesn’t push net as much in singles but his net game is really strong,” said Phogat.

“His confidence on the base line and my confidence at being aggressive at the net worked out really well. He was able to hammer home important cross courts at the baseline and then he would open up opportunities for me to take points at the net.”

In their third match together, the pair pulled out a three-set win against Rutgers Prep to further bond going into the Prep B tourney.

“I think after playing a more grueling match against people who hit a bit harder and better singles players, that really boosted our confidence a lot,” said Phogat.

Silverio saw that win as critical. “I think that really increased the teamwork and the bonding between us because we started to realize more each other’s strengths and how we help each other in tough scenarios,” said Silverio.

“Our overall mindset was that we were prepared for anything and we could problem solve and stay in the present in any situation.”

After cruising to a 6-0, 6-0 win in the first round of Prep B tourney, Silverio and Phogat found themselves in a battle with Pennington’s Ishan Gupta and Avery Sichel in the semis, having to rally to pull out a 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 win.

“After that first set, we wiped everything clean, it was ‘new set let’s figure out what we are going to do,’” said Silverio.

“We will put the past behind us, we can’t change it any more so let’s just focus on the present and playing our best. I think in the second set we just got our consistency together.”

On match point, Silverio closed the deal, sliding on his knees and scraping them to return a shot at the end of an extended rally.

“It got really intense because Pennington started moving us around; I had to go back and Aaron had to move forward to get a ball,” added Silverio.

“First he had to dive for a shot, he popped it up and then someone hit behind him so we had to switch sides. I had to run across and I skidded on my left knee on the ground trying to scoop that out. I got up again and the Pennington team made an error and hit it into the net and that is how we won the point. I didn’t even know I was injured until I looked down and after we shook hands at the net.”

In Phogat’s view, Silverio’s effort showed something about his fortitude on the court

“It was definitely a really fine match point, it was a nice way to close out the match,” said Phogat.

“It was an appropriate ending, it was a really good rally, especially for Oliver. It really showed his grit as a player. He is a sophomore and he still has two seasons to play. Seeing him perform like that under stress and reach balls like that is going to really set him up well for his junior and senior year.”

There was less drama in the final as Phogat and Silverio posted a 6-2, 6-3 win over Rutgers Prep’s Kiran Lahiri and Anush Polamraju.

“Playing Rutgers Prep again, we thought we could win as long we kept hammering the cross courts in and had aggressive net play,” said Phogat.

“Our mindset against then was that we needed to be as consistent as possible with high quality of shots.”

Silverio believed that pulling through the regular season meeting against the Rutgers Prep pair was a major plus going into the final.

“This time we knew their playing style a bit better and we tried to play to our strengths a lot better,” said Silverio.

“That combination of net work and baseline consistency allowed us to pull through.”

PDS first-year head coach Michael Augsberger liked the way his team got stronger after losing their first three matches this spring.

“It is always good for them to see the different levels that are out there,” said Augsberger, who previously coached at the Salesianum School in Delaware and Immaculata University.

“It is a good lesson to let you know where you stand and how much work you do need to put in because you don’t learn as many lessons when you win.”

With some injuries hitting the lineup, two sophomores, Josh Chu and Jason Wu, were thrust into the first singles and second singles spots, respectively.

“We asked a lot of them this year because of the injuries,” said Augsberger, whose squad ended up with a 4-6 record in dual match play.

“Where they normally have some time to get used to the bumps in the road, they had to be confronted with that right away.”

The second doubles pair of Sedgley and Santamaria enjoyed a smoother ride.

“That was the easiest decision to make, they are so inseparable that their parents will mix up their names every once in a while,” said Augsberger of the duo which posted straight-set wins in each of their matches in the Prep B tourney.

“They are very strong players because they get everything back, they are athletes. They love soccer and that is why they are so tough to beat.”

In putting Silverio and Phogat together at first doubles in May, Augsberger went on intuition and some input from his players.

“Oliver really impressed with his selflessness and his willingness to put his head down and work hard and just the right attitude towards things and being a team player,” said Augsberger.

“It was actually Aaron who said I think Oliver and I make a great team. Something clicked in practice. Aaron has never been shy about voicing what he thinks is best for the team, nobody knows the guys better than he does.”

In reflecting on seeing his three seniors prevail in the Prep B competition, Augsberger saw the wins as meaningful for different reasons.

“For the second doubles guys, Mark and Will, to accomplish that together, I remember in my playing days, the accomplishments that meant the most were the one where you are in the arms of your best pal, someone who you have come up with all through school,” said Augsberger.

“I liken it to being on base when your best friend hits the home run or catching the pass from your quarterback who is your best friend. That is what it is for those two; that is real special. Aaron just loves the team; I feel like he takes a lot of pride in accomplishing it with Oliver because he was able to lead someone who has never experienced it before. It means more to him because of that and the sacrifice that he has made during the season, going between singles and doubles.”

In addition to savoring those triumphs, Augsberger believes that all of his players gained some lessons in character this spring.

“What I hope they got the most out of is that we found ourselves in some tense situations between opposing player and opposing coaches, it is a skill just like any stroke to be a gentleman,” said Augsberger, who credited assistant coach Jon Brown with playing a key role in the development of the players this spring.

“When you are pushed, when the stakes are so high and it means that much, your first thought is to think of that and individual. But to able to temper that and say I am representing my school, I am an ambassador for PDS and more importantly I want to respect the game and my opponent, I hope that is what they took from the season.”

Silverio will take away some great memories of his run to a title with Phogat.

“It was special for both of us, it is my first season on the team and it is his last,” said Sliverio.

“We both worked really hard to get here. It was the culmination of an unconventional season.”

For Phogat, who won the Prep B title at third singles as a freshman, earning a state championship in his final campaign was coming full circle in his career.

“It definitely meant a lot to me, I am really glad that Oliver was my partner because it is a two-person thing,” said Phogat, who is heading to Johns Hopkins to concentrate on pre-med studies and hopefully play club tennis.

“I could not have done it without him and vice versa, he could not have done it without me. It was really nice to end on win, especially after my sophomore year. I didn’t really perform well in the Prep B and then we didn’t have a season last year. It was a nice way to close out high school tennis.”