Montclair Kimberley boys tennis team battles every season in the toughest division in New Jersey, the Super Essex Conference American. So, it is even more amazing that Cougars head coach Val Azzoli recently celebrated his 200th coaching victory.
Azzoli reached that milestone as Montclair Kimberley defeated St. Peter’s, 5-0, on April 30. As of May 1, the Cougars were 10-3.
For the Montclair Kimberley long-time coach, he was not even aware of the feat. “It’s been so much fun coaching that I had no idea that it was my 200th win,” said Azzoli. “I was truly surprised when the team presented me with a gift commemorating the 200th win after the match.”
This is his 19th season (including the vacated COVID-19 year of 2021). He credits the victories to the hundreds of players he has coached over the years. “This is more a tribute to the MKA Boys’ tennis program,” said Azzoli. We have always concentrated on creating the right academic/athletic environment to attract the student-athlete.”
This year, the long-time Montclair Kimberley head coach said that the goal is to be competitive even against top-ranked programs in America including Newark Academy, Millburn, Livingston and Montclair.
“But my biggest goal is always to have a top ranked tennis team, that the players come together as a team and enjoy playing competitive tennis every day in a match or at practice,” said Azzoli. “We have to achieve this goal in order to attract players and keep the MKA tennis program strong and vital.”
The Montclair Kimberley head coach also points to being invited to the prestigious Bennett Tournament that is held at Delbarton High School in early April that includes the top teams in the state as the Cougars split the two matches, defeating Livingston and losing to Pingry in the tournament semifinals. Pingry would go on to win the tournament.
“It was fun and exciting playing the Bennett Tournament,” added the MKA head coach. “I was surprised that we were invited, but it did confirm to me that MKA tennis has reached a new level of competitiveness. It was great tennis and we certainly benefited from playing in the tournament.”
Montclair Kimberley recently reached the Essex County Tournament semifinals before losing to Millburn, 4-1. “We played Millburn in the semifinal and lost a very competitive match. Again we had our chances but just couldn’t capitalize on them,” said Azzoli. “Millburn is a very strong and balanced team and always a force to play. But again, we played well and we are a better team for it.”
The Cougars still have two more tournaments on their agenda: the Prep B Tournament next week, where MKA finished second to Rutgers Prep last season and the Non-Public North B near the end of May.
Even before the start of the 2024 season, the Cougars received a setback. Last year’s number one singles player, now junior Camron Ganchi, who was All-SEC American first team in 2023, broke his hand. So, he has played first doubles this season. Azzoli said that he expects Ganchi to be back in singles in 2025.
“He couldn’t play much in the off-season, so he is playing 1st doubles this year,” said the MKA head coach. “He will definitely be playing singles at a high level next year.”
With Ganchi not able to play singles, senior Luis Crespo, who was All-SEC American second team last season, took up the challenge and grabbed the number one singles. Crespo made a big jump from the third singles and first doubles last season. “He had a very strong offseason and worked very hard. It resulted in him beating everyone in tryouts,” said Azzoli about Crespo, who will be playing at Ithaca College next spring. “He is moving faster and striking the ball crisper this year. But his biggest improvement has been his mental game he plays with confidence and a strong mental steadiness.”
Another Cougars tennis player who moved up the ladder this season was junior Sean Wang. He moved from third singles last season to second singles this season. “Sean has a great command of shot selection. He knows when to execute them so his opponent never becomes comfortable,” said Azzoli about Wang. “His biggest improvement has been the ability to read his opponent and adjust his game to attack his opponent’s weakness.”
One of the most effective players on the Montclair Kimberley boys tennis team has been senior Chris Hernandez at third singles. He has been as automatic as you can get in the dual matches, with the only loss this season being a 10-point tiebreaker. Hernandez was the lone winner in the ECT semifinal match against Millburn. “He is a steady ball striker with great movement on the court,” added Azzoli about Hernandez, who was All-SEC American first team in 2023. “His biggest improvement this year is to be able to hit the ball with pace consistently.”
In terms of the doubles, Ganchi has been joined by senior Sam Turovets on first doubles. He has only two defeats on the season, both to the Millburn first doubles team. The main second doubles team has been a pair of sophomores, Alejandro Crespo and Santos Garner, who were on the All-SEC American honorable mention list last season. Senior Shivam Kwatra, freshman Scott Skipper and sophomore Isaiah Clark also have seen time at second doubles.