Chatham’s Blydenburgh continued to dominate Morris County

After claiming the Morris County Tournament first singles title in each of her first two years at Chatham, Scarlett Blydenburgh stared across the net in this year’s MCT final at a new challenge: Kinnelon freshman Britany Lau.

Blydenburgh had beaten Mendham’s Lauren Hassell in each of the past two MCT first singles finals. But Lau had beaten Hassell in the semifinals and now had her sights set on ending Blydenburgh’s championship run.

“I got used to playing Lauren in the final; we have such a friendly rivalry, and we always had good matches,” Blydenburgh said. “Britany presented a new challenge for me. She’s such a great competitor, and I knew I had to play smart and use my experience.”

That’s exactly what the Chatham junior did, gutting out a hard-fought 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over a determined Lau to claim her third straight MCT first singles crown. Blydenburgh also made it to the Round of 16 at the NJSIAA singles tournament and finished with a 15-2 season record, improving her career mark to 57-9, all at first singles.

Blydenburgh is the 2015 All Daily Record Girls Tennis Player of the Year.

“Having one of the best players in the state is every coach’s dream,” Chatham coach James Cai said. “Scarlett’s contribution to the team cannot be described with words. She had to sacrifice a lot of her own time to play for the team and was a leader for us.”

In addition to her individual achievements, Blydenburgh helped lead the Cougars to a singles sweep and their third consecutive MCT team title.

With so many new players to work into the lineup, Blydenburgh found herself not only leading the way on the court for the Cougars but also taking an added leadership role off the court as well.

“Each year we rotate some new players into the lineup and bond and make new friendships,” Blydenburgh said. “This year brought back a lot of fond memories for me. We had a lot of talented new players, especially freshmen, who helped boost our lineup.”

Blydenburgh will enter her senior season at Chatham with a chance to add a rare accomplishment to her already impressive resume: a fourth straight MCT first singles title.

“I started thinking about winning a fourth (county) championship as soon as I won this year,” Blydenburgh said. “I usually try not to think too far ahead, but it’s definitely a goal of mine, as is doing better at the state singles. ... As a senior, there’s definitely more pressure to defend my title and to make an even bigger impact. I’d like to think that I’m a year wiser and can block out all the noise and focus on what I have to do and not let the pressure affect me. Both the individual and team goals are important to me.”

When her senior campaign does end, Blydenburgh sees herself continuing her career at a NCAA Division I school, possibly in the Ivy League.

“It’s something I’ve thought about, and I like the idea of playing tennis in a disciplined environment that is also strong academically,” Blydenburgh said. “Right now, I’m looking forward to working hard on improving my game and next season.”