RCSJ Women's Tennis Coach Mary Jewett knew this day was coming. So did her players.

And now, since the surging Roadrunners have won two of their last 3 matches -- 7-2 over Brookdale and 6-3 over visiting Hudson Valley in the Roadrunner Showcase Saturday -- team members feel their fortunes are on the rise.

View Roadrunner Match Highlights Below vs. Hudson Valley CC Here
https://rcsjphotos.smugmug.com/GCC-SPORTS/Tennis-Women/WTEN-vs-Hudson-Valley-41324/n-S9XcSV

"We played a lot of tough competition the first month of the season from Division 1 and 2 schools, and we couldn't win any of those matches," said singles standout Melissa Blanchard. "But all of that helped us. We knew our time would come."

Agreed, according to sophomore singles star Sydney Ivey.

"We're a better team now, and it's because of our schedule," said Ivey. "Hopefully we're on the right track now."

The youthful Runners faced a talented group of teams to start the 2024 campaign -- and promptly lost to Harford CC, Mercer CCC and Arcadia.

But since that rude awakening, Coach Jewett's team has stepped up to the plate as a strong opponent against GSAC and regional teams.

"As our players gain experience, they are showing remarkable improvement," said Coach Jewett. "They're starting to show they can be competitive and capable of winning their matches."

Next up will be the Stockton Invitational on Sunday, April 14th followed by another week of tough opponents in Mercer CCC and Camden County College in the coming week.