Friends remain competitive as their teams square off

By Carrie Rupp

Every sports lover recognizes the rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, Ohio State University and Michigan University, and of the significance of Tobacco Road. A rivalry of the same magnitude is beginning to brew in USTA Middle States (USTA MS), but its roots grow deeper than what you may see on the surface.

USTA’s Tennis On Campus (TOC) program has been in existence in USTA MS for four years. Each year the program has grown exponentially, yet in our section the same few teams seem to dominate. Pennsylvania State University (PSU) and Villanova University have been in heated competition at the last three section championships.

At the 2006 and 2007 USTA Campus Championships, Middle States, PSU and Villanova met in the semifinals. In both matches, PSU came out on top… barely. The exciting, emotional matches both went to overtime and finished in a super tiebreaker, with PSU winning, 24-23, both years. In 2005, Villanova had the last word, defeating PSU in the final.

With PSU and Villanova finishing No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, at this year’s campus championship, both teams received an automatic bid to the 2008 USTA Tennis On Campus National Championship, with the chance at claiming ultimate bragging rights – a national title.

While the rivalry is strong between the two teams, there’s an additional rivalry that few may know about, but this one is a bit friendlier.

“I’m very loyal to ‘Nova, but regardless of the competitiveness between the schools, Lauren and I are still friends. We always will be,” Priya Narahari said.

Narahari, 20, a junior, is the No. 1 singles player for Villanova’s TOC team. A native of Johnstown, Pa., she is a friend and rival of PSU’s No. 1 singles player Lauren Subosits, 19, of Peters Township, Pa.

The two girls grew up about an hour apart, playing competitive tennis by the time they were nine.

“We met at one of the first tournaments we played in,” Narahari said. “We kept seeing each other at tournaments and training camps, and we eventually became friends.”

“We were always [matched up] against each other, and instead of hating one another, we became friends,” Subosits said. “I think it was a fun experience for both of us.”

Both girls continued playing USTA sanctioned tournaments, finding themselves at the top of the USTA MS Allegheny Mountain District rankings year after year. They continued their success into high school.

“It’s funny. You know how girls are… friendships aren’t easily formed, especially when you’re continuously competing against each other,” Narahari said. “Lauren and I have competed against each other a lot, but we’ve never seemed to get mean about it. We’ve always stayed friends.”

While both girls affirm that they are friends off the court, they do agree on one thing… on the court, the atmosphere changes.

“We’re friends before the match, but during the match we just focus on our own games,” Narahari said.

“As soon as we walk onto the court, it’s absolutely business,” Subosits said. “But we are very conservative, friendly players on the court. We are both honest with each other, and we always trust each other’s line calls.”

After successful high school careers and numerous scholarship offers, both chose to focus on their education, opting not to play varsity tennis. Narahari, who is one year older than Subosits, chose to attend Villanova, where she is studying chemistry. Subosits chose PSU. She is an elementary education major.

While they chose not to play varsity tennis, both Narahari and Subosits knew they needed something to satisfy their competitive nature. Coincidently, both girls joined their school’s respective TOC teams, and once again, their paths crossed.

Narahari found out about TOC at the beginning of her freshman year. She attended an informative team meeting and was hooked.

“It seemed like it would be a lot of fun, and they stressed that it was competitive but also social,” Narhari said. “I was so used to competitive tennis, but really it’s been a great balance and a perfect fit.”

While Narahari found out about the program on her own, Subosits was introduced to TOC after her cousin, who also attends PSU, introduced her to a friend who was already on the PSU Club Tennis team.

“I love club tennis,” Subosits said. “It’s exactly the experience I was looking for. It’s the right amount of competition and fun. My teammates and I are very studious, but we still need that outlet, and TOC provides that.”

It didn’t take long for the girls to reunite on the court. At the 2006 Campus Championship, the two teams met in the semifinals. Narahari and Subosits dueled in the girls’ No. 1 singles, with Narahari notching the win, a 6-4 decision. But in dramatic fashion, the match came down to the last court – the mixed doubles – where Subosits and Narahari squared off again.

“There was so much emotion in the match, and I was just a freshman and new to the whole experience,” Subosits said. “When we won, I just cried because I was so happy to not only win the match, but to send my team to the final. My whole team still jokes about it every time we play ‘Nova.”

While the girls were able to battle last season, unfortunately, this season they didn’t get a chance to meet on the court. A few weeks before the campus championship, Subosits hurt her ankle. Luckily for her, her team was still able to take home the title. Her ankle had plenty of time to heal before the national championship, where the girls and their teams may have another chance to compete against each other.

And whatever the outcome, both are just happy to be playing.

“Throughout all of the years, winning or losing against Priya really doesn’t matter. We’re both just out there having fun,” Subosits said. “We really are at the same ability level, and it’s just who is ‘on’ that day. We’re both winners.”