Donovan Catholic girls tennis team gets off to strong start
September 19, 2025 at 2:57 p.m.
Tom Connerton is not a coach who recruits players for his Donovan Catholic, Toms River, tennis team. He would rather mold players who made Donovan their first choice all along.
“We teach our kids at the beginning when they get here,” Connerton said. “Obviously you don’t get the stars or big-time players, but you get a team that stays together for four years. There’s continuity and trust … That means something when you play close matches. Balls seem to go your way, and I think that’s part of it.”
Balls were definitely bouncing the Griffins’ way through the season’s first two weeks as they got off to a 6-0 start though Sep. 16. Included in those wins were 3-2 decisions over St. Rose, Belmar, and Jackson Township, in which Connerton thought his team’s cohesion made a difference.
Donovan Catholic returned a good portion of players from last year’s squad, which went 13-5 and reached the NJSIAA South Jersey Non-Public championship round.
Leading the veterans are seniors Stephanie Stulich and Emma Cookson, who are in their second seasons at first and second singles, respectively. Stulich was 5-1 through six matches and Cookson was 4-2.
As a freshman, Stulich played volleyball but was interested in tennis after having taken lessons for several years. She joined Connerton’s squad as a sophomore and promptly went 21-0 at third singles.
“When she came out to practice with us a little as a freshman, I was like ‘Oh wow!’” the coach said. “She had a great skill set and talent level, but when she decided she wanted to come on to our team it was too late that year, so she came as a sophomore.”
Cookson is the team captain and Donovan’s only four-year varsity player. Connerton feels there is not much difference between his top two players’ talent level.
Donovan Catholic tennis team members include (from left) Emma Cookson, Layla Durazzo, Sophia Wall, Audrey Barrett, Steph Stulich, Michelle Salvatore, Annmarie Bologna and Patty Hannon. Courtesy photo
“Steph has probably the biggest forehand of any player I’ve ever had,” the veteran coach said. “She plays big, she’s got a big serve, big forehand, a certain amount of risk, but she’s very aggressive, she’s in great shape. She can run all day, she’s strong.
“Emma will run everything down and wear you down. I wouldn’t say she has as big a game, but she’s very consistent – and if you’re a little off, she’s gonna make you pay. It’s a little different in the way they approach the game, but I certainly like having them in third sets or third set tie breaks.”
Senior Audrey Barrett is 5-1 at third singles. Barrett was home schooled, and the Toms River district does not allow home schooled students to play for high school sports teams. After attending a Donovan tennis open house, she decided to enroll and won an Ocean County first doubles title last year with the graduated Sheryll Tamakloe.
This year she took over the final singles flight.
“She hadn’t been in a school setting, so it was pretty tough for her in her sophomore year,” Connerton said. “I think tennis helped her a lot. As a senior she’s outgoing. She is a great kid and solid as a player. She’s the perfect third singles player. She continues to get better. She’s just a solid person and a selfless player.”
Donovan’s big question mark was at doubles. Senior Annmarie Bologna-Zajda and junior Sophia Wall jumped from second doubles to first doubles this year and won their first five matches. But Bologna-Zajda had to drop to second doubles with senior Layla Durazzo in the first-round SCT win over Howell due to a recurring herniated back disc suffered by Wall.
“Sophia is in constant pain,” Connerton said. “She played the first five matches, but if we play two or three in a row, she’s in trouble. We’re gonna be in that situation all year when it gets that bad. It’s tough. She’s one of our best doubles players.”
Perhaps the biggest key to the season has been the second doubles team of senior Michelle Salvatore and sophomore Patricia Hannon, who formed Donovan’s only unbeaten flight through six matches. The two played first singles in the SCT opener.
“Patty Hannon last year showed she had the ability, and she put the time in; she’s the spark we needed for dubs,” Connerton said. “They’ve actually gotten better. They’ve been the winning point for us four times. When the pressure is on, they’ve been phenomenal.”
The pressure will be on once the state tournament begins, and Connerton is hoping his team can surpass what it did last year when it reached the semifinals. He added that with Catholic and prep schools combining to make up Non-Public brackets, the competition is tougher.
“With those schools, it’s a completely different monster,” Connerton said. “You’re talking 59 grand a year (tuition), lighted courts on campus. They play all year round. You look at the PDS (Princeton Day School) campus and it will make a college campus look bad.
“We’re gonna do everything we can to be super competitive. Clearly, we’re going into it hoping we can get to the finals, especially with our seniors. We’re realistic, but we’re a positive bunch and that’s certainly the goal – to go a step further in everything we do.”
Donovan Catholic hopes to take that step in its Shore Conference Tournament second-round match Sep. 19 against Marlboro. The Griffins were defeated in last year’s second round.
“We want to be competitive with them,” Connerton said two days prior to the match. “It’s apples to oranges a little bit when you get to that level. Their record is not great but they’re a very good team, we know that going in.”
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Tom Connerton is not a coach who recruits players for his Donovan Catholic, Toms River, tennis team. He would rather mold players who made Donovan their first choice all along.
“We teach our kids at the beginning when they get here,” Connerton said. “Obviously you don’t get the stars or big-time players, but you get a team that stays together for four years. There’s continuity and trust … That means something when you play close matches. Balls seem to go your way, and I think that’s part of it.”
Balls were definitely bouncing the Griffins’ way through the season’s first two weeks as they got off to a 6-0 start though Sep. 16. Included in those wins were 3-2 decisions over St. Rose, Belmar, and Jackson Township, in which Connerton thought his team’s cohesion made a difference.
Donovan Catholic returned a good portion of players from last year’s squad, which went 13-5 and reached the NJSIAA South Jersey Non-Public championship round.
Leading the veterans are seniors Stephanie Stulich and Emma Cookson, who are in their second seasons at first and second singles, respectively. Stulich was 5-1 through six matches and Cookson was 4-2.
As a freshman, Stulich played volleyball but was interested in tennis after having taken lessons for several years. She joined Connerton’s squad as a sophomore and promptly went 21-0 at third singles.
“When she came out to practice with us a little as a freshman, I was like ‘Oh wow!’” the coach said. “She had a great skill set and talent level, but when she decided she wanted to come on to our team it was too late that year, so she came as a sophomore.”
Cookson is the team captain and Donovan’s only four-year varsity player. Connerton feels there is not much difference between his top two players’ talent level.
Donovan Catholic tennis team members include (from left) Emma Cookson, Layla Durazzo, Sophia Wall, Audrey Barrett, Steph Stulich, Michelle Salvatore, Annmarie Bologna and Patty Hannon. Courtesy photo
“Steph has probably the biggest forehand of any player I’ve ever had,” the veteran coach said. “She plays big, she’s got a big serve, big forehand, a certain amount of risk, but she’s very aggressive, she’s in great shape. She can run all day, she’s strong.
“Emma will run everything down and wear you down. I wouldn’t say she has as big a game, but she’s very consistent – and if you’re a little off, she’s gonna make you pay. It’s a little different in the way they approach the game, but I certainly like having them in third sets or third set tie breaks.”
Senior Audrey Barrett is 5-1 at third singles. Barrett was home schooled, and the Toms River district does not allow home schooled students to play for high school sports teams. After attending a Donovan tennis open house, she decided to enroll and won an Ocean County first doubles title last year with the graduated Sheryll Tamakloe.
This year she took over the final singles flight.
“She hadn’t been in a school setting, so it was pretty tough for her in her sophomore year,” Connerton said. “I think tennis helped her a lot. As a senior she’s outgoing. She is a great kid and solid as a player. She’s the perfect third singles player. She continues to get better. She’s just a solid person and a selfless player.”
Donovan’s big question mark was at doubles. Senior Annmarie Bologna-Zajda and junior Sophia Wall jumped from second doubles to first doubles this year and won their first five matches. But Bologna-Zajda had to drop to second doubles with senior Layla Durazzo in the first-round SCT win over Howell due to a recurring herniated back disc suffered by Wall.
“Sophia is in constant pain,” Connerton said. “She played the first five matches, but if we play two or three in a row, she’s in trouble. We’re gonna be in that situation all year when it gets that bad. It’s tough. She’s one of our best doubles players.”
Perhaps the biggest key to the season has been the second doubles team of senior Michelle Salvatore and sophomore Patricia Hannon, who formed Donovan’s only unbeaten flight through six matches. The two played first singles in the SCT opener.
“Patty Hannon last year showed she had the ability, and she put the time in; she’s the spark we needed for dubs,” Connerton said. “They’ve actually gotten better. They’ve been the winning point for us four times. When the pressure is on, they’ve been phenomenal.”
The pressure will be on once the state tournament begins, and Connerton is hoping his team can surpass what it did last year when it reached the semifinals. He added that with Catholic and prep schools combining to make up Non-Public brackets, the competition is tougher.
“With those schools, it’s a completely different monster,” Connerton said. “You’re talking 59 grand a year (tuition), lighted courts on campus. They play all year round. You look at the PDS (Princeton Day School) campus and it will make a college campus look bad.
“We’re gonna do everything we can to be super competitive. Clearly, we’re going into it hoping we can get to the finals, especially with our seniors. We’re realistic, but we’re a positive bunch and that’s certainly the goal – to go a step further in everything we do.”
Donovan Catholic hopes to take that step in its Shore Conference Tournament second-round match Sep. 19 against Marlboro. The Griffins were defeated in last year’s second round.
“We want to be competitive with them,” Connerton said two days prior to the match. “It’s apples to oranges a little bit when you get to that level. Their record is not great but they’re a very good team, we know that going in.”