High school girls tennis: Avon Lake’s Chiricosta looking for big ‘08 season
Shaun Bennett | The Chronicle-Telegram
While many believe the area girls tennis scene may have evened itself in regards to talent this season, the Avon Lake Shoregals still boast one of the most dominating players in the state.
Junior Nikki Chiricosta won the Division I state doubles championship with her sister Christine during her freshman season, then returned to Columbus last year to compete in the state singles tournament.
“I had seen both my sister and brother (Matt) go to state and I knew how tough it was down there,” Nikki said. “Mentally, going down there and watching them helped me be more prepared and I’m hoping to make it to the Final Four this year.”
Chiricosta lost only three matches last season. Revere’s Stephanie Danesis graduated, and she wouldn’t meet Mentor’s Kara Sherwood or Miamisburg’s Kayla Tuscany until the postseason. She defeated her other chief rival — Magnificat’s Stephanie Hollis — in all three meetings last year.
“She’s probably my main rival because I play her a lot,” Chiricosta said. “They are always close matches and she’s a tough player. It’s hard to beat people that many times in a row when they are at your level.”
Hard, but not impossible. Chiricosta has been working hard during the offseason on her serve, hoping to add it another weapon to her strong volley skills and play at the net.
“I will get a lot more free points if I get that first serve in on a consistent basis,” she said.
The Shoregals will be counting on the point Chiricosta will earn them during each match, as they lost four starters from last season and have to contend with a beefed-up Southwestern Conference that includes two teams — Brecksville and Westlake — that are looking to knock Avon Lake down a peg or two after years of dominance.
“It’s going to be a tough run in the conference this year,” Chiricosta said. “We lost four seniors from last year, but we also have a really tough schedule this year.”
That’s due to the SWC shedding the format that had teams play each other twice during the regular season. Each team meets just once during the season and the eight teams meet at the conference tournament, which leaves seven open dates for teams to fill with other opponents.
Avon Lake coach Rich Mostardi decided to test his players.
“We have a lot of really tough non-conference matches,” Chiricosta said.
Contact Shaun Bennett at 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com.
Admiral King Admirals
COACH: Karen Rafalke
2007 RECORD: N/A
RETURNING LETTERWINNER: 1
STRENGTHS: The Admirals will have no problem with leadership or maturity on the courts as every member of the varsity roster is a senior. They will also benefit from the tutelage of first-year coach Rafalke, who began playing tennis during her junior year at Berea High and went from second doubles to first singles as a senior.
WEAKNESSES: Eight seniors graduated last year, and the Admirals will forfeit one point each match as they only have five players in the lineup and won’t field a second doubles team. They only have one returning letterwinner, Kayla Soucek, who will lead the team at first singles.
SCOUTING REPORT: The Admirals have two players — Malaina Tillman and Kaylee Carter — who saw limited time on the team last year, Stephanie Halitzka — who’s new to the sport — and Ashley Christman, who played as a freshman, then took the last two years off. The Admirals will take part in the annual Lorain County Athletic Administrators Association tournament (LCAAA) in Avon Lake, Lake Ridge Invitational, Erie Shore Doubles and Lake Erie League tournaments.
Southview Saints
COACH: Jeff Cera
2007 RECORD: 7-8
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: 4
STRENGTHS: The Saints have consistency among their three senior singles players — Victoria Kelly, Colleen Watkins and Lynette Rios — and Cera is rotating them during the early matches so they all get to see a variety of opponents and don’t have to face the rigors of the No. 1 spot every match.
WEAKNESSES: Besides the three singles players, Southview has junior Jacyna Ortiz — who Cera said lettered but played a lot of junior varsity last season — returning and several players who are young and don’t have any varsity experience. The Saints also haven’t found any strong doubles combinations yet, and Cera plans on mixing them up until he finds some good chemistry.
SCOUTING REPORT: The Saints have another tough year in the LEL ahead of them, and they will compete in the LCAAA. Cera said he doesn’t expect to have his lineup completely set until midseason, but knows with six of 12 players on the roster being seniors, he’ll need the underclassmen to gain a lot of experience so the program isn’t hurting next year.
Elyria Catholic Panthers
COACH: Terry Butler
2007 RECORD: 8-6
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: 7
STRENGTHS: The Panthers have the bulk of their lineup back from a winning season, and their future looks even brighter as Becky Mittler is this year’s lone senior on the roster. Butler lists the strong singles play of Mittler, Emily Mueller and Morgan Baker as team strengths, as well as having a seasoned doubles player in Nicole Campana.
WEAKNESSES: Elyria Catholic needs to find a strong doubles mix among its remaining players. Returning to the varsity are Mary Dowdell, Shannon Tomshack and Michelle Mueller, and Butler is trying to match them correctly to gain consistent results.
SCOUTING REPORT: The Panthers should continue to be one of the area’s top teams. They are shooting for their seventh straight North Coast League championship this season, and will travel to southeast Columbus to participate in the Pickerington Invitational tournament. They will also be one of the favorites in the LCAAA.
Elyria Pioneers
COACH: Matt Brinda
2007 RECORD: 9-7
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: 5
STRENGTHS: The Pioneers return several key players — Jackie Penfound, Holly Rudisill, Sarah Toby, Kara Gibbs and Bethany Lescher — from last year’s successful season. Brinda said the team is well-balanced and that all seven starters are close in ability, which provides him depth and the ability to mix up the lineup.
WEAKNESSES: The Pioneers are in the Northeast Ohio Conference, which is filled with tough tennis programs. Elyria finished second in its division last season, and Brinda said winning the Lake Division is a big goal of the program this year.
SCOUTING REPORT: Besides winning their division, Brinda is hoping to reach a double-digit victory total this year. “A 10-win season would be huge for our tennis program,” he said. Brinda lists Nordonia and Twinsburg as the toughest NOC rivals. The Pioneers will compete in the LCAAA and the Erie Shore Invitational — a doubles-only tournament.
Amherst Comets
COACH: Tony Trunzo
2007 RECORD: N/A
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: 4
STRENGTHS: The Comets have some experience returning in senior Jessica Brooks, juniors Kate Coughlin and Bryana Adkins and sophomore Diana Noskova, and Trunzo said that the whole lineup is pretty even from top to bottom. The players have also been putting in work during the offseason, working out at private clubs and at the Yellow Ball Tennis Camp at Oberlin College.
WEAKNESSES: Amherst has to fill the void left by Megan Mendoza, one of the area’s top players the last three years, and Trunzo said his players need to build confidence after being used to playing second fiddle in the past. They also are young, with only two seniors on the roster.
SCOUTING REPORT: Trunzo, who attended North Ridgeville High and Baldwin-Wallace but didn’t play tennis at either, takes over the program from longtime coach Virginia Trigilio. He was the Comets boys junior varsity coach last season, and is the high school art teacher. Trunzo said he’s already impressed with the way his players have progressed through the first few weeks of the season.
Avon Lake Shoregals
COACH: Rich Mostardi
2007 RECORD: 16-5
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: 4
STRENGTHS: The Shoregals have the area’s top player in junior Nikki Chiricosta, who won the Division I state doubles championship as a freshman with her sister Christine and was a state qualifier in singles last season. Junior Jenna Goedde also qualified to the state tournament last year with doubles partner Cassie Simmelink, who graduated.
WEAKNESSES: Avon Lake is playing its toughest schedule in Mostardi’s 12 years at the helm, and he said they have yet to find the perfect lineup that will yield the best results. The Shoregals also have several junior varsity players they are trying to get in the mix and gain some experience.
SCOUTING REPORT: The Shoregals have lost three of their first four matches this season, but Mostardi said all the losses could have gone either way. The toughest loss was against SWC rival Westlake, where Mostardi said several matches were extended to three sets, but Avon Lake fell short.
Berea Braves
COACH: Scott Barber
2007 RECORD: 3-13
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: 4
STRENGTHS: Barber said that despite going winless in the conference last year and having a tough overall season, the players are upbeat and enthusiastic.Berea also will have a little bounce in its step when hosting matches at home this year, as it put in new courts during the offseason.
WEAKNESSES: Berea has four returning letterwinners, but Barber still lists inexperience as one of the team’s biggest weaknesses.
SCOUTING REPORT: Like most coaches who are dealing with a young group which doesn’t have a lot of time on the courts, Barber is looking for improvement throughout the season. He’s also hoping the players can maintain their good attitude throughout a tough conference schedule.
Midpark Meteors
COACH: Dawn Ruebensaal
2007 RECORD: 1-11
RETURNING LETTERWINNER: 1
STRENGTHS: Ruebensaal said the Meteors biggest asset is their court smarts. The players are intelligent and make good decisions during the course of a match.
WEAKNESSES: Midpark is young and inexperienced. Katherine Crossen is the team’s lone returning varsity player, and the rest of the roster has only about one year of experience.
SCOUTING REPORT: The Southwestern Conference is a tough league to play in, and Midpark will probably struggle to stay afloat. But after only one victory last season, the team should be able to improve and have a more positive experience.
North Olmsted Eagles
COACH: Eric Hodge
2007 RECORD: 11-8
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: 4
STRENGTHS: Hodge is expecting his returning starters — senior Kim Jeziorski and juniors Amy Kereke, Rachael Coleman and Jessica Liskay — to have the experience and leadership the Eagles need to be competitive in the SWC again. Kereke will play No. 1 singles.
WEAKNESSES: The Eagles lost four letterwinners — three due to graduation, including top singles player Laurell Webb, and Gina Ehrman opted not to play during her senior year — and are in a “semi-rebuilding season,” according to Hodge. North Olmsted also has three new varsity players, and Hodge said the squad showed some nerves during their opening match.
SCOUTING REPORT: Hodge is hoping to repeat last year’s fourth-place finish as the SWC’s top three teams have gotten even better since last season. He believes Brecksville is the top team in the league, as they have several freshman in the lineup that are USTA-ranked. Westlake and Avon Lake are the other teams Hodge said should have excellent seasons. The three new additions from the junior varsity should all be competitive this year as they’ve been playing tennis in the Eagles program since they were freshmen.
Olmsted Falls Bulldogs
COACH: Laura Graham
2007 RECORD: 7-12
RETURNING LETTERWINNER: 1
STRENGTHS: Serving is one of the Bulldogs’ big strengths, thanks mostly to an offseason focus on that area. Graham said that opposing teams have commented on how strong her players’ serves are this early in the season. She also said the players have good attitudes and are all hard workers.
WEAKNESSES: Youth and inexperience highlight the list of issues Olmsted Falls will deal with. Junior Erin MacIvor — who played third singles last year — is the team’s lone returning starter. The team also has no seniors, which means leadership is at a premium.
SCOUTING REPORT: The Bulldogs may lack experience, but they are a dedicated group that pushes each other to be better. Graham said she’s already seen a lot of improvement so far, and expects plenty more before the end of the year.
Westlake Demons
COACH: Ralph Dunbar
2007 RECORD: 10-10
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: 8
STRENGTHS: There’s plenty of experience on the roster as all three singles players — Lauren Voiers, Julie Wang (SWC runner-up) and Christina Baaklini — and doubles teams — Stephanie McCalister and Erika Smith, and Nora Lydon and Karen Nedorost — are back from last year’s varsity lineup.
WEAKNESSES: There aren’t many, although the Demons still play in one of the area’s toughest tennis leagues and they still have to prove they can knock off top programs like Brecksville and Avon Lake.
SCOUTING REPORT: The Demons should have a solid season as they have their entire roster back, plus a pair of talented freshmen — Michelle Djohan and Gina Baaklini — and returning letterwinner Kelsey Weinhanen to help provide depth.
Avon Eagles
No information provided.
Bay Rockets
COACH: Dave Peters
2007 RECORD: 17-4
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: 5
STRENGTHS: The Rockets have a good balance of strong players, and a freshman, Lauren Chen, at No. 3 singles who is unbeaten so far this season. Her sister, junior Sarah Chen, is the Rockets’ top singles player, while seniors Hallie Hastings and Shawntel Layton provide solid leadership.
WEAKNESSES: The team suffered a blow when top player Kelsey Poisson, who would have been a senior this year, moved to Baltimore in the offseason. Peters said conference play is one of the team’s top stumbling blocks, as Rocky River and Avon should provide tough tests.
SCOUTING REPORT: The Rockets are the defending champions in the West Shore Conference and shouldn’t have much trouble putting up another winning record. They are also part of Division B of the Northeast Ohio league, a non-sanctioned league that allows teams to schedule teams outside their conferences for some strong competition throughout the year.
Midview Middies
COACH: Michelle Dukeman
2007 RECORD: 3-13
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: 4
STRENGTHS: The Middies have six seniors on their roster so leadership should be a big plus. The four returning letterwinners — Alyx Plues, Emily Kucera, April Ely and Amanda Brezina — played prominent roles on last year’s squad. Brezina, with first doubles partner Liz Schibley, finished third at the LCAAA tournament.
WEAKNESSES: Midview will be young and inexperienced at the doubles positions.
SCOUTING REPORT: The Middies have a solid core returning and should improve upon their three wins. Dukeman said the team is excited about the season, but they will have to learn to focus on each individual match and try to eliminate all the early season nerves as quickly as possible.
North Ridgeville Rangers
COACH: Steve Kelly
2007 RECORD: 0-15
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: 7
STRENGTHS: The Rangers have a full lineup of returning varsity players who have all shrugged off last year’s winless season. Kelly said attitude and determination are team strengths. They have a roster of 10 players, so depth shouldn’t be a problem.
WEAKNESSES: Even with many returning players, Kelly said his players don’t have a lot of tennis experience and are still relatively new to the game. He expects them to continue to improve throughout the season and he’s hoping they develop the mental aspects of their game as well as physically becoming stronger.
SCOUTING REPORT: The Rangers have struggled in the West Shore Conference since it began four years ago, but with exception of perennial powerhouses Rocky River and Bay, Kelly expects his team to be a little bit more competitive with the rest of the league this year. Senior Dana Beitler, who played first singles for the Rangers last year, returns to lead the team.
Vermilion Sailors
COACH: Nikki DeKam
2007 RECORD: 3-9
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: 2
STRENGTHS: The Sailors have one returning letterwinner in Eren Montano, but also have Taylor Labis returning after taking a year off. DeKam said the group is eager to learn, everyone works hard and she expects a lot of improvement by the end of the season.
WEAKNESSES: The Sailors lack experience and depth. They are also young, which DeKam isn’t listing as a weakness, but a potential positive for 2009.
SCOUTING REPORT: With six graduated players gone from a team that struggled in the West Shore Conference last year, it may be rough sailing for the Sailors again. DeKam has the right attitude and isn’t expecting miracles over the next few months. He knows that this year could serve useful for the program’s future success.
Lake Ridge Lions
COACH: Sean Hicks
2007 RECORD: N/A
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS: 5
STRENGTHS: While most people would say that having the minimum seven players to fill a varsity roster is a depth disadvantage, Hicks believes it could be a good thing for the Lions. “I have the opportunity to give these girls more personal instruction at practice, which will make them better players,” he said.
WEAKNESSES: The biggest obstacle for Lake Ridge this season will be its difficult schedule. The Lions face West Shore Conference heavyweight Rocky River twice, Southwestern Conference’s Amherst twice and the North Coast League’s Elyria Catholic. “There are definitely no gimmes on this schedule,” Hicks said.
SCOUTING REPORT: Hicks becomes the Lions’ third coach in three years, and he’ll have five returners — Sarah Ziska, Laurel Cook, Kristie Yu, Kate Moreno and Alyssa Cook — to help make the transition smoother. He thinks, despite the tough lineup of opponents, his team is going to surprise some people this year. The Lions hosted their own tournament on Aug. 16, and are part of the LCAAA tournament.
Three hot topics
New coaches: Three first-year coaches take over area programs this season — Sean Hicks at Lake Ridge, Tony Trunzo at Amherst and Karen Rafalke at Admiral King. Hicks and Rafalke take over programs that have a recent history of coaching changes, while Trunzo replaces longtime Comets coach Virginia Trigilio.
Lack of superstars: It was just two years ago that the girls tennis season yielded four state champions — Avon Lake’s Christine and Nikki Chiricosta and Elyria Catholic’s Ashley Herrick and Jacqueline Sammon — and there were district qualifiers aplenty last season. While Nikki Chiricosta is just entering her junior season, there aren’t as many of players that are locks to make it to districts this year as there has been.
Parity in the area: The traditionally tough programs should be down a bit this season, and the weaker teams have improved, meaning that several conference races could be competitive. Avon Lake, which has dominated the Southwestern Conference and Lorain County over the years, is in a dogfight in its league and could battle to defend its LCAAA crown. Count Avon, Midview and North Ridgeville among teams that should see boosts in their records.
Three teams to watch
Westlake: The Demons have a lineup filled with tournament-tested players, which should make their third singles and second doubles matches a handful for opposing teams. Besides returning eight varsity players from a 10-win season, Westlake has also added a pair of USTA-ranked freshmen and a sophomore — Kelsey Weinhanen, who has already started at No. 1 singles — to the roster.
Avon Lake: The Shoregals have been the most dominant team in Lorain County for years, but find themselves a little more evenly matched this season. They are led by state champion and two-time state qualifier Nikki Chiricosta and state qualifier Jenna Goedde. They also have Katie Began and Molly Clayton returning, and both girls captured titles in the LCAAA and SWC tournaments last year.
Elyria Catholic: The Panthers have dominated the North Coast League for years, and are always one of the top two teams in Lorain County. They could upend the Shoregals in the LCAAA tournament, which Avon Lake hosts, this season to take the county crown. EC probably has the best all-around singles lineup in Becky Mittler, Emily Mueller and Morgan Baker.
Three players to watch
Nikki Chiricosta, jr., Avon Lake — Chiricosta has been the area’s top player the past two seasons, after winning the Division I state doubles championship with sister Christine during her freshman season. She qualified to the state singles tournament last year, but lost in the quarterfinals.
Becky Mittler, sr., Elyria Catholic — Mittler is a four-year varsity player, who was the Division II sectional runner-up last season. She won the North Coast League’s first-singles championship and was named the league’s MVP. She also was honored by the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association with the Silver Racket award, given to players who have two or more varsity letters and maintain a 3.75 or higher GPA.
Alyx Plues, sr., Midview — The Middies captain is in her fourth year on the varsity squad, third at the No. 1 singles spot. Midview coach Michelle Dukeman said Plues’ biggest weapon is her huge serve and that Plues is driven by a love of the sport to be a stronger player.
Three matches to watch
LCAAA Tournament, Friday-Saturday: Southview, Admiral King, Elyria Catholic, Elyria, Amherst, Avon, Midview, Vermilion, Lake Ridge and host Avon Lake will compete in this annual Lorain County event.
Conference tournaments: North Coast League, Sept. 20 at Parma’s Hyre courts; Southwestern Conference, Sept. 20 at Oberlin College; Lake Erie League, Sept. 25 at Shaker Heights; Northeast Ohio Conference, Sept. 27; West Shore Conference, Sept. 27 at Rocky River’s Tri-City Park.
Postseason: Division I sectional tournament, Oct. 4 at Oberlin College; Division II sectional tournament, Oct. 4 at Rocky River’s Tri-City Park; Division I district tournament, Oct. 11 at Oberlin College; Division II district tournament, Oct. 11 at Canton’s Weis Park; Divisions I-II state tournament, Oct. 17-18 at Ohio State’s Stickney Tennis Center in Columbus.
| |
|
Filed by Shaun Bennett | The Chronicle-Telegram September 1st, 2008 in Sports. Popularity: 11% |
 Email this story
 Print this story
Read comments and discuss this story
Report an innappropriate comment
|
In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement
and discussion guidelines.
You must be registered and logged in to post a comment. If you aren't already registered, click here. If you are registered, click here to log in.
Write a Comment