Posts tagged Season
Blue Devils tennis team optimistic about this season
Mar 31st
ZANESVILLE — With a full roster and several players with experience, the Zanesville boys tennis team is expecting good things under veteran coach Dave “Cotton” Stephenson.
Senior captain Chris Thompson returns to the No. 1 singles spot. Stephenson has seen improvement in Thompson’s game and was encouraged by his impressive win against Logan’s top player Sean Clay.
Junior Austin Johnson, who played doubles in 2010, will man No. 2 singles and fellow junior Slade Young will play at No. 3 singles.
The No. 1 doubles team features sophomores Brenton Osborne and Derald Madson, who played together in 2010. Their improvement and knowledge of one another was on display in a 6-1, 6-1 win against Logan’s No. 1 doubles of Ken Gabriel and John Shaden.
The No. 2 doubles will be filled by newcomers, junior Andrew Griffin and sophomore Brayden Heath.
The Blue Devils’ goal will be reducing mistakes and following the game plan.
“We have hammered at them that we can’t have a lot of errors,” Stephenson said. “We have to keep the ball in play and be patient.”
Although the Blue Devils might take some lumps, Stephenson is optimistic about this group.
“They are very coachable and cooperative. They listen intently to what I have to say,” he said. “Some players might challenge what you’re teaching, but they are willing to do what I want them to do.
“It’s a fun bunch to be around, and I expect us to have a very fun year.”
From www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com
Indian tennis star eyes better season this year
Mar 29th
Dubai: India’s best singles tennis player Somdev Devvarman is eyeing an even better season as he chases an improvement in his rankings during the course of 2011.
“I’ve been playing well and the good matches that I’ve had in recent times have helped my confidence to a great extent. The goal now is not to be satisfied but be hungry and try and get better and improve the rankings,” Devvarman told Gulf News in a telephone interview from Miami yesterday.
Devvarman, who tasted a huge dose of success while winning the singles gold at the Commonwealth Games followed by the singles and doubles gold medals at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games in China, has come up short against a few of his childhood heroes, including Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
“Ironically I lost against them both, but merely playing against them has given me confidence that can see me taking on some of the best players in the remainder of the season,” he added.
The Assamese lad, who last week reached a career high singles ranking of No.73, has had a solid start to 2011, with his run at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells earlier this month being halted by the top-ranked Rafael Nadal. “But I think most of the hard work was done at the end of last year. It was only a question of getting that belief and confidence on court,” Devvarman said.
From gulfnews.com
2011 Boys Tennis Season Preview: Bulldogs’ 4 seniors to lead young, talented group
Mar 25th
CARROLL — Bloom-Carroll boys tennis coach Rick Rowland decided to hang a banner for his team’s runner-up finish in the Mid-State League in 2010.
It’s not the norm to put up second-place banners, he said, but he did it to remind his younger players to aim high.
“We put one up on the fence near our courts there to kind of let everyone know what we aspire to,” Rowland said. “They know the seniors have been through this, and the young guys look up to them.”
The Bulldogs return a core of four seniors — Matt Mendoza, Drew Destocki, Jacob Bowman and Chris Workman — who are all multiyear letterwinners.
“I think the core group is going to hold its own this year,” Mendoza said. “We definitely have our work cut out for us, but I think we can rise to the occasion and be successful.”
Rowland’s roster will be a mix of the aforementioned senior leadership, and a handful of hungry young players looking to make the leap to varsity success.
Mendoza and Destocki were a combined 7-1 in MSL singles play in 2010. The pair figures to rotate between the Nos. 1 and 2 singles spots again this season.
Meanwhile, sophomore Matt Yates devoted plenty of time in the summer to improving his game with teammate Colt Thompson. Yates, who was honorable mention selection in the MSL in 2010, will play No. 3 singles.
Thompson will pair with freshman Daniel Danford at No. 2 doubles.
“Last year was a great year because we had the younger kids learn the basics,” Mendoza said. “I really think they’ll step up and do well this season.”
Rowland said Destocki and Bowman have become almost like player-coaches, helping to run drills in practice and teaching the youngest on Bloom-Carroll’s roster the ins and outs of the game.
“They look up to all four of those guys for leadership, guidance and little things,” Rowland said. “They can coach them on what groundstrokes they need to hit in a certain spot or things like that.”
Bowman and Workman figure to be a formidable pair at No. 1 doubles for the Bulldogs. Bowman was a first-team All-MSL selection in 2010.
Mendoza said with the seniors leading the way, his team will look to match or better its success from a season ago.
“I’m definitely confident in this group,” Mendoza said. “I’ve known them for awhile now, and they come out and work hard every match.”
From www.lancastereaglegazette.com
2011 high school tennis season kicks off today
Mar 22nd
SALISBURY — There has been a buzz around the courts at Parkside High School with the start of the high school tennis season.
Following a season in which both the boys and girls squads come off 11-3 marks, there are much higher expectations for 2011 —- winning the Bayside South division title and clinching a berth in the Bayside Championships. The road to that title starts with today’s match against Pocomoke.
“We had a really good year all the way around, but I think this year is really our year,” said senior Joe Wenke. “We’ve been building and building toward this moment and I think we have a really good chance at Baysides this year.”
Parkside has several seniors returning including boys No. 1 Forrest Glasgow, girls No. 1 Allison Lutz and No. 2 Nicole Snitzer. The Rams’ cohesion this year comes from many of the seniors, who have been teammates since their freshmen year, working during the offseason.
“We’ve practiced 3-4 times a week and sometimes even five days,” said senior Noel Temple. “It’s those practices and the fact we’re good friends that has helped build that chemistry.”
The chemistry is just part of a positive atmosphere that has been a hallmark of Parkside teams the last several years.
“When (girls coach) Lisa (Nicholson) started as a head coach four years ago and I started helping, the biggest difference I’ve seen is in the building of a team and building an atmosphere around them,” said boys coach Theresa Wise. “These players have bonded and they have a fun time together. The expectations and standards of behavior are so high, they love being out here. They come out here an hour early and on Saturdays if they can. They just want to be here on the court playing and that’s what makes it like it is.”
While there are expectations of on-court candor, the most interesting thing is that Nicholson, Wise and assistant Pam Wiseman don’t put the added pressure of winning on them, which the players said motivates them even more.
“Our coaches have been really nice about it by not putting a lot of pressure on us and making the practices fun and relaxing,” Snitzer said. “Them not putting any pressure on us makes us work harder so we all come to practice and expect ourselves to do the best that we can to push ourselves to win our matches and get to Baysides and districts. They just want us to have fun.”
Anchored by what’s expected to be strong singles and doubles squads, the boys team looks in good position for a division title.
“We had 10 players, any of which could be in the Top 5 pretty easy, come out and as a result it has made our doubles team stronger than any time I’ve ever seen,” Wise said. “When you have a team this deep, it gives a good chance in the race for Baysides.”
The girls team will look to challenge city rival James M. Bennett for a spot in the championship match, with Lutz, the reigning Bayside South Payer of the Year, and Snitzer leading the way. Nicholson said their success will hinge on their doubles units.
“We have a fairly young team this year with two seniors. We lost quite a few girls from last year,” Nicholson said. “We’re going to need strong doubles teams coming together at the right time.”
Wenke said the team’s success will ride on how they deal with adversity.
“I think since we have such high expectations this year that we can’t get down if we lose a match,” he said. ” Even if we lose one, we have to make sure we just keep going.”
eholland@dmg.gannett.com
410-845-4633
From www.delmarvanow.com
2011 high school tennis season kicks off today
Mar 22nd
SALISBURY — There has been a buzz around the courts at Parkside High School with the start of the high school tennis season.
Following a season in which both the boys and girls squads come off 11-3 marks, there are much higher expectations for 2011 —- winning the Bayside South division title and clinching a berth in the Bayside Championships. The road to that title starts with today’s match against Pocomoke.
“We had a really good year all the way around, but I think this year is really our year,” said senior Joe Wenke. “We’ve been building and building toward this moment and I think we have a really good chance at Baysides this year.”
Parkside has several seniors returning including boys No. 1 Forrest Glasgow, girls No. 1 Allison Lutz and No. 2 Nicole Snitzer. The Rams’ cohesion this year comes from many of the seniors, who have been teammates since their freshmen year, working during the offseason.
“We’ve practiced 3-4 times a week and sometimes even five days,” said senior Noel Temple. “It’s those practices and the fact we’re good friends that has helped build that chemistry.”
The chemistry is just part of a positive atmosphere that has been a hallmark of Parkside teams the last several years.
“When (girls coach) Lisa (Nicholson) started as a head coach four years ago and I started helping, the biggest difference I’ve seen is in the building of a team and building an atmosphere around them,” said boys coach Theresa Wise. “These players have bonded and they have a fun time together. The expectations and standards of behavior are so high, they love being out here. They come out here an hour early and on Saturdays if they can. They just want to be here on the court playing and that’s what makes it like it is.”
While there are expectations of on-court candor, the most interesting thing is that Nicholson, Wise and assistant Pam Wiseman don’t put the added pressure of winning on them, which the players said motivates them even more.
“Our coaches have been really nice about it by not putting a lot of pressure on us and making the practices fun and relaxing,” Snitzer said. “Them not putting any pressure on us makes us work harder so we all come to practice and expect ourselves to do the best that we can to push ourselves to win our matches and get to Baysides and districts. They just want us to have fun.”
Anchored by what’s expected to be strong singles and doubles squads, the boys team looks in good position for a division title.
“We had 10 players, any of which could be in the Top 5 pretty easy, come out and as a result it has made our doubles team stronger than any time I’ve ever seen,” Wise said. “When you have a team this deep, it gives a good chance in the race for Baysides.”
The girls team will look to challenge city rival James M. Bennett for a spot in the championship match, with Lutz, the reigning Bayside South Payer of the Year, and Snitzer leading the way. Nicholson said their success will hinge on their doubles units.
“We have a fairly young team this year with two seniors. We lost quite a few girls from last year,” Nicholson said. “We’re going to need strong doubles teams coming together at the right time.”
Wenke said the team’s success will ride on how they deal with adversity.
“I think since we have such high expectations this year that we can’t get down if we lose a match,” he said. ” Even if we lose one, we have to make sure we just keep going.”
eholland@dmg.gannett.com
410-845-4633
From www.delmarvanow.com
EKU Women’s Tennis Opens OVC Season With 4-3 Win
Mar 18th
RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University women’s tennis team began conference play Friday with a 4-3 victory over Austin Peay.
After EKU pulled out the doubles point, freshman Milena Poffo (No. 5) and senior Myriem Mhirit (No. 2) won their contests in straight sets to help the Colonels earn the team victory. Mhirit won five straight games at one point on her way to defeating Austin Peay’s Carolin Weikard.
“Our players that won today in singles and doubles won because of the power of positive thinking,” EKU head coach Rob Oertel said. “I think that made a huge difference in the outcome of the match.”
These two teams last met in the 2010 OVC championship match where Austin Peay prevailed, 4-2.
This was the first OVC loss of the season for Austin Peay (5-7, 2-1 OVC) while the Colonels (8-7, 1-0) snapped a three-match losing skid.
Eastern Kentucky is back in action tomorrow, March 19 against UT Martin.
Eastern Kentucky 4, Austin Peay 3
Singles
1. Vanja Tomic (APSU) def. Jessica Albuquerque (EKU) 6-2, 6-3
2. Myriem Mhirit (EKU) def. Carolin Weikard (APSU) 6-4, 7-5
3. Rachel Margolies (APSU) def. Saioa Oscoz (EKU) 6-7, 6-1, 6-3
4. Andra Cornea (APSU) def. Anouk Faure (EKU) 7-5, 1-6, 6-4
5. Milena Poffo (EKU) def. Kimberly Loo (APSU) 7-6, 6-2
6. Sophie O’Neill (EKU) won by default
Doubles
1. Albuquerque/Oscoz (EKU) def. Loo/Tomic (APSU) 8-5
2. Cornea/Weikard (APSU) def. Faure/Mhirit (EKU) 8-7
3. O’Neill/Poffo (EKU) won by default
Match Notes: Eastern Kentucky (8-7, 1-0 OVC); Austin Peay (5-7, 2-1 OVC)
Order of Finish: Doubles (3, 1, 2); Singles (6, 1, 5, 2*, 3, 4)
From www.ekusports.com
Alabama women’s tennis to play its first SEC road matches of the season
Mar 10th
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The 33rd-ranked Alabama women’s tennis team (7-3, 0-1 SEC) hits the road for the first time since beginning its Southeastern Conference schedule to take on No. 1 Florida (13-1, 2-0 SEC) and 44th-ranked South Carolina (6-4, 0-2 SEC). The Crimson Tide will meet up with the Gators on Friday, March 11, at 5 p.m. CT, while Sunday’s contest against the Gamecocks is slated for 1 p.m. CT.
“This weekend presents many opportunities for us, especially playing the No. 1 team in the country in Florida,” Alabama Head Coach Jenny Mainz said. “I really feel like we are getting better each week and that there has been a noticeable difference from month-to-month. We have progressed both individually and as a team, and there are definitely some spots where we have made breakthroughs including Alexa Guarachi and Alex Clay. We continue to improve our doubles point, which puts us in a good position to take the match. The team is really excited for this road trip.”
Alabama had a rainy start to SEC play as its match against No. 18 Tennessee was suspended last Friday and will be resumed at a later date. Because of the weather, the two teams decided to start with singles where only one match was able to finish, as freshman Alex Clay gave the Crimson Tide a 1-0 lead with a 6-3, 6-1 win on court four over Maria Sorbello. On Sunday, Alabama nearly knocked off 13th-ranked Georgia, but came up just shy 4-3. The Tide claimed its 10th doubles points in as many matches with Clay and junior Taylor Lindsey coming back from a 7-4 deficit to win 9-7 on court two. The Tide then took singles victories at No. 3 and No. 4 before the Bulldogs would win the final four matches for the team victory.
Florida is in the midst of a 16-match regular season winning streak against conference opponents, with the Gators most recent victories coming at LSU and Arkansas. In addition, Florida has won its past 96 regular-season matches at home. In its 13 wins, the Gators have yet to give up more than two points a match. Florida currently has five singles players ranked in the top 35, led by sophomore Allie Will, who comes in at No. 7. In doubles, the Gators boast the nation’s No. 1 team in Will and freshman Sofie Oyen.
South Carolina enters the weekend on a three-match losing skid having dropped matches at Clemson, Arkansas and LSU. Prior to that, The Gamecocks were 6-1 with their only loss coming to Arizona State. South Carolina has one ranked singles player in junior Anya Morgina, who stands at No. 65. In doubles, Gamecock junior Dijana Stojic and freshman Dominika Kanakova are ranked No. 54.
INFORMATION SOURCE: University of Alabama Athletics
From www.wsfa.com
TCU women’s tennis picks up second win of season
Mar 10th
The TCU women’s tennis team picked up its second win of the season after beating Lamar, 5-2, at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center Wednesday afternoon.
With the win, the Frogs improved to 2-5 and handed Lamar (8-1) its first loss of the season.
Going into the match, TCU was led by the tandem of sophomore Federica Denti and senior Katariina Tuohimaa, which had been 4-2 in doubles action this season.
It was Denti and Tuohimaa who led the way again for the Frogs Wednesday, beating Lamar’s No. 1 doubles team of Mariaryeni Gutierrez and Kaltrina Harbuzi to help give TCU a 1-0 overall advantage heading into singles action.
“I just wanted [Denti] to step up and play inside the court, and I actually got a little mad at her and said ‘Look, I don’t care if you win or lose but you’ve got to compete and play to win this match,’” head tennis coach Dave Borelli said. “She just kind of stepped up and got it together and did a good job.”
Lamar would respond, though, by picking up the first singles win of the match after Diana Mendez beat TCU sophomore Molly Welsh in two sets 6-0, 6-0.
But TCU bounced back quickly after its No. 4 player, senior Idunn Hertzberg, and No. 5 player, junior Shalini Sahoo, each picked up victories in straight sets.
Hertzberg beat Natalia Mayagoitia 6-3 and 6-1 just before Sahoo finished off Alessandra Pennesi 6-2 and 6-1 to give the Frogs a 3-1 advantage.
Lamar would cut the lead to one after Gutierrez beat Tuohimaa, 6-4, 6-4.
The key match of the day happened one court over between TCU’s Denti and Lamar’s Alicia Porte.
Denti dominated the first set 6-1 but couldn’t finish off Porte in the second set, losing 6-2.
It would come down to the third set and Denti would deliver, beating Porte 6-4.
That would give TCU a 4-2 advantage and put the match out of reach for Lamar.
TCU freshman Olivia Smith beat Harbuzi in the final match of the day to give the Frogs a 5-2 final advantage.
The win was TCU’s first since beating UT-Pan American in the season opener. Borelli said beating a quality team like Lamar was refreshing after losing five matches in a row all to ranked teams.
“It’s nice to win again,” Borelli said. “I think one of our problems over the last couple years is we’ve just played too many tough teams. You want to play the best competition but it’s hard when you’re always playing a top level team. Sometimes, you forget how to win.”
Up next
The Frogs will be back in action this Saturday at home when they host the University of Miami at 12:00 p.m.
From www.tcudailyskiff.com
Brenham tennis has best outing of the season at Huntsville tourney
Mar 5th
HUNTSVILLE – For the second consecutive week, the Brenham tennis team has faced some stiff competition.
For the second straight week, the team has responded.
Brenham coach Charles Emley said the team had its best outing of the season so far in the Huntsville tournament here Friday.
The girls’ doubles team of Lauren Cendalski and Amber Boeker advanced to the tournament finals after beating Livingston, Huntsville, Klein Collins and College Park.
The duo lost to district rival Magnolia in the finals.
“That just in itself, beating College Park and Klein Collins, two big 5A really tennis schools, those were tremendous wins,” Emley said. “They played good aggressive tennis as a team.”
Val Sanchez and Lucero Lopez teamed up for girls’ doubles, and Samantha Holle and Kathy Lemus also competed.
In boys’ doubles, Nick Prenzler and Wesley Pryor won matches against Magnolia West and College Park.
“The College Park win was a good quality win for them,” Emley said. “It’s the first time they’ve played doubles this year. They did well.”
Kyle Bentke and Garrett Koenning also competed in doubles winning two matches.
In boys’ singles, Ryan Shepard won two matches against Caney Creek and Huntsville, but suffered a loss to Magnolia.
Dallas Gonzalez also competed in boys’ singles.
In girls’ singles, Morgan Stickley and Margo Lisovaya competed.
In mixed doubles, Tristan Rios and Amy Jo Boeker competed, as did the duo Chase Martin and Anna Dusek, but did not place.
“It was by far our best tournament as a whole. The competition was very good,” Emley said. “Even better than the Byran tournament.”
Cub tennis finished 14th out of 32 teams last week in the Bryan Viking Classic that was filled with 5A teams.
The tennis team is off until the Kemah Boardwalk tournament March 25-26 in Kemah.
“It’s a big one,” Emley said. “That’s the one all the big dogs come to.”
From www.brenhambanner.com
Tennis team struggling through injuries and difficult start to spring season
Mar 4th
A tough start to the year continues for the University at Albany tennis team.
This past weekend brought two more losses to add to an already disappointing season. Following a loss in close match on Saturday to Marist, the Great Danes were edged out again on Sunday by a score of 4-3 to Siena.
The Great Danes (1-7, 0-0 AE) started off strong in doubles competition efforts to try to set the tone for singles. All three doubles games were won by the Danes, two of which ended on tiebreakers, showing the Great Danes resilience.
Hoping to carry that momentum into the singles round, the Danes fell short. After two very close three-set matches that ended in a loss, wins by Aubrey Brooks and Laine Mackey almost sparked a comeback.
It came down to a nail biter for the final match of the day. Sarah Iannone got off to a strong start by winning her first set. After losing the second set in which she had the lead in, her teammates smelled a victory and rallied around Sarah and cheered her on.
However, the girls from Siena squeaked past them in the last set, leading to a final score 4-3, handing the Danes their sixth consecutive loss this spring season.
Despite the team’s poor performance, head coach Elissa Kinard, has faith in her team while being without Livia Gherman, who went down in the fall to a serious leg injury.
Kinard knows that everyone on the team wants to step up their game to fill the void that was left over. She is hoping that the team can string together some important set wins in the next match and finally kick down that door they have been knocking on for so long.
The team’s next match is March 5th at Massachusetts. Its next home game is against Fairfield on March 12th.
From www.albanystudentpress.org
