Girls Tennis: Central Ohio loaded with top-flight talent
For two of central Ohio’s top girls tennis programs, Aug. 30 is a date that might be highlighted on the players’ calendars.
That’s when Upper Arlington plays host to Dublin Coffman. It represents the middle of the OCC-Central Division schedule for both, but also could have meaning for multiple reasons if this season plays out similarly to a year ago.
The Shamrocks beat the Golden Bears 3-2 and went on to capture the league championship at 5-0 – their second in 10 seasons. The other came in 2016.
When the teams met again in the Division I district final of the OTCA team tournament two days later, though, it was UA that came away with a 3-1 win. The Bears went on to finish third at state.
“We have a great team, and everyone is super supportive of one another,” UA senior Ava Richard said. “We know Coffman. We love the girls on the team, and it’s fun having friends as your rivalry team. Last season, it was really close between us. We’re super excited to have that competition again.”
Richard teamed with 2022 graduate Anna Leach to qualify in doubles for state, where they lost in the first round. Richard has moved up to first singles after the loss to graduation of Megan Basil, whose season ended in the first round of state in singles.
Pritika Ghosh-Choudhuri has returned for her junior season with the Shamrocks and Dasha Chistyakova is back as a senior after they split time between first and second singles last season. Both lost in quarterfinals of the state tournament in singles.
Lauren Burkett played third singles most of last season before teaming with Emily Yoshino to reach the quarterfinal round at district in doubles. Yoshino is now a senior and Burkett is a sophomore.
“We’re going to have a tough team,” Coffman coach Brett Hundertpfund said. “Really, we’ve got our top five players back, which is nice. It’s always good competition (against UA). It makes for interesting matches and just gives the girls something to get excited about to work toward.”
While no team in central Ohio opened the season looking as strong in singles as the Shamrocks, UA’s overall depth makes it one of the top candidates to represent central Ohio at the state team tournament.
Other contenders include New Albany, which boasts two of the area’s top juniors in Paige Cornelius and Richardlyne Francois, and Olentangy, which has perhaps central Ohio’s best sophomore in Sheryl Gerald.
“As a coach you get good players from time to time, but it’s always special when you get a few players who are good at the same time,” Hundertpfund said.
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Early season Super 12
Arya Chabria
School: Columbus Academy
Year: Junior
Chabria capped a strong sophomore season by competing in the Division II individual state tournament and helping the Vikings to a third-place finish in the OTCA Division II team state tournament.
Chabria, who went 0-1 in singles in the individual state tournament, advanced by beating teammate Anna Chang 6-2, 6-0 in the district final. Chabria was first-team all-MSL-Ohio.
Anna Chang
School: Columbus Academy
Year: Senior
Chang is expected to help the Vikings continue their longtime success. Last season, she advanced to the Division II district final, losing to teammate Chabria 6-2, 6-0.
Chang also helped Academy reach its fifth consecutive OTCA Division II state team tournament, where it finished third. She was first-team all-MSL-Ohio.
Dasha Chistyakova
School: Dublin Coffman
Year: Senior
A two-time Division I state qualifier, Chistyakova has returned to lead the Shamrocks after going 26-4 in singles last season.
She helped Coffman go 19-2, was third at both the sectional and district tournaments and reached the quarterfinal round of the Division I state tournament. She made the Super 12 last season.
Paige Cornelius
School: New Albany
Year: Junior
A Super 12 honoree last year in both tennis and field hockey, Cornelius was a key in the Eagles winning their 15th league championship in 16 years before advancing to the Division I state tournament.
Cornelius and classmate Richardlyne Francois were sectional doubles champions and district runners-up before losing in the first round at state. They were the program’s first state qualifiers in six years.
Richardlyne Francois
School: New Albany
Year: Junior
Francois had a memorable first season with the Eagles, teaming with Cornelius to finish first at sectional and second at district to earn the first Division I state appearance for both players.
Francois and Cornelius went 7-2 in the postseason and both are expected to anchor New Albany’s singles lineup throughout the regular season. The Eagles were 14-2 overall and 5-0 in the OCC-Ohio a year ago.
Sheryl Gerald
School: Olentangy
Year: Sophomore
As a freshman and a Super 12 honoree, Gerald won a Division I sectional title to advance to district and lost only three matches – all against state qualifiers.
At first singles, she helped Olentangy capture its first league title, sharing the OCC-Cardinal championship at 4-1 with Dublin Jerome and Olentangy Berlin.
Pritika Ghosh-Choudhuri
School: Dublin Coffman
Year: Junior
A Super 12 honoree a year ago, Ghosh-Choudhuri is expected to be at second singles after reaching a quarterfinal at the Division I state singles tournament last season.
She helped Coffman finish 19-2 and earn a district runner-up finish in the OTCA team tournament. She went 23-7, helping the Shamrocks go 5-0 to win the OCC-Central title.
Sara Goodlive
School: Watterson
Year: Junior
After finishing as a sectional runner-up and reaching the quarterfinal round of the Division I district tournament as a freshman, Goodlive won a sectional championship last fall while spending her second consecutive season at first singles.
Goodlive, whose 2021 season ended with a first-round loss at district, helped the Eagles win their fourth consecutive CCL title a year ago.
Amelia Kunard
School: Dublin Scioto
Year: Sophomore
Kunard is expected to be a key player for first-year coach C.J. Juda.
Last season, she gained valuable experience when she teamed with Yuka Nabeya to advance to the Division I district tournament in doubles, losing in the first round. Kunard was first-team all-OCC-Capital at first singles as the Irish finished second (6-1) behind Big Walnut (7-0).
Ava Richard
School: Upper Arlington
Year: Senior
A two-time Division I state qualifier, Richard moves to first singles this season to succeed Ohio State recruit Megan Basil as the Golden Bears go for their fourth consecutive OTCA district championship.
Richard and teammate Anna Leach finished first at sectional and third at district last year before going 0-1 at state. Richard and Ellis Mizer were third in doubles at state in 2020.
Anh Thi Thai
School: Hilliard Bradley
Year: Senior
Thai aims to break through to the Division I state tournament. A year ago, she qualified for district for the third consecutive season and went 1-1, losing to UA’s Basil 6-3, 6-3 in a state-qualifying match.
Thai won her first sectional title by defeating Scioto’s Kunard 6-0, 6-4. She finished 18-3.
Katie Zerbi
School: Wellington
Year: Senior
Zerbi takes over at first singles for the Jaguars after two years at second singles and is trying for her fourth consecutive Division II state tournament berth.
She advanced to state each of the past three seasons in doubles with 2022 graduate Alexis Burkhalter. A first-time Super 12 honoree as a junior, Zerbi typically played second singles behind Burkhalter during the regular season.
Early season Super 7
1. Dublin Coffman – The Shamrocks are coming off a season in which they went 19-2 overall and won the OCC-Central at 5-0. With five of their top seven players back, including senior Dasha Chistyakova and junior Pritika Ghosh-Choudhuri, who competed at the Division I state singles tournament, they’re aiming to win their first OTCA district title after finishing as runner-up last fall.
2. Upper Arlington – The three-time defending OTCA Division I district champions and league champions 31 of the past 33 years again appear loaded, now with senior Ava Richard at first singles. Junior Isabella Roth and sophomore Alice Hawley round out the singles lineup, ahead of a group of as many as seven players in the running for four doubles spots. Seniors Ellis Mizer and Grace Webster should anchor the doubles courts.
3. New Albany – The Eagles return virtually their entire lineup, including both members of a district runner-up doubles team in juniors Paige Cornelius and Richardlyne Francois. They are expected to play the top two singles spots during the regular season as New Albany seeks its 16th league championship in 17 seasons.
4. Olentangy – Olentangy is coming off its first league title, going 4-1 in the OCC-Cardinal to tie Dublin Jerome and Olentangy Berlin. Led by sophomore Sheryl Gerald at first singles, junior Pranjal Agochiya at second singles and the first doubles team of seniors Breanna Ball and Sydney Nickel, the Braves feature a deep lineup.
5. Columbus Academy – The Vikings return their seven starters from a year ago, including junior Arya Chabria, who advanced to the Division II state tournament in singles. Academy seeks its sixth consecutive OTCA state tournament berth after finishing third last season. The Vikings also should compete with Wellington for the MSL-Ohio title.
6. Olentangy Liberty – Playing in the competitive OCC-Central, where they finished fourth (2-3) last season, the Patriots return seniors Kylie Wilson, Disha Patel and Charvi Thumati, junior Athena Mattis and sophomore Sophia Mattis. Wilson was a win away from qualifying for state. The other four give coach Will Thieman flexibility with his lineup.
7. Olentangy Orange – Always one of the top teams in the Central District, the Pioneers must replace 2022 graduates Tyler Reed and Karol Korotkin, who played first and second singles, respectively, before qualifying for state as a doubles team. Stepping onto the first-singles court is Reed’s sophomore sister, Avery Reed, who moves up from third singles.
HARTLEY
•Coach: Shannon Kinnear, first season
•Top players: Nia Johnson, Mary Kate LeMay, Hannah Mathias, Kiarra McElrath and Victoria Nedeau
•Key losses: Elayna Kebe, Katie Mackessy, Emily Thompson, Kennedy Tucker and Ella Ewing
•Last season: 10-8 overall
•2021 CCL standings: Watterson (3-0), DeSales (2-1), Hartley (1-2), Ready (0-3)
•Outlook: The Hawks have a new coach in Shannon Kinnear after Lynn Winters led the program for 24 seasons.
Senior Kiarra McElrath is playing first singles after she teamed with 2022 graduate Elayna Kebe at last year’s Division II sectional in doubles.
Junior Victoria Nedeau is at second singles and junior Hannah Mathias is at third singles after both represented the program at sectional in singles.
Sophomore Nia Johnson and freshman Mary Kate LeMay are at first doubles and freshmen Claire Bahlmann and Pauline Gyamfi are at second doubles.
The biggest loss to graduation was Emily Thompson, who reached the second round of sectional after competing at first singles throughout most of the season.
•Quotable:“We have a talented and lively team and I’m looking forward to watching them grow as individual players and as a family. I’m confident we’ll have an exciting and fun season.” — Kinnear
REYNOLDSBURG
•Coach: Les Somogyi, 19th season
•Top players: Isabella Boskovska, Olivia Cox, Lorelei Dunlap, Halat Fishatsion, Kareen Meoko, Zaina Smith and Rowan Toole
•Key losses: None
•Last season: 12-6 overall
•2021 OCC-Buckeye standings: Pickerington Central (5-0), Reynoldsburg (4-1), Lancaster (3-2), Central Crossing (2-3), Groveport (1-4), Newark (0-5)
•Outlook: After moving up one place to earn a runner-up finish in the OCC-Buckeye last fall, the Raiders hope they have the depth to catch Pickerington Central this season. The teams are scheduled to play Sept. 1; the Tigers won last year’s meeting 4-1.
Junior Kareen Meoko is at first singles, senior Olivia Cox is at second singles and junior Isabella Boskovska is at third singles; each played in that position for most of last season as well. The Raiders posted a second consecutive winning record and were represented at the district level for the first time since 2006 as Cox and Meoko qualified in doubles.
Senior Rowan Toole and Boskovska teamed to reach a doubles quarterfinal at sectional.
Toole is at first doubles with senior Lorelei Dunlap, with senior Zaina Smith and junior Halat Fishatsion at second doubles.
Coach Les Somogyi also has been pleased with the impact new assistant coach Caroline Phillips has made with the players. Phillips is a 2016 Bexley graduate who played first singles for the Lions.
•Quotable: “I’m going for the OCC (title). If we beat Central, (we should) get it this year. The girls know what’s on the line.” — Somogyi
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Girls Tennis: Central Ohio loaded with top-flight talent
