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High school girls tennis preview: Team-by-team

sonny dearth, the virginian-pilot
·5 min read

Looking at teams around the area. (Coaches: If you’d like your team included, please fill out the questionnaire.)

Bay Rivers District

Jamestown: The 2021 state Class 4 champs and ‘22 runners-up should be excellent again, thanks in large part to junior Julia Clark and senior Lauren Elliott, who won the state doubles title together in 2021. Elliott, a left-hander, has overcome cerebral palsy to become one of the Peninsula’s top players. Freshmen Michelle Zhou and Emily Dahl, sophomore Scarlett Gamez — all new starters — and senior Gladys Smith fill out a lineup that coach Karen Johnson will teach to play consistent, high-percentage tennis. Johnson credits her players’ offseason improvement and calls the Eagles a “fun, cohesive team.”

Grafton: The Clippers, coming off a Class 4 Region A runner-up finish and 16-3 record, are led by Kiara Bomboy, a 1,000-point scorer in basketball who was 17-2 last season in tennis. “She is a fighter for every point. She is a backboard,” coach Ana Bossman said. Bossman called her players “very dedicated and very coachable.”

Tabb: The Tigers’ star figures to be junior Valentina Crespo, who shared the state Class 3 doubles championship last year. But her partner, state singles champ Christina Baxter, moved to Texas last June. The Tigers won the Region A title with a relatively young team before losing to Maggie Walker in a state semifinal.

Smithfield: Lindsey Ballou, 15-5 in singles last season, and sophomore Jocelyn Hill, 12-1 last year, can move up after playing mostly on lines 2 and 5, respectively for Greg Ruffin’s Packers (13-4, 6-3 Bay Rivers). They have just two senior starters, including Ballou. Ruffin said he just hopes his team finishes in the middle of the BRD pack, but it registered a 7-2 victory over Menchville on Monday by winning at every position below No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles.

Beach District

Ocean Lakes: Junior Elizabeth Tucker went unbeaten against Beach District competition a year ago before running into Cosby in the Class 6 Region A tourney, and she’s back to lead the Dolphins. Second-year coach Lindsay Johnson, coming off a 9-1 season, will look to three returning sophomore starters — Shreya Behl, Sophia Tanenggee and Urvi Jain — and freshman Kasia Skurzak to provide depth in the top six. Tucker and Behl could be the Beach’s best doubles pair.

Landstown: The Eagles (3-8, 2-7 in the district last year) return nine players and likely will have sophomore Johanna Pilapil moving up one spot to No. 1. “Johanna has improved in all facets of the game and looks to challenge the top players in the league,” coach Mark Alberda said. The Eagles’ starters also should include seniors Ella McCann and Emmilee Osbourne and junior Jasmine Joseph.

Salem: The SunDevils return six of their top seven from last year. Senior No. 1 Ada Demirbilek, who arrived last year from Turkey, “is now one of the captains this year and has done an amazing job of navigating through a new culture, new school and new friendships,” coach John Murray said. Other starters could be seniors Elizabeth Woge and Aliyah Brown, juniors Maria Trepanier and Victoria Territo and freshman Sienna Vera Cruz.

Eastern District

Granby: The Comets, 14-2 overall and 9-1 in the Eastern District last year, will need to rebuild after losing four starters. William Lloyd, in his 34th year coaching, projects the Comets’ top six as Chardan Bonheur, Tina Li, Alexandra Casey, Kayla Mallari, Olivia Clay and Naana Bauffour.

Norcom: Coach Jeneane Long said returning seniors Kenyia Williams, Miya Travis and Rayne Sayoto will provide the backbone to the Greyhounds’ team. Juniors Zamiah Bright and Prudence Koettel and freshman Zaeminio Parada should play a supporting role.

Peninsula District

Hampton: The Crabbers are coming off a 2-7 season and should be led by seniors Jordyn Dupree and Tamia Kelly and junior Janasia Johnston. Dupree, rising from No. 6 in the lineup to No. 1, “has a strong serve and is very consistent,” according to coach Brittany Foster. Kelly “is dedicated to always trying to improve,” and Johnston “has a strong serve and a winning mentality.” Foster remembers having key players miss matches because of COVID last season but is looking for Hampton to come back stronger now.

Denbigh: The Patriots are coming off a winless season, but coach Jamin Riley has recruited 11 players, including senior returnee Aliya Sheldon and junior newcomer Carialy Garcia-Pillot. Sheldon “brings a great attitude to the courts and encourages our new players,” Riley said, and Garcia-Pillot “is already showing great leadership skills. She exhibits natural athleticism and the drive to continuously improve. These attributes help her to motivate the rest of the team.” The Patriots “were competitive with Hampton, Phoebus, and Woodside last season. We will look to establish success beginning with these opponents,” Riley said.

Southeastern District

Great Bridge: After coach Andrea Machesney’s Wildcats shared the Southeastern District title with Hickory, freshman Kayla Kennedy finished unbeaten and won a surprising state singles championship as a freshman in Class 4. Her frequent doubles partner in junior tournaments, Grace London, is a ninth grader and will play with Kennedy as a Wildcat. Junior Mallory Kim and sophomore Micah Williams also should have an impact. Hickory, Deep Creek and Grassfield could be Great Bridge’s toughest SED competition.

Hickory: Coach Ron Weber’s Hawks are coming off an 11-1 regular season and are 30-4 in the last three regular seasons, but they return just one starter, senior Emma Turner, and graduated 12 players last year.