JFK tennis players ready for districts
By JOHN VARGO Tribune ChronicleArticle Photos
Chelsea Ross was taken aback after last year's Division II girls tennis district at Weis Park.
"Last year me and Marissa (Nocera) went in thinking we could dominate over anyone," said Ross, a John F. Kennedy junior who played doubles last season. "We were amazed because we'd never seen that level of competition last year.
"This year, I'm expecting more, practice harder. I'm prepared a lot more this year than I was last year."
Ross is a No. 1 seed coming out of the Youngstown sectional after beating the sectional's top seed - Poland's Gabriele Brocker, who is a No. 2 seed.
"I was surprised with myself. I honestly didn't think I could," Ross said of beating Brocker. "She's very good and she's a great player. She has way more experience in tournament and traveling than I did. I didn't think I could beat her. I put my best effort out there and ended up winning."
However, it was Ross' mental toughness that helped her win that match, Kennedy coach Carla Sorg said.
"You just need to rely on what you know," Sorg said. "You don't have to change a whole lot, play your game. At one point, Gabbie Broker tried to slow the pace of the match down. I told (Chelsea), 'Don't let her dictate play. You keep playing your game and we're going to be fine.'"
Ross plays the No. 4 seed out of Canton, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary's Rose Klein in the first round of today's Division II district at Weis Park in Canton. The first two rounds of the tournament start at 1 p.m.
Semifinals, finals, third- and fifth-round matches take place starting at 9 a.m., Saturday.
Teammate and junior Gabby Lee is the No. 4 seed out of the Youngstown sectional and takes on Chagrin Falls' Emily Mazzola, who is the No. 1 seed from the Brush sectional.
Lee upset Lakeview's Stephanie Schnarrs and Crestwood's Megan Czuchra en route to qualifying for district play. Czuchra had a dominant serve that Lee quelled.
"I didn't hit it as hard as I should've," Lee said. "I just got it back. When I had her where I had her, she came up to the net and just passed her. She could only hit up in the air. I took her out of her game by hitting at her feet."
Kennedy has two doubles teams qualified for regionals - the teams of junior Claudia Ricotti and freshman Lauren Lee and sophomore Maddie Jones and junior Mallory Kohut, which are third and fourth seeds out of Youngstown, respectively.
Ricotti and Lee take on Bay's Sarah Chen and Christine Kander, a No. 2 seed out of the Rocky River sectional. Jones and Kohut face Brush's top seed in Walsh Jesuit's Nancy Joyce and Cristin Reed.
Ricotti and Lee were paired together midway through Kennedy's 18-0 campaign.
"The reason I put Lauren up there with Claudia is they both have very sound strokes, but they were also powerful strokes," Sorg said. "That's what you need in a No. 1 team, someone who can hit the ball and is not afraid to do it. About mid season, that's when I made the permanent change of keeping Lee and Ricotti together. They started working very well together and complimented each other."
Ricotti said she and Lee communicate well and know each other's strenghths and weaknesses.
"Lauren is really consistent at the net," Ricotti said. "She wins points very easily, while I like to stay back at the baseline to set up the points so she can win it."
The team of Jones and Kohut is an in sync combo as well.
"They definately can work together really well," Ricotti said. "Maddie likes to volley and she has a lot of overhead shots that their opposing team can never get back. I know Mallory has a really good backhand, which is tough for her opponents to receive. And, they're always in high spirits."
Both Gabby Lee and Ross will make their second straight trips to districts. Last year, both were doubles players. The teams of Ross-Marissa Nocera and Lee-Dana Nocera lost in the first round.
They know exactly what to say to this year's teams.
"Districts, you can't be expecting the players you beat in sectionals," Ross said. "Balls come flying twice as fast and you have to be ready for everything. The competition is a big step up. You just have to be ready."
"Don't underestimate people. You have to keep on looking forward," Lee said. "You have to remain positive. Even if you're down, you have to remain positive because you never know when you're going to come back."
And, if Ross and Brocker meet in the district finals, you can bet Ross won't take anything lightly.
"If we play again, who knows what could happen? She's pretty strong. It could go either way," Ross said.
- OTHER AREA PLAYERS: Division II - Brocker opens with Gilmour Academy's Ali Althans (No. 3 seed out of Brush). ... Poland's Danielle Mullis, the No. 3 Youngstown seed, starts with Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary's Taylor Wedlake (No. 2 seed out of Canton). ... Poland's Courtney Benson and Amy Noll, the Youngstown No. 2 doubles seed, faces Hawken's Taylor Johnson and Surya Khadilkar (Brush's No. 3 seed). ... Youngstown's top doubles seed, Cardinal Mooney's Jaclyn DiDomenico and Jordan Stefko, faces Rocky River's Elise Griffiths and Whitney Mills (Rocky River's No. 4 seed). Division I - Canfield's Gabrielle and Paige Zwicker faces Mayfield's Suparna Reddy and Ashton Fox, while Boardman's Carolyn Jesko takes on Beaumont's Caitlin Lawless during Thursday's district at Oberlin College. Play begins at 9 a.m.
