43
Solo act: Canfield ace back at state
CANFIELD
This time, the celebration was more subdued. No need for a fist pump, loud scream or jump for joy.
Just a hug from mom and dad.
“We really didn’t celebrate because I knew there was more matches waiting in Columbus,” Allison Pavlansky said.
She’s been there before.
This is Pavlansky’s third trip to the state tennis tournament, but first as a singles player. In 2010, she made it with doubles partner, Kaitlin Kaleel, and last year with Gabrielle Brant.
“It’s a different mental feeling [as a single],” Pavlansky said. “Everything’s on you. Win, lose — no matter what. It all comes back to you. You can’t blame it on anyone else. You get it done or it doesn’t happen.”
As a senior, Pavlansky has.
She’s gone 19-5 and earned a fifth seed in Division I. Overall, the Cardinals went 17-2 in the fall.
In Pavlansky’s seeding match, she began 0-6, before taking the next two games over Lake’s Katherine McCauley.
“Losing like that in the first set for lot of players, that would’ve just rattled them and they’d make excuses and they’d lose it,” Canfield coach Rob Stephens said. “Not her. She took care of business.”
Stephens has been at Canfield for five years and noticed right away that Pavlansky was special.
“She’s not one to take a day off and she’s always willing to listen,” he said. “She gives it her all in every match and that’s all you can ask out of a girl.”
Both Stephens and Pavlansky admitted she faced a tougher schedule in her senior season.
“There were a rough matches,” she said. “Every time, I’d ask my dad, “Do I have a shot to get to Columbus?’ It was always a topic of conversation. He said, ‘You just have to go out there and win.’”
Pavlansky’s first-round opponent is Dublin Jerome senior Lauren Bellinger, who paired with Sarah Stein to win last year’s state doubles title. Bellinger and Stein were runners-up in 2010.
This weekend’s preparation isn’t any different for the experienced Pavlansky.
“I never wanted to leave anything to chance,” she said. “I wanted it in my hands. And I know the competition is going to be top-notch. I’ve seen it before. The important thing is just to play my game.”
And once the fuzzy ball hits the hardcourt for the final time, her attention turns to a larger ball on a hardwood court.
She’s also a starter on the Canfield basketball team with her father, Pat, as the head coach. The Cardinals are reigning Division II northeast district champions.
“I’m going to take a few weeks off,” she said. “I talked to my dad and my teammates and they realize I’ll need a little break.”