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prep tennis Notebook
SCHEDULE HELPS
LAKEVIEW GET BETTER
Sometimes a team’s overall record can be deceiving. Take the Lakeview girls tennis team’s 11-7 (5-2 AAC) record. To most this would be considered an average season, but to coach Stephanie Hickey it’s a very satisfying mark.
Hickey decided that if her team was going to get better, she needed to schedule the best of the best.
“This is the toughest schedule we have had in my three years coaching here,” Hickey said. “I’m pleased with the results so far, the girls have responded well and it is only going to make them better come tournament time.”
The playoffs are the main reason that coach Hickey decided to make this season the toughest schedule her team has seen.
“A lot of times you will see a team go undefeated or have one or two losses, then lose early on in the playoffs,” Hickey said. “A lot of times that is because they had a fairly easy schedule throughout the season.”
The results have been great for the Bulldogs, as they recently defeated Jefferson and also beat the Howland Tigers for the first time in school history.
Much of their strong play can be credited to the doubles team of Sasha Pavlenko and Emily Kohut.
“They have played very well together and I think they can make it far in the tournament,” Hickey said.
PAVLANSKY LOOKS FOR THIRD STATE TRIP
Allison Pavlansky has made it to the state tournament two consecutive years in doubles play, this year she looks to make a third trip, but in a different way.
Pavlansky is looking to return as Canfield’s number one singles player.
“My goals have changed a lot this year since I moved to singles, but the ultimate goal is still to get back to state,” Pavlansky said. “I continue to work on being a smart player and try to make good decisions.”
Recently, Canfield was eliminated from the team tournament, something that haunts Pavlansky.
“It’s very difficult for me to talk about,” she said. “We have so much talent on our team and we thought we could get to state as a team, but it didn’t work out. There were a lot of broken hearts out on the court.”
Despite the loss, Pavlansky says she is proud of her teammates and all the hard work and effort they put in before and during the season.
CARROCCE SUFFERS
HIP INJURY
Canfield’s Stephanie Carrocce was in the middle of a key match against Rocky River Magnificat last week when she suffered a hip injury.
“I’m not sure what happened,” Canfield coach Rob Stephens said. “It seemed like she pulled something in her hip or pinched a nerve.”
Carrocce, however, returned and finished the match, which lasted three-and-a-half hours.
Carrocce went on to lose the marathon match, but Stephens says that her return is a testament to how strong of a person she is.
“She did her best and was able to finish, which shows how strong she is, especially since it was a long match,” he said.
Brandon Judeh