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DOUBLES TENNIS HANNAH & SYDNEY CIANCIOLA Canfield girls
Canfield’s Cianciola sisters won the Division I tennis state doubles championship.
The title came as a surprise to the pair.
“I was definitely surprised we won. I didn’t think that we could do it until we were there in that moment,” Hannah said. “I’ll forget it at times and then I walk down the hall and hear ‘state champ!’ and I just smile.
“It’s definitely cool to be called a state champion,” she added.
Hannah, a senior, had gone to the tournament in her freshman through junior seasons, but never advanced past the first day.
Enter her younger sister, Sydney, and the sophomore helped Hannah get to that elusive second day.
“Once we made it [to the finals], we thought we could really do this,” Sydney said.
The sisters, who entered the tournament as No. 1 seeds, ended up running roughshod over the field, winning all but one match in straight sets.
They defeated Green’s Anne and Maria Zivick (6-4, 6-3) to win the championship. The pair had been playing together since they were very young.
“My mom played and my dad played, so they started us off really young,” Sydney said.
Hannah brought the serve and ground stroke game to the table while Sydney’s skill was volleys. Hannah is also the vocal leader.
“At a big point, I would be the one saying, ‘We got this, let’s go’ just to boost us up if we miss,” Hannah said.
Even in the years when she didn’t win, going to state will always be a special experience.
“It’s always amazing, especially in the last two years in Cincinnati when it was at the pro stadium,” Hannah said. “Being on a court where all the pros play is pretty sweet.”