TENNIS MARISA RICCIARDI Poland

Poland’s Marisa Ricciardi has quietly put together an impressive resume over her high school career.

Ricciardi was named the All-American Conference Player of the Year in October.

She was the only local singles player to advance to the state tournament, and helped the Bulldogs finish second in the All-American Conference Red Tier.

Ricciardi went 20-1 in 2017 and also made a run in the playoffs in doubles alongside teammate Audrey Schweers.

Ricciardi and Schweers advanced to the district semifinals and lost to Hathaway Brown which advanced to the state semfinals.

She was sectional champion and her state tournament run was Ricciardi’s second in three seasons.

Her first trip to the state tournament came in 2015. She competed in doubles with Schweers, but lost in the first round.

Ricciardi said her performance in the playoffs was a “great accomplishment” and a great way to end her senior season.

“This was one of my best years that I’ve had in my four years of high school,” Ricciardi said.

“I definitely played to my potential and went out there ready to win,” Ricciardi said. “I put up a fight every single match.”

Ricciardi admits that her size required her to focus more on fundamentals and effort throughout her career.

“I always run for the ball and frustrate my opponent by taking good angles,” Riccardi said. “Honestly, since I’m not super big, I had to use certain skills. I can’t overpower the ball as much as bigger players. I had to do better things like angles and drop shots.”

Dan Hiner