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Poland’s Ricciardi, JFK duo set for state
By Greg Gulas
The Division II state girls tennis tournament begins today at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason with Poland’s Marisa Ricciardi looking to advance in singles action.
Warren JFK’s doubles team of Kaytlin Marlattt and Lauren Kraker, the Eagles’ No. 1 and No. 2 players, have teamed up to get to state in doubles.
Division I and II singles begin at 9 a.m. with Ricciardi set to meet Sylvia Goldsmith of Lexington High School.
Doubles action begins in both divisions upon conclusion of singles play with Marlatt and Kraker going up against Gracey and Haley Hirsch of Cincinnati Indian Hill.
A senior, Ricciardi advanced to state for the second time in three seasons — she qualified for state as a sophomore in doubles with teammate Audrey Schweers, placing ninth overall — savoring each moment in what is her final scholastic season.
“I am humbled to be making a second trip to state because most players don’t qualify once,” Ricciardi said. “I’ll just take it one match at a time, keep focused on my current opponent and not look ahead. I’m ready to win, but must give it my all on every volley I expect to advance. The difference this year is that it’s all on me, but I am ready for the challenge.”
The Bulldogs went 20-1 and finished runner-up to Canfield in the All-American Conference Red Division.
Ricciardi went 20-1 in the regular season — she is currently 28-2 overall after going 8-1 in in sectional and district play – and sports a 92-7 career mark.
She is the AAC Red Tier’s reigning Player of the Year.
Ricciardi, who carries a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average and ranks first in her class academically, has a busy fall schedule. She is also a member of the Bulldogs’ cross country team (she’s a four-year letterwinner) and continues to balance sports, school and a part-time job. She remains active in her parish, Holy Family.
“Marisa has two strengths in that tennis is 90 percent mental and she has tremendous court intelligence,” said first-year Poland head coach Jimmy Leslie. “She understands the geometry of tennis, especially the angles and where to hit the ball. Marisa hits the ball where the opponent isn’t, has a calmness on the court and is in control at all times.
“Her second strength is that she has a perfect tennis temperament and often times causes opponents to come unglued over the course of a match.”
Ricciardi said assistant coach Annie Marian, who served as head coach prior to Leslie’s arrival, was also instrumental in her development.
“Coach Leslie has brought a different perspective with different strategies while instilling a stay-positive attitude. He’s helped me come start strong this season, stay confident and always keeps me prepared,” Ricciardi said. “Coach Marian coached me in my younger days as well and has also been a big help. She’s helped me become more comfortable when I am on the court and helps me adjust when I need to.”
JFK was 14-2 this year with Marlatt, a junior, going 15-1 and Kraker, a senior, 13-3
Kraker played No. 2 singles on the boys team in the spring and went 11-5 after missing last fall’s girls season while recovering from tumor surgery on her femur. The Eagles have gone 29-5 under second-year head coach Brian Fry, with Marlatt posting a 31-3 overall mark and Kraker 24-8 (including boys competition).
“The question we had to answer this year was what was going to be our best path to state? Was it as a doubles team or individually and I supported whatever the girls decided,” Fry said. “Kaytlin is our No. 1 and when I put her out there, I always felt like we had a 95-percent chance of winning the match. Her strength is that she is extremely strong, has a great forehand and serve and is strong at the net, which isn’t common among high school players and less common with girls.
“Lauren provides great balance, has a tremendous backhand and was tremendous at the net at both sectionals and district. Very rarely did I ever have to worry about the top part of my lineup. Both girls are on my summer USTA [United States Tennis Association] junior team and you don’t just play singles. You play doubles and mixed doubles as well. Lauren played like a Division I college player at the net in districts and you just don’t see that type of play at the high school level.”
Marlatt said it is special to be at state and playing doubles with Kraker.
“While it has been a while since a JFK player has qualified for state, we do have a rich-tradition and have had some excellent girl’s tennis players,” Marlatt said. “The Cleveland-Akron district routinely sends players to state and is recognized as one of the hardest districts to break through due to the high level of competition. It’s even more special for me because I get to honor JFK and compete with not only my teammate, but my best friend. We’ve both worked really hard for this and will continue to do so no matter what the outcome is this weekend.”
Kraker echoed Marlatt’s sentiments.
“Kaytlin and I have been playing club and USTA tennis together for five years now and I still remember our first clinic together,” Kraker said. “I feel like our style of play really complements each other and we have great chemistry on the court, which makes it so easy for us to excel together. I am graduating, so we knew that this would be our one and only chance to go to state together so we worked hard, dug deep and accomplished that goal.”
Both have prospered under Fry’s tutelage.
“Coach Fry has helped us in more ways than one, essentially every night since we decided to play doubles,” Kraker said. “He stays after practice to help us prepare and what makes him a great coach is how he invests in us and knows us personally. He knows our strengths and weaknesses.”
Said Marlatt: “Having a coach that is just as competitive as you is a great thing. He’s always motivating us, talking to us about strategy and how to utilize our strengths so that opponents make errors. He manages to pick us up even when we are down and one of the best things is when you hear him say just keep doing what you’re doing.”