Mercury 2018 Girls Tennis Preview

Boyertown

Coach: Donna Laskosky, 18th year.

Last year’s record: 4-7 Pioneer Athletic Conference, 5-7 overall.

Players to watch: Morgan Cvetkovic, Sr., singles/doubles; Jillian Leary, Sr., singles; Abby Green, So., singles; Valerie Markee, So., doubles; Raegan McDevitt, So., doubles; Jade Slaughter, So., doubles; Natalie Zaleski, So., doubles.

Outlook: “Lots of new players that are quick learners to the game,” Laskosky said. “They’re a fun, energetic, coachable group that will provide competitiveness for the upcoming season. With our lack of veterans, especially with only three seniors, we’re certainly relying on the sophomore class to step up and challenge their opponents.”

Daniel Boone

Coach: Garry Lucas, seventh year.

Last year’s record: 4-4 Berks Conference, 8-8 overall.

Players to watch: Rachael Haag, Sr.; Paige McDonald, Sr.; Jamie Moser, Sr.; Dominique Viola, Sr.; Abbey Cleaver, Jr.; Mallory Barndt, So.; Jordyn Houck, Fr.

Outlook: The addition of some key freshman has Lucas believing Boone can up its win total significantly. “Our team is ready to compete,” he said. “We’ve been playing during the winter, and we’re excited about getting full-swing into the season. Our strengths include good leadership from our seniors and being a very fit team. It will be key for us to remain positive in order to be competitive. There is a consistent strength of the Blazers lineup, from singles to doubles positions,” Lucas said. “Another good turnout for the girls featuring many seniors. Captain Dominique Viola returns following a successful 9-3 campaign last season.”

Hill School

Coach: Clarence Oliver, fifth year.

Last year’s record: 7-7 overall.

Players to watch: Joyce Sun, fifth former, singles/doubles; Melissa Xu, fifth former, singles; Elena Zhang, fifth former, single/doubles.

Outlook: Sun, Xu and Zhang all look to play singles and doubles. Zhang is at first singles, Sun at second and Xu at third. … “Not the strongest team,” Oliver said, “but they will be competitive in both league and other matches. Other teams will have to play good, consistent tennis to post a win.”

Methacton

Coach:  Jill Walker, first season.

Last Year’s Record: 9-2 Pioneer Athletic Conference, 10-4 overall.

Players to Watch: Dina Nouaime, Sr., singles; Tina Prince, Sr., singles.

Outlook: Nouaime and Prince return as the Warriors’ first and second singles, respectively. … “I am very excited and optimistic about my first season with this group of girls,” Walker said. “The team has a lot of returning players, and they are all very competitive. We have six out of our 11 players that are seniors. I think they will hold their own and have a great season with a lot of competitive matches. We are very strong on the top end and have a lot of solid depth throughout the rest of the lineup. This team has great chemistry and team spirit, which should help contribute to a fun and successful season.”

Owen J. Roberts

Coach: Jerry Styer, 20th year.

Last year’s record: 8-3 Pioneer Athletic Conference, 9-4 overall.

Players to watch: Julia Brennan, Sr., doubles; Jacey Caplan, Sr., singles; Elaina Lee, Sr., singles: Vidisha Pandey, Sr., singles; Madeline Zarkoski, Sr., doubles; Maria Monteleone, Jr., doubles; Tara Semach, So., doubles.

Outlook: “The team is heavy with seniors with much experience,” Styer said. “Elaina has been at first singles for two years and at second singles prior to that.  Jacey Caplan has been at second for two seasons, both playing quality tennis. Vidisha Pandey has been an excellent doubles player first year singles and expect her to do very well in that position. Julia Brennan and Madeline Zarkoski had an excellent season at third doubles, and we expect the same from them this season in the first position.”

Perkiomen School

Coach: Mindy Irven, fourth year.

Last year’s record: 8-1 Tri-County League, 9-6 overall.

Players to watch: Maki Ashizawa, Sr., doubles; Kristine Rivera, Sr., doubles: Sherry Zhang, Sr., singles; Julia Kelly, Jr., singles.

Outlook: Kelly was undefeated both in the league and for the season last spring. “Julia, at first singles, will dominate again in the league,” Irven said. “We’re looking to her for leadership this year, as we have graduated captains Jill Kachmar and Molly Welby.” … “We will have a very busy pre-season getting the girls ready, with only seven practices before our first game,” Irven said. “We hope to have some new talent coming in. We need to fill the other spots with players who can contribute to the team and win some matches.”

Perkiomen Valley

Coach: Jennifer Dixon, 17th year.

Last year’s record: 7-4 Pioneer Athletic Conference, 7-5 overall.

Players to watch: Katie Carroll, Sr., doubles; Kayla Nassoiy, Sr., doubles; Kay Mahon, Sr., singles; Olivia Newman, Jr., doubles; Gabby Timoteo, Jr., doubles; Nadja Townsend, Jr., singles.

Outlook: Townsend and Mahon look to be the Vikings’ first and singles players, respectively. … This year’s roster lists 36 girls, with 17 newcomers. … “We are a rapidly growing team this year, with a lot of talent in my newcomers for a projected competitive team with more depth this year,” Dixon said.

Phoenixville

Coach: Katie Yancik, third year.

Last year’s record: 10-1 Pioneer Athletic Conference, 11-2 overall.

Players to watch: Gina Brown, Sr., singles; Julia Gumieniak, Sr., singles.

Outlook: Gumieniak and Brown are pencilled in at first and second singles, respectively. … “We are hoping for another great season,” Yancik said. “We finished second in the PAC and would love to finish firstst this year. All of our singles players are seniors, as well as our first doubles team. We have a lot of new, young players that will help us this year and in years to come.”

Pope John Paul II

Coach: Sue McDonough, first year.

Last year’s record: 6-5 Pioneer Athletic Conference, 6-6 overall.

Players to watch: Jillian Boyle, Sr., singles; Shannon Farnsworth, Sr., doubles; Jordan Miller, Sr., singles; Maggie Christiansen, Jr., doubles; Veronica Marinari, So., singles.

Outlook: Farnsworth and Christiansen are being paired at first doubles. … “This dedicated, committed, hard-working group will continue to be contenders in the PAC,” McDonough, who took over the program from Michael Esz, said. “Ronnie Marinari (first singles) will be leading our varsity team this year and will no doubt be a force. We have 10 new freshmen to add depth and strength to our roster, and many returning players will help round out the team as well. 2018 should prove to be an exciting season for us all.”

Pottsgrove

Coach: Gus Tellis eighth year,

Last year’s record: 3-9 Pioneer Athletic Conference, 3-11 overall.

Players to watch: Alex Harvey, Jaelyn Kennedy, Mya Krueger, Samme Marazas, Grace Myers, Jenny Patel.

Outlook: Tellis will be assisted by first-year coach Brian Rambo at the top of a team that’s all returning starters. … “The Pottsgrove girls team is very inexperienced this year,” Tellis said. “We hope to learn on the fly, and gain the tools necessary for success in the future.”

Pottstown

Head coach: Lauren Perez-Bralski, first year.

Last year’s record: 1-10 Pioneer Athletic Conference.

Players to watch: Sierra Everett, Jr., singles;  Abby Parsons, Jr., singles; Noami Parsons, So., singles.

Outlook: Perez-Bralski takes over the Trojan program from Ira Watts, who headed it for eight years. … “Our 2018 team is highlighted by a group of strong leadership from our juniors.” Perez-Bralski said. “We have strong returning players and newcomers showing a lot of potential. It will be through the leadership of our returning players that we will see the full potential of the team.”    

Spring-Ford

Coach: Todd Reagan, 15th year.

Last year’s record: 11-0 Pioneer Athletic Conference, 14-3 overall.

Players to watch: Tori Alexander, Sr.; Kathryn Alvarez, Sr.; Rachel Reiniger, Sr.

Outlook: Reagan will be aided in his coaching duties by longtime assistants Devon Staino (10 years) and Ryan Rendick (six years). … “The Rams return just three players from last year’s lineup,” Reagan said. “Many successful JV doubles teams have climbed the ladder and positioned themselves in the varsity lineup. The girls are determined to work hard and try to solidify themselves as a top team in the league, and a potential district qualifier as a team.”

Upper Merion

Coach: Eric Bowe, second year.

Last year’s record: 5-6 Pioneer Athletic Conference, 7-8 overall.

Players to watch: Sahar Islam, Sr., singles.

Outlook: While they graduated seven seniors from the 2017 team, the Vikings are bolstered by an influx of 11th-graders. “We have a lot of juniors that have left other various fall sports that wanted a fresh look,” Bowe said. “Some of them have a tennis background and will immediately step in to varsity positions this season. … “I had anticipated a complete rebuild year,” Bowe said, “but with the incoming juniors from other sports, and a couple of girls doing some significant off-season work, we may be just as competitive as last year. The hope is that we can be close to .500 as possible, with the vision to be in the top half of the PAC in standings.”

Upper Perkiomen

Coach: John Williamson, 10th year.

Last year’s record: 2-9 Pioneer Athletic Conference, 2-11 overall.

Players to watch: Rachel Burns, Sr., doubles; Olivia Dick, Sr., doubles; Sophie Jago, Sr., doubles; Gail Kooser, Sr., doubles; Skyler Gionfriddo, Jr., singles; Maddy Gochnauer, Jr., singles; Olivia Sharadin, Jr., singles.

Outlook: “As a team,” Williamson said, “we should be able to take a step forward this year and improve on last year’s record. We have a good turnout this year, and expect the team to continue to improve throughout the season. There will be lots of competition for our team’s four varsity doubles spots. Within the league, it will be a difficult challenge to compete with the traditionally powerful and larger schools.”