Experiential School
The Shorecrest Chargers Varsity Tennis teams played in the Regional semifinals after once again dominating at Districts as champions and runners up. The boys, as District Champions, hosted Carrollwood Day School at Lake Vista Park on Tuesday and soundly routed the Patriots 5-0 after all of the singles matches were finished. The Patriots elected not to play doubles. The girls, as District runners up, traveled to the USF campus to play the Tampa Catholic Crusaders and won a close match 4-3. The Chargers had beaten the Crusaders during the regular dual match season by the same score and knew they were in for a battle. The semifinal wins gave the Chargers berths to the Regional finals.
The boys hosted a finely tuned Academy at the Lakes Wildcats team at Lake Vista Park on Thursday; while the girls traveled to the Berkeley campus to face the Bulldogs. On the boys side, the Wildcats beat the Tampa Preparatory Terrapins in the semifinal round on Tuesday in a hotly contested 5 hour match ending with the Wildcats 4-3 victory over the Terrapins. In the Regional Final the Chargers pulled off an underdog 4-3 win! The Chargers going into the doubles were ahead by one point in the singles contests 3-2 with wins at the 1 position with Alex R. ‘28, the 4 with David M. ‘29, and the 5 with a come-from-behind win with Jimmy Schmidt ‘26. All the Chargers needed was to win 1 doubles match – but winning that 1 point was not a given. The number 2 doubles team of Misha Drunov ‘24 and Jimmy Schmidt ‘26 lost a 3-set nail biter which tied the score at 3-3 even.
It all came down to the number 1 doubles team of Alex R. ‘28 and Carter Ford ‘25. The points were fast and furious, with shifts in momentum for both the Chargers and the Wildcats; but in the end the Chargers pulled away with a 4-2, 4-1 victory! For the second year in a row the boys will compete in the State Championship Series with a Quarterfinal match on Wednesday in Orlando against the Community School of Naples.
The doubles team of Alex R. ‘28 and Carter Ford ‘25, as District doubles champions, earned an automatic bid to compete in the State championship whether or not the team advanced.
Coach Davis said, "We would not have advanced without the able assistance of Coach Tommy Del Zoppo. As a team, Coach Tommy and I bring a lot of tennis experience and insight. He is an effective communicator and has one of the best analytical minds in coaching at any level."
The girls were in a nail biter that came down to the number 2 doubles team of Lucille P. ‘28 and Isabella Jank ‘27 in a hard fought 3-4 loss to Berkeley Prep. After the singles were played the girls were up 3-2 heading into the doubles matches. The three points were earned for the wins at the number 2 position with Lucille P. ‘28, the 3 with Dephne Cankaya ‘26 and the 5 with Isabella Jank ‘27. The 1 doubles team of twins Dephne Cankaya ‘26 and Nehir Cankaya ‘26 lost 1-4, 1-4 to even the score at 3-3. It was all on the number two doubles team of Lucille P. ‘28 and Isabella Jank ‘27. In another 3-set battle, after splitting sets, the number 2 doubles team lost a tie breaker 3-10. Enough cannot be said about the outstanding season that the girls varsity team had with being runners up at Districts and Regional Finalists.
A special mention to girls JV head coach Kirsten Fisher who stepped in to assist Coach Tommy Del Zoppo, whose mother passed away during the second half of the season. Coach Fisher assisted Coach Davis with the varsity girls during the second half of the season. Coach Davis said of Coach Fisher, "She is not only an exceptionally knowledgeable coach having played having played Varsity Tennis at Smith College and coached previously, but she is creative and fun to work with! Without Coach Fisher’s willingness to step in and enthusiasm for coaching tennis, the Chargers would have suffered. Coach Fisher deserves much of the credit for the success of the girls team this season. She is an absolutely phenomenal addition to our tennis program!"
The Varsity Tennis Boys Team will compete in the State Meet on Wednesday, May 1 at Red Bug Lake Park in Casselberry, FL. Entry is free.
