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Hernando makes strides

WESLEY CHAPEL - For years, Hernando has dominated boys tennis. Now the girls are catching up.

After finishing as the district runnerup three times in the past four seasons, the Leopards broke through with their first girls title since 2003.

Hernando played almost flawlessly, winning every match but No. 2 doubles to score 20 points, 11 more than runnerup Hudson.

The biggest win came at No. 1 singles. Shaena Keefe, a transfer from Central, beat Hudson's Meighan O'Connor 6-2, 6-0. O'Connor was undefeated in district play, including a win over Keefe earlier this season. But that match was played shortly after Keefe had surgery to correct an injury from overuse (she has a one-handed backhand).

Keefe has since recovered and was in full swing Tuesday. So were her teammates as Chelsea Clark (No. 2), Jennifer Grabisch (No. 3), Jillian Mtherly (No. 4) and Rachel Lowman (No. 5) also won singles titles.

Keefe teamed with Clark to defeat O'Connor and Sarah Todd in No. 1 doubles 6-3, 6-1. Nature Coast Tech's Stephanie Adams and Katherine Stellpflug won at No. 2 doubles.

The Leopards will host the Class 2A, District 7 winner in the region tournament Friday.

They will be joined by the boys, who, despite losing four seniors from last season's state tournament run, cruised to their fourth straight district championship by winning several early-round matches as well as four final-round matches in Hudson.

Hernando got one of its best performances out of sophomore No. 3 Raleigh Williams, who defeated Nature Coast's Francoise Pambianchi in a two-and-a-half-hour match, which Williams won 6-7, 6-1, 6-4. Freshman Chris Williams also won a three-setter, beating Hudson's Robert Smith 4-6, 6-0, 6-1.

Zephyrhills' Suneal Bedi defeated Hernando's Dan Widboom 6-1, 7-5 to take the No. 1 singles championship, which automatically qualifies him for state. In No. 1 doubles, Gulf pair Trevor Hubbard and Jesse Bowery defeated Zephyrhills' Bedi and Han Wu 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to advance to state.

CRYSTAL RIVER - Despite losing most of its top-seeded matches, the Lecanto boys and girls won district titles with depth.

Lecanto's girls secured enough points before the end of the tournament to win, with early-round wins and a lone victory from fifth-seeded Lakshmi Ram, which was later topped off with an additional point from the No. 1 doubles. The win secured Lecanto's ninth consecutive team district title.

Lecanto senior Shreya Rao and freshman Sonya Shah highlighted the team victory with a nearly three-hour No. 1 doubles battle against Citrus' freshman Courtney Spafford and senior Asha Balakrishanan that finished in a 3-6, 6-2, 7-6, (7-5) Lecanto win. Lecanto has several opportunities near match point, but finally put it away in the tiebreaker with patient volleys.

"This is what it's supposed to be like," said Rao, who is a four-time state qualifier. "I am exhausted and it is the best we've ever played."

Spafford rallied from a 5-1 deficit in the first set to win the No. 1 singles title with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Rao.

On the boys side, Crystal River senior Chris Lavoie used power and precision to win his fourth No. 1 singles district title, advancing to state a fourth time with a 6-1, 6-3 victory against Lecanto's Cyprian Rodriguez.

"He is one of the best that has ever come through Crystal River and (Citrus) county," Crystal River coach Vicki Browning said.

Crystal River's two-time state qualifier, sophomore Brian deMontfort, took the No. 2 singles title (defeating Ravi Parikh 6-1, 6-3) and the top-seeded doubles match with Lavoie. Crystal River had hoped to earn the district title with a win in the No. 2 doubles, but a first-round ousting by West Port left the Pirates needing a fourth finals victory.

Lecanto won the No. 3 (Matt Tringali), No. 4 (Phillip Saltsman), No. 5 (Joshua Krum) seeds and No. 2 doubles (Tringali/Saltsman) for the team victory. Lecanto last won the boys title in 2003.

- DAWN REISS, Times staff writer

TAMPA - Though the Freedom and Academy of the Holy Names girls were even with 10 points each after the first day of district competition, the Patriots dominated Tuesday to win the team title with 20 points.

AHN was second with 12, followed by St. Petersburg Catholic and Lakewood with five points each.

Jesuit won the boys title with 17 points, followed by Freedom with 14 and St. Petersburg Catholic (six).

Individual champions for Freedom were No. 1 Laura Gioia, a 6-0, 6-1 winner over Academy's Christine Pytlinski; No. 2 Paige Kensrue, a 6-2, 6-1 winner over Academy's Allison Symelevich; and No. 3 Caitlin McKenna, a 6-0, 6-0 win over Academy's Liz Jennewein.

At the No. 5 position, SPC's Jeanna Barrancotto pushed Freedom's Kaitlyn Hastings to the limit before yielding the title 4-6, 7-6, 6-1.

Freedom also won both doubles titles. Gioia and Kensrue teamed up to beat Academy's Pytlinski and Symelevich 6-1, 6-1 at No. 1 and Hastings and McKenna joined forces to defeat Jennewein and Renspie 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2.

For the boys, Jesuit won all five singles titles: No. 1 Mark Wilkie beat St. Petersburg Catholic's Nick Smith 6-3, 6-1; No. 2 Brian Beasley beat Freedom's Michael Bedosky 7-6, 6-0; No. 3 Eddy Shahnasanan beat Freedom's Jordan Snyder 6-1, 6-2; No. 4 Matt Jordan defeated Freedom's Mitch Rosen 6-0, 6-4; and No. 5 Conner Blouin beat Freedom's Andy Schurr 6-0, 6-4.

Michael Canencia and Bedosky gave the Patriots the No. 1 doubles title with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Lakewood's Peter Davey and Michael Fronduto, earning a berth at state.

- TERRY JONES, Times correspondent