Pair, together and apart, gives Ravens state hope

By JOHN C. COTEY
Published April 19, 2006

CLEARWATER - Alonso's Megan Broderick and Fernanda Ospina are going to the state tournament. Their teammates aren't.

Both players won at No. 1 and No. 2 singles respectively, and teamed for the No. 1 doubles title, but accounted for the Ravens' only points Tuesday as Alonso finished second.

St. Petersburg had 18 points to 16 for Alonso.

Broderick and Ospina will go to the individual and doubles championships Monday in Altamonte Springs.

"It's better than nothing, if you want to look at it that way," said Alonso coach Helen Soash, who was halfway to her car before being told she had forgotten her second-place trophy.

"There's a trophy for second place?" she said.

Alonso went to the state tournament the past two years.

Alonso's No. 3 Gabriella Ospina tangled in a crucial match with St. Petersburg's Caitlein Jammo, losing 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 and making both doubles finals must-wins. But at No. 2 doubles, Kaitlin Holdstein and Ashley Hood knocked off Gabriella Ospina and Marcela Lopez to clinch the title.

TAMPA - Like their male counterparts, Sarasota Riverview had little trouble in the district. The Rams won six of seven finals matches to finish 10 points higher than second-place Lakeland 20-10. Sarasota finished third with nine points.

Lakeland's Aubrey Campbell dominated the field in No. 1 singles, dropping just three games in the tournament on her way to the title. She defeated Sarasota-Riverview's Kristin Ruffner 6-2, 6-0 in the final.

Ruffner's sister, Kendal, won in No. 2 singles over Krista Baitinger of Sarasota 6-1, 6-1. The Ruffner sisters teamed up for the No. 1 doubles title, winning 6-1, 6-3 over Sarasota's Baitinger and Malibu Perdue.

Sarasota-Riverview's Lia Weiner (No. 3) Katie Saba (No. 4) and Brooke Saba (No. 5) all won singles titles. Weiner and Katie Saba took the No. 2 doubles championship.

Plant City's Ariana Gonzalez (No. 4) was the only player from a school other than the top three finishers to advance to a final. She lost 6-1, 6-3.

- BRYAN BURNS, Times correspondent

TAMPA - Wharton's Brooke Allen played three matches Tuesday that took more than 10 hours, and though "completely exhausted," she won all of them.

The most important being the No. 1 singles final 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 over Chamberlain's Jamie Mera, a victory that earned her a direct pass to next week's state tournament individual bracket.

"This was very rewarding because this is also the first time I've beaten (Mera) in a high school match," Allen said. "It was a tough match with lots of long rallies, just like it always is when we play, but I'm happy because I played well. It gives me a lot of encouragement heading into state."

Allen, however, is not quite done with district play. Because there were nine teams in the 3A-9 tournament, the matches spilled over to this morning, where Allen will play yet another match at the Hillsborough Community College courts in No. 1 doubles.

In the team race, things went more smoothly as Chamberlain sealed a trip to Friday's regionals by racking up 16 points by the end of Tuesday's play, a point total no team could mathematically overcome.

- SCOTT PURKS, Times staff writer

LAKELAND - The third time was the charm for George Jenkins junior Monica Arguello. Then again, so were the first and second times.

Arguello won her third individual district title at No. 1 singles, cruising to a 6-0, 6-1,victory over Lake Region sophomore Valeisha Kendrick at the Lakeland City Courts.

George Jenkins rallied, winning all seven of the matches it played Tuesday to pull into a tie with King with 20 points. The teams will meet in a duel match today at 9 a.m. to determine the team champion.

Arguello was one of two Eagles to win individual titles. Her younger sister Andrea, a freshman, defeated King's Sarah Mead 6-0, 7-5 to win at No. 2 singles.

King took the finals at No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5. Trailing by two points heading into the doubles final, the Eagles needed to sweep both matches to tie King. Arguello and Brittney Bowman defeated King's Gina Schifano and Noorie Jadeja 6-1, 6-1.

VALRICO - Upsets and letdowns were dominant at the Riverhills Country Club.

Academy of the Holy Names took advantage of Newsome's unusual play to win the championship with 18 points, followed by Newsome with 11, St. Petersburg Catholic (7) and Tampa Catholic (6).

The intense battle during the two days was between Newsome and Academy. Both were even after the first day and both had four in the singles finals. Academy won three individual titles and Newsome had to settle for only the No. 5 title won by Mary Beth Barrett 6-2, 6-2 over Academy's Kayla Holcomb.

One of the big surprises was the championship match. Tampa Catholic freshman Meghan Sullivan knocked off top-seeded Alyssa Lafita 6-1, 6-1.

Since she won the No. 1 title, Sullivan earned a trip to the state tournament next week, even though her team didn't win.

"I was nervous going in, because she beat me earlier in the season in two sets and I know she is a top player," Sullivan said of Lafita. "So I just played one point at a time and did well. I will have to go to state without my team, but I will play my best."

Academy coach Allen Liberato was pleased with the results and accredited some things that could have gone the other way with different results and team scores.

"The Newsome loss at No. 1 was huge for us, our No. 5 Kayla Holcomb was down 5-2 in the semis and came back to win 7-6, 6-1, and our No. 2, Allison Symulevich, avenged an earlier loss to Newsome to win 6-1, 6-0. That was a two-point swing for us."

Other Academy winners were No. 3 Kimberly Renspie and No. 4 Meg Gregorire. The two combined to win the No. 2 doubles. Mellisa Narzissenfeld and Symulevich combined talents to win the No. 1 doubles.

- TERRY JONES, Times correspondent

LAKELAND - Tampa Prep captured a one-point victory over long-time rival Berkeley Prep at Lakeland's Peterson Park.

The competition came down to the final two doubles matches.

All Saints' Academy became a spoiler of sorts when its twosome of Catherine Simon and Kelly Krieger defeated Berkeley Prep's Jamie Ayers and Amanda Morejon 6-2, 6-0 in No. 2 doubles.

Lakeland Christian then had a chance to force a three-way tie with a victory in the No. 1 doubles final. But Tampa Prep's Andrea Meythaler and Kelly Palmer won over the Vikings' Cecil and Ashley Burnetti 6-3, 6-2, giving Tampa Prep 21 points and Berkeley Prep 20.

- THE LEDGER

[Last modified April 19, 2006, 01:59:13]