Bears roll on with sweep of Leopards

By GREG AUMAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 9, 2000

Central's girls team continued its solid play by completing a season sweep of Hernando on Thursday with a 5-2 victory in Brooksville.

The only regular-season challenge left for the Bears (12-1) looks to be the season finale at undefeated Lecanto, which handed Central its only loss last month. Before that showdown, the Bears have matches Monday and Tuesday against Zephyrhills and Springstead, two opponents that already have fallen 7-0 to Central.

Central defeated Hernando by a much closer 4-3 margin in the Leopards' season opener, and it was a similarly hard-fought victory for Central again Wednesday. Sophomore Jane McDonald, who took her first loss of the season last week against Wesley Chapel, lost the opening set 6-1 to Hernando's Megan Eppley before winning the final two sets 6-3, 6-3.

A tiring day continued for McDonald in doubles, where she and sophomore Jen Ales entered the match undefeated in 12 matches. The Bears duo needed a tiebreaker -- and then some -- to win the opening set against Hernando's Eppley and Jamie Joyce 7-6 (9-7). Hernando answered with a 7-5 win in the second set, but McDonald and Ales kept their doubles record unblemished by prevailing in the third set 6-3.

Hernando trailed 3-2 entering the doubles after picking up singles victories from Katie Heinecke and Katie Warner at Nos. 4 and 5. Heinecke had a 6-2, 6-4 win against Bears senior Dawn Wilson, and Warner handed senior Jeanine Vulpis her second loss of the season with a resilient 1-6, 7-6, 6-4 victory.

Ales, playing No. 2 singles, kept pace with McDonald's 12-1 individual record by beating Joyce 6-4, 6-4, and fellow sophomore Paula Nagarajan beat Hernando's Michelle Ehlenbeck 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.

With all the three-set matches, competition lasted past 9 p.m., but Central coach Joe Nicolai said the close scores were good to see.

"That was just good tennis," he said. "I can't take anything away from Hernando -- they're a good team."

Nicolai said it was a "nasty" match, however, with snide remarks going back and forth between players to a disappointing extent.

"I was glad to get out of there," he said. "I'm not saying my girls were perfect either, but I was disappointed by the way the conduct deteriorated the level of play."

Players from the two teams will get one last chance at each other on April 17 when the district tournament begins at Zephyr Park in Zephyrhills.

EAGLES HOPEFUL: Springstead's girls team enters the final week of the season still searching for its first victory, but first-year coach Roxanne DeAngelis said her team has lost several matches by a single point and has a good chance for its first win Monday when the Eagles host Crystal River.

The first match against the Pirates was a 4-3 loss that came down to a third-set tiebreaker at No. 5 singles that sophomore Tiffany O'Connell lost 10-8.

"It was a really excellent match," said DeAngelis, adding that O'Connell's game has improved considerably this season, especially her solid topspin forehand. "All of the girls are looking forward to districts."

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