Local entries fall in tourney final

By MIKE READLING

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 27, 2000

LAKELAND -- Unforced errors and deadly accurate opponents were the theme of the day at Veteran's Park on Wednesday afternoon in the Class 3A state championships.

Just ask Boca Ciega's Tiffany Kalvoda, who ran into Nova's Roberta Spencer in the individual singles championship match, losing 6-0, 6-3. Or maybe Seminole's doubles team of Nicole Cercone and Erin Heeder can attest to that after losing 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 in the individual doubles final to Coral Reef's Stephanie Chizzini and Marsha Malinow.

Kalvoda, making her second appearance in three years in the individual singles final, was simply overmatched by Spencer, who ran her record to 20-0.

"There was a little bit of nerves there in the beginning but I settled down after a while," Kalvoda said. "The score doesn't show it but the match was a lot closer as far as deuces and things like that in the second set."

The junior from Davie played very patient tennis, returning Kalvoda's baseline groundstrokes with powerful strokes of her own, waiting for the Boca Ciega junior to make the errors. Kalvoda didn't disappoint.

The first set was full of netted backhands and forehands, not to mention several wide and long shots and serves. Spencer, on the other hand seemed dialed in, painting the lines with volleys and not making any errors en route to a 6-0 victory.

Kalvoda came back in the second, breaking Spencer's serve to bring the second set to 5-3 but Spencer broke back as Kalvoda strung together a long lob, a mishit of a great Spencer return and a wide shot off the net before succumbing to a brilliant passing shot to the left side for a 6-3 win.

"I played somebody like that yesterday, very consistent, doesn't miss," Kalvoda said. "I'm happy. I can't be mad when I come here and lose in the finals."

The opposite was true for the Warhawks doubles team as they dominated early, winning the first set 6-3 and coming within a break of winning the match at 5-3 in the second. But Coral Reef broke Cercone's serve on four double faults to tie the set at 5, held on Chizzini's serve and then broke Heeder to win 7-5.

Chizzini and Malinow then withstood a Seminole rally, taking the lead at 5-5 by breaking Cercone's serve and holding on until a Malinow volley landed deep in the Seminole corner between the two Seminole duo to end the match.

2A: Lakewood doubles teams swept out

JACKSONVILLE -- Lakewood got its extra day, but that was about all the Spartans would get on the second day at the University of North Florida.

Thanks to wins by Kaela Kennedy and Kristin Oliver and Cari Sundstrom and Talia Pandolfi on Day 1, Lakewood got an extra day to tour Jacksonville. However, matched up against the top-seeded teams in Wednesday's semifinals, the Spartans met their match and then some.

Both doubles teams bowed out in straight sets, winning a total of three games between them. Nonetheless, the Spartans came away wearing smiles, happy to have been part of the state championships and determined to make another run next year.

"(Cardinal Gibbons) is probably a good NCAA Division II, high-school team," Lakewood coach Ron Kennedy said with a chuckle. "But our girls were competitive. Their girls complimented our girls and told them they were the best teams they had faced."

The only other Pinellas team in action Wednesday was Gibbs and the doubles duo of Doug Strott and Chit Neythonongray. The two advanced to the individual doubles quarterfinals by virtue of a default and bowed out of the tournament with a 6-0, 6-0 loss to the No. 1-seeded team of David Goldman and Michael Myles of Miami Gulliver prep.

"I'm proud of their effort," Gibbs coach Troy Crotts said. "These guys are very impressive players, probably two of the best in the state. They hung in there the best they could, but they were outmatched. They knew that, but they gave it their all."

-- CAREY FREEMAN

A: Canterbury players gun for state title

GAINESVILLE -- Natalie Tirapelli and Amy Downy of Canterbury defeated Orlando University's Danielle Rubin and Lindsey Saltzman 7-5, 6-4 and advanced to the final of the girls individual doubles, where they won 6-0, 6-2.

They face the No. 1 doubles team of Devi Sridhar and Amy Radell from Miami Ransom Everglades for the overall state championship.

Canterbury's Chris Goddard won the individual semifinal 6-7, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6). He will play in the final this morning. Goddard and partner John Crooms also got as far as the doubles semifinals before losing.

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