THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 7, 1994 TAG: 9409030207
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
FIRST COLONIAL LOST its top two tennis players from a year ago, including the defending region champion, and the Patriots might have to play all their matches on the road this year.
But it probably won't matter. First Colonial is still the team to beat in the Beach District and the odds-on favorite to become the 14th straight league team to win the Eastern Region title.
In fact, the Patriots might be even stronger than the 1993 group which went 13-2, won the region team title and advanced to the Group AAA state tournament.
``I feel like we'll at least be as strong,'' Patriots' coach Sharon Conyers said.
Few teams could withstand the loss of a player like Stephanie Smith, who held down the Patriots' top spot for four years and captured the Beach District and Eastern Region titles as a senior. But then, few schools are located in a area loaded with tennis buffs like First Colonial. Lose a Stephanie Smith, gain a Mily Kannarkat. Stuff like that happens at FC all the time.
Kannarkat, ranked third in the Mid-Atlantic region in the girls 14 and unders, could be the region's best player as a freshman. At age 13, she has the potential to go down as the Patriots' best player since three-time Group AAA state champion Julie Shiflet.
She'll also be bidding to become one-half of the first brother-sister duo to win district titles in league history. George Kannarkat will be gunning for his third straight district crown when the boys tennis season begins next spring.
``Like brother, like sister, I guess,'' she said.
Kannarkat will juggle high school matches around her regional and national tournament schedule, but should be on hand for all the important matches and the post-season. She recently competed in the USTA National 14s Championships in Florida.
An improved Laura Bridges moves up one spot to the No. 2 position. She'll also team with Katy Walters to form one of the league's most formidable doubles teams. Teammates since their freshmen days, Walters and Bridges went two years without losing a regular-season doubles match.
The only negative for this year's Patriots is they have no place to play. The tennis courts at First Colonial are being resurfaced and won't be ready for use until the end of the season, if then. Conyers scheduled all non-district matches away, including a potential Eastern Region championship preview Sept. 12 against powerful Great Bridge.
``Home'' district matches will be played at Owl Creek Municipal Tennis Center.
Cox appears best suited to challenge First Colonial for the district title. As good as the Patriots were last season, the Falcons actually won the league championship, beating FC, 5-4, in their regular-season encounter. First Colonial won the rematch in the Eastern Region final.
The Falcons will feature their usual deep, well-stocked team, led by Andrea Bussey. Bussey is one of the few players who could give Kannarkat trouble this year. Cox will also benefit from the arrival of Shannon Cox, another seasoned tournament player.
Kempsville's Kelly Austin should also figure in the district singles picture. But the Chiefs don't have enough players of Austin's caliber to make a serious run at the top two teams.
The same holds true for Tallwood. The Lions' Leslie Beach, the district singles runner-up as a freshman last year, beat everyone except First Colonial's Smith and looms as Kannarkat's chief rival for the district singles crown. Her presence gave instant respectability to a team which had gone 0-11 the year before. But a lack of depth will prevent Tallwood from challenging First Colonial and Cox in the team race.
As usual, the top talent in the Beach District is so unevenly distributed that the rest of the league enters the campaign with no realistic shot at a team title, something the coaches freely admit.
``We really should be divided into two groups in the Beach,'' said one veteran league coach. ``We can never really do much except be good sports against First Colonial, Cox and Kempsville. They're too strong.''
The best of the rest include Green Run, which returns top players Brandi Reis and Cheri Swofford, and Kellam, headed by Anne Marie Johnson and Norfolk Collegiate transfer Justine Monte. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by LEE TOLLIVER
First Colonial's No. 1 doubles team of Katy Walters, left, and Laura
Bridges went two years without losing a regular-season doubles
match. Bridges and Walters are also Nos. 2 and 3 in singles behind
Mily Kannarkat.
by CNB