THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 11, 1995 TAG: 9505090092
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
FEW WILL BE surprised if Norfolk Collegiate takes the Tidewater Conference girls tennis title next year.
But can the team of the future make Nansemond-Suffolk Academy's dominance a thing of the past right now?
That's the goal of the youthful Oaks, who will try to unseat eight-time champion Nansemond-Suffolk at the TCIS girls tennis championships Friday and Saturday at Huntington Park in Newport News.
The Saints swept through the regular season unbeaten, but had to battle to pull out a 6-3 victory over the Oaks. Two of N-SA's victories came in three sets.
That might be the last N-SA victory over Norfolk Collegiate for awhile, however. Four of Nansemond-Suffolk's top six players will graduate this spring, while Norfolk Collegiate will lose no one. In fact, the Oaks' two oldest starters, Carol Baker and Harper Meredith, are mere sophomores.
``Next year, we should be the team to beat,'' Norfolk Collegiate coach Micki Campbell said. ``But I think we have a shot this year, too.''
Unlike the public school playoffs, the TCIS championship is actually nine separate tournaments (six singles and three doubles). Players and doubles teams earn team points with each victory.
Play begins at 2 p.m. Friday, and resumes at 9 a.m. Saturday.
A rundown of the favorites in each division:
First singles: Nansemond-Suffolk's Clara Marks, a two-time runner-up to Cape Henry's Jessica Zaganczyk, has barely been tested this season and looms as a heavy favorite. Norfolk Collegiate's Kim Mauney, Hampton Roads Academy's Sara Curbow and Norfolk Academy's Jennifer Jacobson and Norfolk Christian's April Megginson will battle for second.
Second singles: Another N-SA victory is likely, as eighth-grader Michelle Grover has been dominant. Norfolk Collegiate's Carol Baker and Norfolk Academy's Bev Freda Jackson, the best of the rest, have split two meetings.
Third singles: Norfolk Collegiate's Karen Reina would love another crack at N-SA's Jody Nemish. Reina blew a 6-4, 4-1 lead against Nemish and lost in three sets during the regular season. A rematch should come in Saturday's final.
Fourth singles: Norfolk Collegiate's Melissa Balaban is unbeaten in league play. N-SA's Susan Johnson could challenge.
Fifth singles: The most competitive of the divisions. Nansemond-Suffolk's Erin Esleeck is unbeaten in league play, but she lost a non-conference match to HRA's Dena Heath. Norfolk Collegiate's Harper Meredith took Esleeck to three sets, and Norfolk Academy's Eva Szentpetery should also be a factor.
Sixth singles: Norfolk Collegiate's Jamie Goldwasser hasn't lost a league match. Walsingham's Lindsey Fisher and N-SA's Lisa Holland will contend.
Doubles: Nansemond-Suffolk's Marks and Grover, the best team in the tournament, are pretty much locks in the No. 1 bracket, and N-SA's Johnson and Nemish are solid picks at No. 2. Norfolk Collegiate's Goldwasser and Balaban rate the edge at third doubles.
Heading into the TCIS boys tennis season, it appeared as though only injuries could prevent powerful Norfolk Academy from winning another tournament title.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, it looks like they have a couple of injuries to deal with. Back injuries to No. 2 Alex Johnston and No. 4 Mike Duquette could keep both out of the TCIS tournament, which runs Friday and Saturday at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy.
The status of both players was questionable heading into Tuesday's regular-season finale against Nansemond-Suffolk, and Norfolk Academy coach Mike Horstman was even more concerned about using the players in Friday's TCIS tournament, where they'd have to play back-to-back matches.
But with or without those two players, the Bulldogs appear to still have too much talent for the rest of the league. Norfolk Academy's depth is scary - having a nationally ranked player (Mike Duquette) at No. 4 is almost unheard of.
Norfolk Academy has won all of its TCIS matches by 9-0 scores. And two weeks ago, without Duquette, the Bulldogs went on the road and knocked off perennial state power Woodberry Forest, the first time that's happened in Horstman's 11-year tenure.
But while there is little mystery in the team outcome, the No. 1 singles tournament appears to be wide open. Virtually every school has someone who can cause trouble, and the talent level of these players is so high one could argue the division is tougher than the Eastern Region tournament.
Nansemond-Suffolk's Craig Rice, the runner-up a year ago, was unbeaten in the league heading into Tuesday's showdown with Norfolk Academy's Bryan Duquette. The winner of that match will be the top seed. Defending champion Brad Schloss of Norfolk Collegiate has had an uneven season, but could still put it all together. Others who can do damage include Norfolk Christian's Matt Mostiller, Hampton Roads Academy's Jonathan Chou and West Point-bound Mike Fox of Walsingham. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
Norfolk Christian's April Megginson is among the competitors who
will battle in the first singles in the Tidewater Conference
tournament.
by CNB