DATE: Friday, April 11, 1997                TAG: 9704100177

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 12   EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:   45 lines

INDIVIDUAL CROWNS LIKELY FOR DUQUETTE AND GROVER

Norfolk Academy, a perennial power in TCIS tennis, has the favorites to win the individual boys and girls titles and should have enough depth to challenge Nansemond-Suffolk (boys) and Norfolk Collegiate (girls) for team championships.

Here's a look at the tennis prospects for TCIS schools in Virginia Beach:

NORFOLK ACADEMY

Coach: Mike Horstman (boys); Mary Peccie (girls)

Top players: Boys - Mike Duquette, Chris Duquette, Mike Butts. Girls - Michelle Grover, Gina Black, Jessica Sperling.

Outlook: Boys - Mike Duquette, playing 1 singles, is among the finest players in the Tidewater area, ranked ninth nationally for boys 16-and-under. His brother Chris will play 2 singles and Butts 3. Girls: Grover, a Nansemond-Suffolk transfer, is the favorite to win the TCIS singles title, and the Bulldogs also have quality depth.

CATHOLIC

Coach: Bill Ellis (boys); David Stubbs (girls)

Top players: Boys - Jay Ronquillo, Jon Ronquillo, Adam Whisman, Nelson Arelland, Benidict Tejada. Girls - Michelle Phillips, Marjorie Mendoza, Marissa Lackman, Laura Cullen, Myghai Hart

Outlook: Boys - Five starters return for Catholic, which went 4-7 last year. Several new players should boost the squad, including freshman Joey Monaco. Girls - Juniors Phillips and Mendoza, 3 and 4 respectively a year ago, return to play the 1 and 2 spots this year. Stubbs is hoping Catholic, ninth in the league last year, can improve to seventh.

CAPE HENRY

Coach: Kristin Fulton (boys); Alyssa Anderson (girls)

Top players: Boys - David Ashinoff, Clay Birkhead, Chandler Fulton. Girls - Elizabeth Hamlet, Emily Byrne, Lisa Ashinoff, Mackenzie Snyder

Outlook: Boys - Young squad led by the junior Ashinoff, who played No. 2 last year. Three starters return; Fulton is a first-year coach. Girls - Will get a boost from Hamlet, a transfer from Cox, who played the 6 spot for the Falcons last fall. With three returners back, Anderson expects a middle-of-the-pack finish. KEYWORDS: TCIS TENNIS

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