Ohio High School Tennis
FRIDAY,
Bob Peterson - OTZ Friend Running for Congress
A special election for the 15th District in the House of Representatives takes place on Tuesday, August 3. A personal friend of ours, Bob Peterson, is running for the seat. Just as I once did, Bob currently lives on a farm in Fayette County and he attended Miami Trace High School.
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Bob and Lisa Peterson - Click to enlarge |
In addition to farming, he has served in the Ohio House as a Senator and Representative. He was also a Fayette County commissioner and president of the Ohio Farm Bureau.
We have played Euchre with Bob and his wife, Lisa, on New Year's Eve for a couple of decades. I win sometimes. I lose sometimes. I always gain weight..
Their children also attended Miami Trace and they even played tennis for Trace.
The Congressional maps can be a bit weird and this District is no exception. It includes a part of Columbus, Hilliard, and Upper Arlington. It also includes a substantial number of rural Ohio counties. Some of the other cities in the District include Lancaster, Wilmington, London, Mount Sterling, Washington C.H., and Athens. Click to view the map.
He would do a great job in Congress. Please consider voting for him. And especially in this election, every vote does matter.
THURSDAY,
OTZ Girls State Team Draws Now Available
The OhioTennisZone.com Enhanced State Team Draws are now online.
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State Team Tournament Draws - Click to go to draws |
The draws are available at the top of this page and they will remain there throughout the season. As with everything else on OTZ, the goal is to enable high school tennis fans to quickly obtain the information they need rather than to maximize OTZ clicks and page views. As indicated in the four features that are circled: 1) the most recent update date is included; 2) the navigation links allow users to quickly jump throughout the draw; 3) the Team designation means that a Team Membership was purchased and that all of the individual player information is available via their OTZ Player Profiles; and 4) the team links are "click-able" to enable fans to do more research. For the best experience, sign-in to OTZ first. The goal is to keep the draws promptly updated throughout the season. Please click on Feedback if you are aware of a result that is not yet posted.
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State Team Tournament Participation- Click to enlarge |
The number of girls teams that enter the tournament varies from year to year. There are 116 teams participating this year and this is the lowest number of teams since OTZ started tracking this information seven years ago. The number of girls teams by year is: 2015 - 134; 2016 - 133; 2017 - 132; 2018 - 133; 2019 - 124; 2020 - 118, and 2021 - 116. As shown in the graph, Northeast has the most participants and Central has the least. Out of the 398 OHSAA girls tennis teams, 29% of the teams are competing in this tournament. Please click on the graph to enlarge it for easier viewing.
WEDNESDAY,
11..
The OHSAA Girls Season begins in just eleven more days. How did OTZ staffers find out? The OhioTennisZone calendar is listed below..
OhioTennisZone.com
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| Aug. 1 (Su): First Day of Coaching |
| Aug. 6 (F): High School Match Play Begins |
| Aug. 4 (Th)-16: USTA National Championships - B16/18 - G16/18 |
| Aug. 15 (Su): |
| Aug. 28 (Sa): SAT Date |
| Sep. 6 (M)-8: Rosh Hashanah |
| Sep. 7 (Tu): Non-Interscholastic Date |
| Sep. 11 (Sa): ACT Test Date |
| Sep. 15 (W)-16: Yom Kippur |
| Sep. 19 (Su): Waiver Extension Ends |
| Sep. 26 (Su): Sectional Draw |
| Oct. 4 (M)-Oct. 9: Sectional Tournament |
| Oct. 2 (Sa): SAT Date |
| Oct. 11 (M)-16: District Tournament |
| Oct. 22 (F)-23: State Tournament |
| Oct. 24 (Su): State Team Tournament |
| Oct. 23 (Sa): ACT Date |
| Oct. 30 (Sa): HS Season Ends |
The key dates for the season are included in the table. It also includes key testing dates, holidays, and, of course, the key OHSAA dates. This calendar will remain in the right-side navigation bar during the entire season.
The Western & Southern Open High School day was crossed out because of Tour-related restrictions. It was still listed because it is worthwhile to keep this in mind for future years.
Speaking of the W&S Open, they are shy of volunteers in a few areas such as Access Scanning, Marshals, Transportation Drivers and Ushers. People can contact W&S at volunteers@cincytennis.com or call them at 513-651-0303 and ask for the Volunteer Office.
In previous years, more high level USTA tournaments were listed, but now only the highest level Russian spies and hackers trained in China, North Korea, and Bloomingburg have the technical expertise to to delve into the USTA web site to figure out when and where these tournaments are being held. (They are not talking...) For those who are not tennis regulars, the USTA made substantial changes to their web site and these changes were not well-received..
If you are currently an OTZ Member, there is no need to go through the sign-up process again for OhioTennisZone. Please just mail or PayPal your payment to OhioTennisZone.com. Click the link for the OTZ PayPal info.
OTZ will soon post its Pre-Season Top 10 Team lists after it is clear where players are going to attend school and which girls are playing high school tennis.
It is highly encouraged that the OTZ Top 10 teams become OTZ Team Members. OhioTennisZone provides the teams in the Top 10 with a great deal of recognition and coverage. This recognition is very helpful because many middle school kids follow OTZ and they want to be a part of a program which has a winning tradition. It is a complete no-brainer for private schools to be team members because attracting strong tennis players also means more tuition dollars for the school, but it also makes sense for public schools, too. Consider an OTZ Team Membership as the cheapest and most effective advertisement that you can buy, plus it is focused on the absolute perfect audience for your program. Click on Join OTZ for more information about being a team, coach, or individual OTZ member.
Note that graduates are still included on rosters. Many fans like to see which players have graduated. Note to coaches - OTZ will remove the graduates as match play begins. It is unnecessary for coaches to remove them.
MONDAY,
Photos Updated -- Top Photos of Boys Season
The last few days have been devoted to processing photos from the boys high school season. Approximately 5,000 photos were taken during the season. Of those, over 150 were posted as action photos and several dozen were posted as team photos. A large number of photos were recently added under the cleverly named drop-down, Most Recently Added Photos. (Please sign-in to view.) The Top 10 (ish) Boys Photos for 2021 were also updated.
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Indian Hill's Tejas Pisati - Click to enlarge |
Obviously, picking the top photos is a subjective thing. The top photos normally have the following in common: good player and ball spacing, high quality sun, high quality competition, great eye-on-ball, good body coiling, no hats that block the sun from player eyes, good athleticism, and a subdued or pleasing background. Nothing ruins a photo more than a distracting background of cars, signs, or port-a-johns.
As it has been in the past, there tends to be a great sun day that produces numerous good photos. That was the case this season when Dublin Scioto played Dublin Jerome at Dublin Scioto. There were three in the top ten photos from this match. (Dublin Scioto is one of my new favorite places to take photos.)
Speaking of a distracting background of signs and cars, the old Upper Arlington courts were removed in the spring and construction of the ten new courts is well underway. The new courts are expected to be awesome. Upper Arlington should be the new, go-to location for future combo-dual matches where teams from the Southwest, Northeast, and Northwest District travel for great competition. Five of the ten courts have lights. Click to view an OTZ Tweet of the UA facility under construction.
The worst eleven words that a tennis photographer will hear are, "My son is playing doubles. Can you please take his photo?" The second worse is, "McNasty's Food truck will not be at the Southwest District Tournament." While it is possible to get a really good action photo of a doubles player, it probably takes about 5x more time than a singles match to get one. There are multiple reasons. Players do not make as many balls. Many first serves are faults. (Boys think that the benefit of hitting one ace outweighs four doubles faults..) Partners block the sought-after player from the camera's view. It is far more difficult to get a photo of the player in the Ad court than the deuce court. There was just one doubles photos in this year's top ten.
The 150+ photos were the tip of the iceberg in terms of photos taken. If you are absolutely positively going to purchase a photo of your son (or daughter), OTZ will provide you with a PDF of additional photos to review before you make your purchase. You do have to purchase at least one photo (and hopefully, you will purchase several more).
The launch of PickleballZone.com on June 6 went well and eight clubs are participating in the adult summer pickleball league. Launching any new web site and service is super-time consuming though. Now more time can be devoted to tennis. Look for more tennis content in the coming days.
FRIDAY,
Final OTZ Team Rankings: Mason #1 in D1 | Orange #1 in D2
Well, that was an interesting season.. After taking an unfortunate year off, the Ohio Boys high school season came back strong and successfully finished the year. Many thanks to everyone who put in the extra hours to insure that the boys would have a tennis season this spring.
OhioTennisZone.com |
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| Division I | Division II |
| 1. Mason◄TEAM 2 State Spots | Orange◄TEAM 3 |
| 2. New Albany 2 | Indian Hill◄TEAM 2 |
| 3. University◄TEAM 3 | Columbus Academy◄TEAM 1 |
| 4. St. Xavier◄TEAM 2 | Seven Hills◄TEAM 1 |
| 5. Sycamore◄TEAM 2 | Wellington◄TEAM 3 |
| 6. Springboro◄TEAM 1 | Cinc. Country Day◄TEAM 2 |
| 7. Dublin Jerome◄TEAM 2 | Chagrin Falls 2 |
| 8. Walsh Jesuit 1 | Lexington◄TEAM 2 |
| 9. St. Ignatius 2 | Bexley◄TEAM 0 |
| 10. Findlay◄TEAM 1 | Oakwood◄TEAM 1 |
| HM: Solon◄TEAM 1 | Ursuline◄TEAM 0 |
| HM: Olentangy◄TEAM 0 | Ottawa Hills 1 |
| HM: Mass. Jackson◄TEAM 2 | Hawken◄TEAM 1 |
◄TEAM - Denotes OTZ Team Membership. Click on School Name for Extensive Information. State Spots in Gray |
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There are unlikely any surprises in the final OTZ rankings. Mason led the way during the entire season. Orange was a close #2 all season and they eked out a close win against Indian Hill in the finals. There were a few changes from the pre-season rankings due to injuries and positive surprises. Click for the OTZ Pre-Season Rankings that were published on February 26.
In addition to the rankings, the State Spots that each team earned is also shown. (One doubles team is one spot.) Also included are the OTZ Team designations to indicate which schools have detailed information available for each player.
Congratulations to the teams listed.
There have been 71 daily OhioTennisZone updates made in a row (since March 26). While I am a morning person, the 5:30am (or earlier) alarms get a little tiresome. While there will still be updates, the continuous run ends today.
Again, there will be updates next week, but not this weekend. The Columbus-area Adult Summer Coed Pickleball League begins this Sunday and there is still a considerable amount of work to do. Hope to see a few of you playing. Click for PickleballZone.com for more information. Click to view the participating clubs. In an effort to find a sport (any sport) in which I can be successful, I will be playing. I can; however, totally and completely annihilate friends and family playing Rack-o though.
THURSDAY,
OhioTennisZone.com's All-Ohio Boys Tennis Team
Congratulations to the boys selected for the OhioTennisZone's All-Ohio Boys Tennis Team for 2021.
OhioTennisZone's All-Ohio |
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Division I - Singles |
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Division II - Singles |
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Division I - Doubles |
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 Devin Boyer New Albany |
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Division II - Doubles |
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The OTZ list is a bit different than the OHSAA All-Ohio team. While a player's performance at States is the best way to get on the team, OTZ also looks at a player's entire season and includes players who may not have even qualified for States because of unfortunate District draws. OTZ also believes that the OHSAA team is too mechanical in its approach by granting honors only based on the rounds in which players reach at States. If a player reaches the semi-finals, he is on the first team and quarter finalists are on the second team. If a player gets an unfavorable draw in the first round of States, then he might not receive any recognition. Again, their list is great, but a more subjective approach allows other deserving players to be recognized.
The number of players included on this list will vary from year to year. This year's group has a few more players than in previous years because this year's group has more D1 recruits.
More players are becoming OTZ members - either by enrolling individually or via a Team Membership. OTZ members are provided with a Player Profile as indicated by the yellow-PP. Click on the player name to view his OTZ Player Profile. Click Join OTZ to obtain a Player Profile and to be recognized later on the College List.
The OTZ Top Players Lists will eventually be updated. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest. To see all of the players on one page, click on All Districts.OTZ will soon list next year's top upcoming freshman players. The purpose of this list is to not only recognize the players but to also help coaches understand which teams should be included in their schedules next spring.
As for photos.. Things are still waaay backed up with other non-tennis projects that need to be addressed.
Again, congratulations to these players.
WEDNESDAY,
Who Uses What on OhioTennisZone?
What is accessed on OhioTennisZone and who accesses it? It is time for the seasonal usage edition. Read on to learn what areas of the nation access OTZ the most. Which players get the most views on their OTZ Player Profiles; and what team pages generate the most views. The usage covered is for the time period of March 8 to May 31.
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Gahanna's Brandon Carpico - Click to enlarge |
Some numbers that have not been shared in the past include the total number of users and the total number of pageviews. Per Google Analytics, there are now 30,825 users who accessed OTZ during the above time period. For the 2019 season, the total was 23,383. That's a 32% increase. The number of pageviews in 2019 was 372,004 and that increased to 453,600. That's a 22% increase. Note that the number of users counts the number of devices that people use to access OTZ. For that reason, the actual number of users is probably about half of the above.
The Mason team page drew the most interest during the season. The other teams in the top ten (in order) were: Columbus Academy, Dublin Jerome, University School, St. Xavier, Indian Hill, New Albany, Orange, Olentangy, and Wellington.While it is unknown who specifically accesses each OTZ page, note that middle school players and parents are certainly big users. Teams need to think of these OTZ Team pages as advertisements for potential future customers (and/or team players / students).
The top pages accessed on OhioTennisZone (outside of this main page) are listed below and sorted in pageview order. The OTZ Personlized Report is what users see when they first login and it is new this season. The biggest usage day of the season was on the second day of States.
- Central Ohio Team Lookup
- Boys State Draws-2021
- OTZ Personalized Report (page presented at sign-in)
- Boys State Team Draws
- Southwest Ohio Team Lookup
- Northeast Ohio Team Lookup
There were changes in which Metro Areas use OTZ. The Cleveland-Akron Metro (with 18%) area is now higher than Cincinnati Metro (17%) in terms of users as more teams join OTZ from that area of the state. The Columbus Metro remains the highest at 31%. Other top areas are: Dayton (4%), Toledo (3.5%), and Detroit (3%). Other areas above 1% are Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia. This is the first time that the Toledo area has done better than the Detroit-metro area, which is great.
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Liberty's Bodavula- Click to enlarge |
Mason's Gogineni |
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NA's Mudre |
St. X's Temming - Click to enlarge |
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Pick. North's Uppu - Click to enlarge |
SC's Yakubov |
The six players who had the most views of their OTZ Player Profiles during the girls season are (in alphabetical order): Olentangy Liberty's Vishnu Bodavula, Mason's Vignesh Gogineni, New Albany's Ryan Mudre, St. Xavier's Charlie Temming, Pickerington North's Pavan Uppu, and St. Charles's Reece Yakubov. Click on the player names above to view their OTZ Player Profiles. The parent associated with the Player Profile may view the total number of views since the Player Profile was created. The photos of the players to the right may be clicked to enlarge them.
Yes, Twitter is largely a waste of time. OTZ has cut down on its usage substantially this season because of Twitter's policy on freedom of speech (or lack thereof). It does; however, draw people from Twitter onto the OhioTennisZone web site. It also extends the OhioTennisZone brand. The top six OTZ tweets for the season are as follows:
1. Gahanna’s Brandon Carpico wins the D1 Singles Championship [Tweet]
2. Orange wins the D2 State Team Championship, 3-2, over Indian Hill. [Tweet]
3. This will be a big week for matches as schools return from spring break. Today's featured team is @ColumbusAcademy. They are OTZ Team members and they are coached by Marc Wurtzman. Click for more at ohiotenniszone.com/#2021-04-05_art. [Tweet]
4. Congratulations to all of the players and especially the State Champions. On to the State Team Tournament.. Click for more at https://ohiotenniszone.com/#2021-05-30_art . [Tweet]
5. New Albany beats University School. It is Mason versus NA in the D1 Finals. [Tweet]
6. Click for the OHSAA Boys State Tennis Draws.. https://ohiotenniszone.com/tennis_state_draw [Tweet]
There was one coach who mentioned how OTZ really seems to be catching on with the kids, and the numbers above may be an indication of that. It also feels as if "tennis" is undergoing a transition as kids' interests are pulled in so many different directions. It is also unfortunate to see the reduction in television coverage that the sport receives and the continued decrease in the number of college tennis programs (which are comprised primarily of foreign players). The USTA also continues to take missteps (the latest being the software changes) which made it that much harder for families. "Tennis" needs to "right the ship" and understand that it is in competition with other sports (i.e. lacrosse) and with other activities. Coaches who are not OhioTennisZone members need to understand how OTZ can help them and their teams.
OTZ appreciates its sponsors and advertisers and it can always use more. Please contact OTZ for more information. Online activity continues to grow. For more information about advertising, please submit a Feedback.
In tomorrow's update, OhioTennisZone.com presents its All-Ohio Boys Tennis Team.
TUESDAY,
OHSAA Tournament Championship Points
Videos of three of the championship points were captured this season. The Division 2 doubles championship point was missed by just a couple of minutes. It appeared that the Division 2 singles would finish before the D2 doubles but that did not turn out to be the case. The order of finish was D1 Doubles, D1 Singles, D2 Doubles, and then, D2 Singles.
If parents or fans were able to take video of the last point or two of the D2 dubs match, OTZ would welcome it. Please submit a Feedback to exchange email addresses.
New camera gear provided a much better video image, but the width of the video was less than in 2019. It was difficult to get both teams or players into the frame unless they played on a stadium court.
New software was used this year and photos of the players were included at the end of the videos.
For best results, use full screen mode and increase the resolution to HD.
There is not much control over the image that is selected for the video. When time permits, this image may be tweaked.
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Division I Singles: Gahanna's Brandon Carpicodefeated Mason's Vignesh Gogineni. |
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Division I Doubles: New Albany's Ryan Mudre - Devin Boyer beat Mason's Sam King - Akshay Joshi. |
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Division II Singles: Chagrin Falls's Andrew Zimcosky defeated Orange's Ben Pomeranets |
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Division II Doubles: Orange's Josh Nwaozuzu - Chika Nwaozuzu beat Columbus Academy's Jack Madison - Arie Tuckerman. |
There are always some scoring snafus found by coaches as they begin to print off their end-of-season reports. If results are incorrect, please provide:
- the *incorrect* match information. The error first needs to be located in the database and their are a zillion scores. Please include the date, the name(s) of all of the player(s) and their schools, and the score.
- then provide the correct match information which includes all of the above, but with the correct information
If the commentary is incorrect, please provide *when* the commentary was in error, the erroneous comments, and what it should be. Screen shots are always helpful.
Please keep in mind there are quite a few moving parts. The players could have reported the wrong score, the coach could have recorded it incorrectly, the newspaper may have posted it incorrectly, or maybe, just possibly, OTZ could have made an error.
Tomorrow is the OTZ usage issue which includes the most viewed teams and players.
MONDAY,
Mason D1 | Orange D2 State Team Champions
That was an exciting way to end the season. Mason defeated New Albany and Orange beat Indian Hill. Both were 3-2 thrillers. Mason clinched their championship on court 3 singles (Eric Tang) and Orange won theirs on 2nd dubs (Gabi Kalir - Jake Goldstein). Both of those matches were 3-setters. (Of course.)
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Mason D1 Team Champs - Click to enlarge |
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Orange D2 Team Champs - Click to enlarge |
In the third place matches, University School defeated Findlay and Columbus Academy beat Lexington. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
This was Mason's third championship in a row [photos - 2018, 2019]. Will we see any of these eight teams again? Maybe on Sunday, May 29, 2022? Probably. Mason loses just three seniors in their core group. As for the others, Orange loses one; Indian Hill - two; Lex - one; and Findlay - one. New Albany, University School, and Columbus Academy get hit hard with graduations.
Among the top players, Mason's Vignesh Gogineni defeated Findlay's Max Hosey and New Albany's Devin Boyer; Orange's Ben Pomeranets beat Columbus Academy's Jack Madison and Indian Hill's Tejas Pisati; New Albany's Ryan Mudre defeated University School's Nathan Mu and Mason's Akshay Joshi; New Albany's Devin Boyer beat University School's Dean Kirchick; and Columbus Academy's Jack Madison defeated Lexington's Ryan Mercurio. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Click for articles about the State Team Tournament from the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Columbus Dispatch.
There will be more OTZ content released this week and then I'll wrap up the season.
SUNDAY,
Congratulations to the State Champions | State Team Tournament Ready to Roll
Congratulations to all of the players yesterday and especially to the State Champions. The year started out somewhat uncertain with COVID-19 and ended on a high note. While it would have been great to play the entire tournament at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, it was nice to play the semi's and finals there. Yes, it was chilly but there was still cramping - even with the cool temperatures.
In the battle of the Districts, the Central had three semi-finalists and two champions; the Northeast had five semi-finalists and two champions; the Northwest had two semi-finalists; and the Southwest had six semi-finalists. The Southeast / East District combo had no players reach the semi-finals.
The tournament finished at 3:30pm on Court 8 with the Division II Singles match. Click for the final results at draws.
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Gahanna's Carpico - Click to enlarge |
NA's Boyer-Mudre |
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Chagrin Falls' Zimcosky |
Oranges' Nwaozuzu's |
The State champions and the finalists are:
Division I Singles: Gahanna's Brandon Carpico defeated St. Ignatius' Nathaniel Day and Mason's Vignesh Gogineni in the finals.
Division I Doubles: New Albany's Devin Boyer - Ryan Mudre beat Walsh Jesuit's Caleb Miller - Ben Cors and Mason's Sam King - Akshay Joshi in the finals
Division II Singles: Chagrin Falls' Andrew Zimcosky defeated Seven Hills' Avi Mahajan and Orange's Ben Pomeranets in the finals.
Division II Doubles: Orange's Chika Nwaozuzu - Josh Nwaozuzu beat Indian Hill's Tejas Pisati - RJ Poffenberger and Columbus Academy's Arie Tuckerman - Jack Madison in the finals.
OTZ usage spiked again yesterday. There will be an "usage edition" this week that highlights the most popular teams, players, and tweets.
There were not as many OTZ photos taken at this States because of the inclement weather. If you know that I was at your son's court taking photos and you want a photo(s), please contact me. The expectation is that you will purchase at least one photo.
See you soon at New Albany (D1) and Reynoldsburg (D2). The first round matches are: Mason versus Findlay and University School versus New Albany. Division II starts with Indian Hill versus Lexington and Orange versus Columbus Academy. The OTZ plans are to start at Division I.
SATURDAY,
On to Day 2 of States..
Yesterday worked out as well as it could have been expected given the weather situation. There had not been a rain-out since moving the tournament from Ohio State and things went smoothly. Division I competition was held at Five Seasons Family Sports Center while Division II was at Camargo Racquet Club. The day took longer than normal, but that was to be expected since the Lindner Family Tennis Center has 16 courts available for use.
Today's matches will take place at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
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State Draws - Click for draws |
It was nice to see so many familiar faces yesterday rather than people who we potentially might have known but we could not tell because of the masks.. Hopefully bank robbers will be the only ones wearing masks soon.
This will be a quick update today since I need to dash down to the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
It was no surprise that the OTZ draws were popular yesterday. OTZ had a new usage record yesterday as tennis fans accessed the draws from throughout the state and throughout the day. The indoor environment made it relatively easy for me to obtain scores because I could ask many of the players for the results as they left the court.
Remember to save the following URL on your mobile device to stay abreast of results.
The results of the players still in the singles draws include the following. Division I: St. Ignatius' Nathaniel Day defeated Walnut Hills' Phillip Kogan and St. Charles' Reece Yakubov; Gahanna's Brandon Carpico beat Mayfield's Yukun Wang and St. Xavier's Charlie Temming; Mason's Vignesh Gogineni defeated Warren Harding's An.Payiavlas and Olentangy Liberty's Vishnu Bodavula; and St. Johns Jesuit's Aiden Williams beat Anderson's Payson Scott and Highland's Elijah Hadler.
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St. Ignatius' Nathaniel Day - Click to enlarge |
Division II: Indian Hill's Jack Pollock defeated Lakeview's Ryan Carnahan and Wellington's Sanjan Shanker; Orange's Ben Pomeranets beat Mariemont's Will Stephens and Bryan's Jay Fortner; Seven Hills' Avi Mahajan defeated Waverly's Penn Morrison and Ottawa Hills' Matthew McGee; and Chagrin Falls' Andrew Zimcosky beat Summit Country Day's Elizabeth Fahrmeier and Wellington's Griffin Biernat.
Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The OTZ Player Profile player with the most number of accesses was St. Ignatius' Nathaniel Day who is pictured above.
Good luck to everyone today!
Ok. Fine. It's 50 degrees. Wear your black shirts..
FRIDAY,
Mother Nature Versus Ohio Tennis | OTZ Interview with Ben Martin
While we need the rain, we do not need the rain today. Play will be indoors today. Division I will be at:
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State Draws - Click for draws |
Five Seasons Family Sports Center
11790 Snider Road
Cincinnati, OH 45249
Division II is at:
Carmargo Racquet Club
8215 Camargo Road
Cincinnati, OH 45243
There is overflow parking available for D2 in the unoccupied building north of Carmargo.
Remember to save the following URL on your mobile device to stay abreast of the results.
The third and final interview for this season is with Ben Martin. Martin is a senior at University School, which is located in the Northeast District.
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University School's Ben Martin - Click to enlarge |
Martin has been involved with tennis for most of his life. "I started playing when I was seven or eight when my dad would take me to our local courts and hit with me. The more I kept playing, the more I enjoyed it. Soon enough I was going to lessons and playing in leagues and tournaments. I started regularly playing USTA Midwest tournaments around the age of 11. My dad (Scott) has played tennis mostly his whole life but my mom (Sue) only started playing after I took up the sport."
For his tennis goals, "At this point, my goal is to win States. I have qualified for States in singles and my whole team just qualified for the State Team Final Four. I know it might seem like a stretch to win States but I always reach for the stars." It actually is not a big reach. Martin is a TennisRecruiting.net 4-Star [link] and he is ranked 165 in the nation in his age group. His ranking has steadily improved over the years - from 243 in 2018, 200 in 2019, and 170 in 2020. His Universal Tennis Rating is 10.79.
While his opponents may not share the same level of enthusiasm about Martin's tennis strokes, Martin says that, "My favorite shot is my inside-out forehand, and I'd say it is also my weapon. Slapping a high inside-out forehand for a winner gives me so much satisfaction."
While he has enjoyed tennis, he has really liked high school tennis. "I love the team atmosphere. In USTA tournaments and most other matches, tennis is an individual sport. Now in high school tennis, you have a whole team cheering for you and sometimes even more people in the crowd. An audience can really make a difference in close matches and help push you over the hump when you need it the most. In addition, I made so many new friends for life from playing high school tennis."
Martin will continue to play in college. "I committed to attending and playing tennis for Case Western Reserve University. When looking for colleges, I looked for one that had a strong engineering program and a Division 3 tennis team where I would fit in well. I think CWRU is a good fit because it has both of those. On top of that, it is not too far or too close from home, so I will be able to still see my family often. I was also considering RPI."
Martin stays busy with classwork. He is also a math / science guy, and he has taken six AP's. They were: Calculus BC, Chemistry, US History, English Literature, Physics C, and Statistics. He enjoyed calculus the most. "In college I plan on majoring in Chemical Engineering. Ever since I was little I always loved math and was better at it than other subjects. I enjoyed it more because there always was a clear and concise answer to each problem. I would compete in math competitions such as MathCounts as well as join math club at school. I think part of the reason for this is because my father was an engineering professor and would always help me out on my homework to make sure I understood it."
His father is a retired Youngstown professor and his mother was a financial advisor. Both of his parents were engineering grads in college.
Martin started school in the Canfield school system, but moved to University School after his freshman year for academic and athletic reasons. University School soldiered on during COVID-19 and they had in-person school the entire year.
Coaches who are not analytical may benefit from having Martin on their payroll. When asked about his usage of OTZ, he shared. "I read the articles on OhioTennisZone every morning during tennis season. I like to keep up with tennis in the state and see the results of people I know every day. I also use it to look at teams we may face in the future and figure out what lineups would work best against them. Because I like math, I enjoy considering different lineups and looking at the odds in order to give our team the best chance to win."
For social media, he uses Instagram and Snapchat. His Instagram username is ben_martin_tennis.
For his community service work, he has continued to be involved with tennis. "I used to be involved in inner-city tennis in Cleveland, where I helped introduce and coach kids about tennis during a summer camp. I had to do 15 hours for school but I decided to do more because I enjoyed it so much."
Coach Adam Atwell offered this about Martin. "It is rare for a player as talented as Ben to be as humble as he is. Ben is the best kind of captain. He cheers for his teammates. He listens to coaching and he never asked for special privileges.
Martin begins his run at States in the first round against Olentangy Liberty's Vishnu Bodavula.
THURSDAY,
OhioTennisZone Video of Its Top Picks for the State Championships
It is time for something new (at least for the boys season). Last season, OhioTennisZone released its first video that identified the girls who are favored to win the State Championships. Now it is time to do the same with the boys.
Click for OTZ Top Picks for States - Click for video |
The video uses a combination of OTZ action photos and videos that were taken over the last three years. Hope you find it to be interesting and informative.
Time frames are always super tight in creating these videos. This video was hammered out yesterday afternoon, evening, and this morning. I am also still getting accustomed to Adobe Premiere Pro. (Remember, how I said that I was "still getting accustomed to the software"? Well, apparently not enough. This is the second version of the video. It contains all of the content..)
The names are always challenging for me to pronounce. Rather than say that the OTZ pronunciations are incorrect, families affected are kindly requested to use the awkward, contorted pronunciations used in this video from this point forward..
There are a few items that I knew but misspoke on the video. It is Arie Tuckerman, not Eric. Arie and Jack Madison play for Columbus Academy. Sorry.. Unfortunately, this list will likely grow as the day progresses.
There were not as many action photos and videos as had been hoped. OTZ was restricted from being on the courts at the Northeast D2 Districts and that tournament was always a great source of photos and videos. This was the only restriction encountered for the boys high school season and the restriction was for both indoor and outdoor matches. The Greater Cincinnati Tennis Coaches Association Classic Tournament, held at the beginning of May, is another good source but the number of teams was restricted by location, and Flight A was limited to just four teams.
WEDNESDAY,
OhioTennisZone Interview of St. Xavier's Charlie Temming | Lexington and Findlay Finally Take the Final Final Four Spots
The second OTZ boys interview of the season is with Charlie Temming. Temming is a senior at St. Xavier in the Southwest District.
Temming has one state championship under his belt and he is looking for another one in singles. He teamed up with Preston Stearns [photo] to win the OHSAA Division I Doubles Championship in 2019 [pdf]. "My goal for senior year is to win States of course, I am the two seed coming out of my district, but I still believe I have a very good chance at making a deep run into the state draw."
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St. Xavier's Charlie Temming - Click to team page |
How is he going to get there? "My favorite shot is clearly my forehand, which is also my weapon. My forehand is my best shot by far because I am able to hit it in anywhere in the court with extreme power and control - making it deadly when on."
He sports an impressive 4-Star ranking [link] on TennisRecruiting.net and a Universal Tennis Ranking of 11.65. His national ranking is 80 for his age group. The last time he checked his serve speed, it clocked in at 109mph.
Temming started playing tennis at a relatively early age but he also played other sports until 7th grade. "I started playing tennis when I was 8 years old mainly because my mom and her whole family played tennis in college, so she had me try it out to see if I enjoyed it." At one point, his mother, Heidi, held the all-time record in singles wins at Xavier. His aunt, Kim Pacella, is the coach at Toledo's Notre Dame Academy. Temming started devoting more time to tennis because he also excelled in it.
Temming's father is Andy, and he is a financial advisor at Renaissance Investment Management. Heidi works at a Loveland Middle School, helping kids with disabilities. His sister, Libby, is a sophomore at Ursuline Academy. She does not play tennis. She golfs.
In addition to the tennis skills, Temming also benefits from his mother's Italian heritage with Wolverine-like sideburn growing skills. [Exaggeration alert.] He can grow full sideburns in half an hour (or about twenty minutes if he concentrates)..
Temming is a math / science guy and he plans to major in finance in college. He took two AP's in high school - Macro Economics and US History. He enjoyed the economics course the most.
Temming will be playing college tennis this fall. "I chose Xavier because both my parents attended Xavier, so I have known a lot about the school since I was a little kid. Plus I liked the close to home feel. I was considering Notre Dame and Boston College, but chose Xavier because it was less expensive and I would be able to play freshman year. (....) I'm super excited. It seems like a great fit for me and I am very happy with the choice that I made."
As for the obligatory OTZ usage question which players are forced to answer, "I enjoy reading the player rankings weekly because it allows for me to see where I stand against other kids in Ohio competing for the same goals I am. Plus it gives me some motivation to play better so I can try and move up in the rankings because who doesn't love to be number one?"
Temming has played high school tennis for the last four years. "The best thing about high school tennis for me is the team atmosphere. Tennis is an individual sport, and the tournaments I play throughout the year are all by myself, so high school tennis gives me a different feel with the team and makes it much more fun to play knowing I am surrounded by people who all have similar goals for me and want me to succeed."
For his service project, "I do community service at Matthew 25 Ministries through St X because I am very fortunate with the life I was given, so I believe the least I can do is volunteer my time to help others who are struggling."
As for his social media vices, "I mainly use Snapchat and Instagram just so I can keep in touch with my friends outside of school. I have a Twitter account @TemmingCharlie but I rarely go on it."
He hopes to play at the USTA Boys National Championships in Kalamazoo [2019 photo] this summer and that will likely end his USTA tournament play. He is also looking forward to hitting with the professional women players at the Western & Southern Open this August. This opportunity is given to D1 players with high UTR ratings. Mason grad, Niraj Komatineni [photo], did this in 2019.
St. Xavier Coach Joe Jackson provided this quote about Temming, "Charlie’s tennis acumen and competitiveness are benchmarks for St. X tennis. He was a key member of a series of deep and talented St. X teams. Charlie is one of those rare players whose tennis IQ and abilities match his drive to win. It’s quite remarkable to have that kind of talent in our program."
The quote that Temming provided was "focus on what you can control, do not worry about the other side of the net, only your side". We'll see how far that philosophy takes him at States. His first round opponent is Solon's Niko Romanov.
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In dual match play, the last two Final Four spots were secured yesterday. Findlay defeated St. John's Jesuit and Lexington beat Ottawa Hills. Among the top players, Findlay's Max Hosey defeated St. Johns Jesuit's Aiden Williams and Ottawa Hills' Matthew McGee beat Lexington's Tommy Secrist. To view the graphs from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
TUESDAY,
State Draws Available | University School Secures Spot in Final Four
The OhioTennisZone-enhanced State Tournament Draws are now available and University School defeated Walsh Jesuit to earn the Northeast Ohio D1 spot in the Final Four. To view all of the graphical results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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State Draws - Click to draws |
The OTZ-Enhanced State draws were online by about 12:30 even though they were released by the OHSAA around noon. Don't think for a second that it takes just a half hour to make these OTZ draws available. There is a monster amount of prep work necessary to get the OTZ draws online. There are now photos for all but four three one of the 96 players. Hopefully the other photos will be obtained before States begins. A link to the draws will remain positioned at the top of this page.
The weather looks dubious for Friday, but you already knew that.
Ottawa Hills (A) plays Lexington and it is Findlay (A) versus St John's Jesuit for the Final Four spots in Northwest Ohio for D2 and D1, respectively.
MONDAY,
It's States Week!
This week will go by in a flash. There are three more Final Four spots to determine - two in Northwest Ohio and one in Northeast. The OTZ online draws for States should be released today. There will be a a top State contenders video just as there was for the girls season. There may even be another player interview.
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Southwest District D2 Qualifiers - Click to enlarge |
Yes, there is rain in the forecast for the end of the week, but it is too early in the week to stress about that now. The cooler temperatures that are forecasted will be a welcome change.
The State Draws will include player photos. These photos are being actively gathered now. All photos for the Central, Southeast / East, and Southwest Districts have been obtained.
Thanks to Mason's Mike Reid for taking the Southwest District Qualifier photos.
There is also work to be done on the PickleballZone.com site as we prepare for the inaugural Columbus-area Adult Summer Pickleball League that begins on Sunday, June 6. Interested in playing? Please contact your racquet professional if you belong to Brookside Golf & Country Club, The Country Club at Muirfield Village, Kinsale Golf & Fitness, The Lakes Golf & Country Club, New Albany Country Club, Scarborough East, Wedgewood Golf & Country Club, and Worthington Hills Country Club. The scheduling of courts was challenging for this year but hopefully community clubs will be in the mix for next year. Contact OTZ now via Feedback if you know that your club or community center would be interested in participating in 2022. The current league is coed and is for Advanced Beginners and Intermediate / Intermediate Plus skill-level players. It will likely be expanded next year.
SUNDAY,
District Seeding Rounds Completed - Ready for States
If Ohio tennis can just get three more nice weather days.. Watch for the State Draws to be posted on OhioTennisZone tomorrow. As in the past, player photos and links to OTZ Player Profiles will be included.
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Central District D1 Qualifiers - Click to enlarge |
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Central District D2 Qualifiers - Click to enlarge |
In the matches played by the various districts' first seeds, Mason's Vignesh Gogineni defeated Springboro's Sainandan Dore and St. Xavier's Charlie Temming; Orange's Ben Pomeranets beat Lakeview's Ryan Carnahan and Chagrin Falls' Andrew Zimcosky; Gahanna's Brandon Carpico defeated Pickerington North's Pavan Uppu and Olentangy Liberty's Vishnu Bodavula; Wellington's Griffin Biernat beat Wellington's Sanjan Shanker; Indian Hill's Jack Pollock defeated Seven Hills' Avi Mahajan and Summit Country Day's Elizabeth Fahrmeier; St. Ignatius' Nathaniel Day beat University School's Ben Martin and Highland's Elijah Hadler; and St. John's Jesuit's Aiden Williams defeated Findlay's Nick Simmermeyer and Perrysburg's Mason Deal. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The seeding order of the State Qualifiers have been included below under the May 21st entry. Links to all of the players who have OTZ Player Profiles are included.
In NCAA D1 Women's College Tennis Championship, Texas beat Pepperdine, 4-3. Texas' (and Cincinnati's) Peyton Stearns won on 3rd dubs and at 1st singles. Pepperdine has historically had the best tennis photos of any collegiate tennis program (but, of course, neither Pepperdine nor the NCAA Tournament has as good of photos as those for Ohio high school tennis..)
Photos for the OTZ State Draws are being collected now. If it is uncertain that OTZ has a photo for your player, please email one today. Provide your email address via Feedback and the OTZ email address will be emailed to you.
Unlike for the girls season, there are no spectator limits for the OHSAA State Tournament. Hope to see many of you at States.
SATURDAY,
Northeast D1 Qualifiers | College Tennis Championships
It was another great day for tennis. High school tennis just needs a few more nice weather days to wrap things up. The Northeast D2 District Tournament was held yesterday. These results are included below and in yesterday's entry. After today's seeding round, players will be placed in seeding order.
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Texas' (and Cincinnati's) Peyton Stearns - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Orange's Ben Pomeranets defeated West Branch's Jerald Brain and Hawken's Finn Rourke; Lakeview's Ryan Carnahan beat Geneva's Tyler Perkins and Orange's Krish Mehra; Chagrin Falls' Jackson Quinn defeated Ursuline's Chris Simon and St. Vincent-St. Mary's Ben McKnight; and Chagrin Falls' Andrew Zimcosky beat Ursuline's Ashwin Balakrishnan and Poland Seminary's Carmen DAlesio. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Northeast Division IISingles: Orange's Ben Pomeranets, Chagrin Falls' Andrew Zimcosky, Lakeview's Ryan Carnahan, and Chagrin Falls' Jackson Quinn.
Doubles: Orange's Josh Nwaozuzu - Chika Nwaozuzu, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy's Alex Stout - Luke Thelander, Hawken's Berend Diderich - Jared Crider, and Orange's Jake Goldstein - Gabi Kalir.
Photos of the State Qualifiers from each District will be shared on OhioTennisZone if they are high resolution images and if they include players from all teams. It is fine to have D1 and D2 in separate photos. Please have the players from the same team stand together. Please also provide the names of the players. OTZ will add these names to the photo. For a quick photo tutorial, please click Team Photo How-to. Click for the photo of the 2019 Central Boys D1 qualifiers.
Player photos are needed for the OhioTennisZone online draw. If I have no photo of you, please email one to me. Need my email address? Please submit a Feedback message. Click for the Girls State 2020 Draw.
There will be great college tennis action taking place on the Tennis Channel today at 5:30pm. The women from Texas will be playing against Pepperdine. Playing for Texas is Cincinnati's Peyton Stearns and for Pepperdine is Ohio State transfer, Shiori Fukuda. Stearns' photo is from the G16 OVTA Qualifier held at Upper Arlington HS in 2016.
FRIDAY,
Districts Underway | Congrats to State Qualifiers
There was more perfect (but warm) weather yesterday. OTZ traveled to the Southwest District to take photos and talk with fans. Photos are forthcoming. There were a few spectators with masks at the beginning of the day but most came off as the day progressed (and temperatures increased). Coaches continued wearing their masks on-court.
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Indian Hill's Tejas Pisati - Click to enlarge |
Normally I would be blitzing to Northeast Ohio for their D2 Sectionals. That is is not the case this season because court restrictions prevented me from being on the court. There were also restrictions for the girls season but COVID-19 conditions have changed dramatically since then. As a reminder, masks are no longer required indoors or outdoors for those who are vaccinated.
It is great that players were exposed to hot temperatures before States to better acclimate them. That is normally not the case. Still though, boys like to wear dark (or black) clothes for the State Tournament. This is not a bad idea - this is a horribly awful idea. Mothers, Put those dark shirts at the bottom of the dirty clothes bag and leave them there until after States. It may save your boys a trip to the hospital. Please, however, eventually remove them from the clothes bag before they spontaneously combust.
The State Qualifiers (so far) are listed below for each District that has reported them. After the seeding rounds on Saturday, the lists will be in seeded order. All of the results for these matches are online. Click the player links to view the OTZ Player Profiles. Congratulations to these players.
Central Division I
Singles: Gahanna's Brandon Carpico, Olentangy Liberty's Vishnu Bodavula, St. Charles' Reece Yakubov, and Pickerington North's Pavan Uppu.
Doubles: New Albany's Ryan Mudre - Devin Boyer, New Albany's Ben Bilenko - Declan Freedhoff, Dublin Jerome's Max Fickas - Tanish Pairu, and Dublin Jerome's Kevin Liu - Eli Wiblin.
Central Division II
Singles: Wellington's Griffin Biernat and Sanjan Shanker.
Doubles: Columbus Academy's Arie Tuckerman - Jack Madison and Wellington's Evan Manley - Brayden Chawla.
Northeast Division I
Singles: St. Ignatius' Nathaniel Day, Highland's Elijah Hadler, University School's Ben Martin, Solon's Niko Romanov, Warren G Harding's Anthony Payiavlas, and Mayfield's Yukon Wang.
Doubles: University School's Nathan Mu - Spencer Krantz, Massillon Jackson's Alvin Altman - Ryan Kelley, Walsh Jesuit's Caleb Miller - Ben Cors, St. Ignatius' Kenny Li - Kai Vesikallio, University School's Dean and Cole Kirchick, and Massillon Jackson's Lucas Immel - Arjun Krishnamurthi.
Singles: Orange's Ben Pomeranets, Chagrin Falls' Andrew Zimcosky, Chagrin Falls' Jackson Quinn, and Lakeview's Ryan Carnahan.
Doubles: Orange's Josh Nwaozuzu - Chika Nwaozuzu, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy's Alex Stout - Luke Thelander, Hawken's Berend Diderich - Jared Crider, and Orange's Jake Goldstein - Gabi Kalir.
Northwest Division I
Singles: St. John's Jesuit's Aiden Williams.
Doubles: Findlay's Max Hosey - Carson Dale.
Northwest Division II
Singles: Ottawa Hills' Matthew McGee, Bryan's Jay Fortner, Shawnee's Gabe Burke, and Shawnee's Mason Stahl.
Doubles: Lexington's Ryan Mercurio - Ross Drlik, Lexington's Karl Etzel - Ethan Remy, Ottawa Glandorf's Colin Welsh - Carter Welsh, and Lima Central Catholic's Enrico Pittalis - Aaron Simmons.
Southwest Division I
Singles: Mason's Vignesh Gogineni, St. Xavier's Charlie Temming, Springboro's Sainandan Dore, Walnut Hills' Phillip Kogan, and Anderson's Payson Scott.
Doubles: Mason's Akshay Joshi - Sam King, St. Xavier's Tucker Berry - Drew Evans, Sycamore's Nicholas Choo - Kevin Dong, Beavercreek's Alan Xie - Deven Wells, and Sycamore's Nicholas Meyers - Mark Karev.
Southwest Division II
Singles: Indian Hill's Jack Pollock, Summit Country Day's Elizabeth Fahrmeier, Seven Hills' Avi Mahajan, and Mariemont's Will Stephens.
Doubles: Indian Hill's Tejas Pisati - RJ Poffenberger; Cincinnati Country Day's Max Berghausen - Sai Nalagatla, Oakwood's Noah Boyce - Sophie Russell, and Cincinnati Country Day's Kasey Chopra - Matthew Castrucci.
Good luck today to the Northeast D2 District Qualifiers. Wish I was allowed to recognize your players. They deserved it.
THURSDAY,
OhioTennisZone Interview of St. Charles' Reece Yakubov | Districts!
The first OTZ boys interview of the season is with Reece Yakubov. Yakubov is a senior at St. Charles which is in Columbus.
Yakubov comes from a tennis / golf family (while his two brothers may refer to it as a golf / tennis family).. Yakubov started playing tennis with his brothers when he was 5 or 6. Connor [photo] is his oldest brother and he graduated from St. Charles in 2015. After playing golf for Emory, he now works for Diamond Hill Capital Management in Columbus. Evan [photo], a 2017 St. Charles graduate, just finished his undergrad in finance from the University of Indiana where he plays golf. Evan will return for a fifth year of golf while pursuing his MBA. Yakubov's father, Steven, is a cardiologist at Riverside while his mother, Tracey, keeps everyone in line. Tracey had worked as a nurse before having children.
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St. Charles' Reece Yakubov - Click to team page |
Since St. Charles had in-person school the entire school year, Yakubov felt good about his academics this year. Last year was more difficult because of the shut downs. "Losing the back half of my junior year, I could definitely tell that we didn't get to quite as much, and that it was way tougher to learn online on the computer versus face to face."
Academically, Yakubov enjoys the material in a math and science curriculum. He has taken eight AP's: Biology, Latin, English Comp, Calc AB, Calc BC, Physics 1, Physics 2, and Statistics. He liked AP Biology the most. He plans to major in finance or pre-med in college.
Yakubov is a 5-star player on TennisRecruiting.net [link] and he is ranked #1 on OhioTennisZone. It is very difficult to do this but he has continued to improve throughout his high school years. He was 100th in the country in his age group in 2018, 111th in 2019, 78th in 2020, and he is ranked 48th now. His Universal Tennis Rating has risen significantly in the past year, going from 10.8 in June to 11.85 in the most recent posting. And in one of the best turning lemons into lemonade stories, what gets the credit? "Back in March when schools got shutdown, I went and played all day. (....) It's weird to say but COVID may have been the best thing to happen to my tennis game because I was able to spend way more time on the court. Also in March, I started working with David Kass in the KTA (Kass Tennis Academy) group with Balazs Novak and Patrick Thompson and they have helped me tremendously as well." Yakubov also works with OSU's Justin Kronauge, but was limited in doing so because of Ohio State's COVID-19 restrictions.
Where is he going to play college tennis? "I selected Ohio State. I like being close to home and I think that it provides me a great opportunity to balance academics and some high level tennis. I also think my relationship with the coaching staff / players helped make that decision a little easier. I also considered Purdue University of University of Pennsylvania."
His favorite shot is "definitely my inside-out forehand. My biggest weapon is probably my forehand but I like being aggressive from both groundstrokes."
As for his OhioTennisZone usage, “I like to check in on scores from around the state. OTZ makes it easy to see how some of my friends from Cleveland or Cincinnati are doing."
One of his goals this year was to win the Central Catholic League and the team accomplished that last Monday when they beat Bishop Watterson. For his individual goals, "I want to make a run at the state title. There are a lot of good players in the state, I am just looking forward to competing against them for a title."
What does he like about high school tennis? "The team atmosphere. The season is truly way different than summer USTA tournaments because there are fans and teammates cheering you on. In high school, the match isn’t always about me."
He needs to get through Districts first, but States is not foreign territory for Yakubov. He reached the finals in D1 dubs with Jack Dabek as a freshman in 2018. They lost in a marathon three setter [pdf] to New Albany's Devin Boyer and Nathan Jose. That match included two court changes due to rain. The last thing a cramping player wants to do is to stop moving and Dabek was forced to do that as they moved indoors. In 2019, Yakubov lost to Springboro's Sai Dore in singles [pdf].
Service projects were also hampered by COVID-19, but Yakubov shared, "I am involved with some service projects through St. Charles, specifically the Brian Muha Run the Race Foundation. I enjoy the time I get to spend with the kids, although it has been very limited with COVID.
In addition to tennis, Yakubov also excels in golf. He led the St. Charles team and until his junior year, he was strongly considering playing golf in college.
St. Charles Coach Max Quinton added this about Yakubov, "Reece's performance both on the court and off has been exceptional. His demeanor on the court is cool and determined and drills shots off both sides with amazing ease. He is also a scratch golfer and a scholar athlete. He is one of the nicest young men I have worked with!"
His social media vice is Twitter and his handle is @ReeceYakubov.
Best of luck to Reece (and everyone else) at Districts.
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There was just one dual match played yesterday as teams prepared for Districts. Centerville defeated Olentangy Liberty. In that match, Centerville's Will Owen beat Olentangy Liberty's Jay Ramakkagari.
I am looking forward to seeing everyone down at the Southwest Districts in a couple of hours.
WEDNESDAY,
Final Four Bound: Columbus Academy, Mason, New Albany, Orange
Four more teams now "have plans" for May 30 in Central Ohio. In last night's contests, Columbus Academy defeated Wellington; Mason beat St. Xavier; New Albany defeated Dublin Jerome; and Orange beat Chagrin Falls. There are still three more "spots" to be determined in Northwest (2) and Northeast Ohio. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Click for the most up-to-date State Team Tournament Draws. The D1 tournament will be played on New Albany's home court. The D2 tournament will be played in Reynoldsburg. Per the coaches' web site, the Central District plays the Northeast District and the Northwest District plays the Southwest District in the first round
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Mason - Click to team page |
Many of the Final Four matches end as soon as the match is "clinched" but there were a few interesting results. They included: Orange's Ben Pomeranets defeated Chagrin Falls' Andrew Zimcosky; Wellington's Griffin Biernat beat Columbus Academy's Jack Madison; Orange's Chika Nwaozuzu defeated Chagrin Falls' Jackson Quinn; and Mason's Akshay Joshi beat St. Xavier's Drew Evans. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's featured team is Mason. They are coached by Mike Reid. They are OTZ Team Members. They are led by Vignesh Gogineni, Akshay Joshi, Anish Gangavaram, and Sam King.
The COVID-19 restrictions are providing some great examples of how difficult it is for some to relinquish control after health concerns are eliminated. It is no longer necessary for those vaccinated to wear a mask outdoors yet these restrictions continue. Rules (as well as laws) that get into the books are difficult to remove, especially when “abundance of caution” is included as a reason. Hopefully, some of this is being discussed in schools’ social studies and psychology classes. There are also certainly a few examples of how some are using “Can’t do that because of COVID-19” as a reason, when they simply just don’t want to do it. Fascinating times..
Out of the abundance of caution, I am way behind on responding to emails. I hope to remedy that today..
TUESDAY,
Indian Hill in Final 4 | Walsh Jesuit and Findlay Advance
There are still a combination of regular dual matches and State Team Tournament matches being played. In the State Team, Walsh Jesuit defeated Solon and Findlay beat Perrysburg. In other matches, Hilliard Davidson defeated Worthington Kilbourne; Reynoldsburg beat Delaware Hayes; and Watkins Memorial defeated Big Walnut. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Indian Hill is the first team to reach the Final Four. Click to view the State Team Tournament Draws.
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Lexington - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Lexington. They are coached by Ron Schaub. They are Team Members. They are led by Tommy Secrist, Ryan Mercurio, and Ethan Remy.
Both the Ohio State Women’s and Men’s team were beaten in the NCAAs in Orlando. The NCAA teamed up with TennisONE app for coverage and unfortunately that required fans to hold cell phones up to their faces to watch the matches. The coverage at Wake Forest for the men and Ohio State for the women enabled fans to watch matches via their computers. I normally place a tennis match on a side monitor and work on other things during a match. That was not possible, so I eventually just listened to the commentary. There were also numerous technical problems reported with the app.
The NCAA just continues to struggle with their tennis coverage. In previous years, they have held the men and women’s singles finals *at the same time* and they have bounced back and forth between the matches with their coverage. Hopefully they will at least improve on that this year. Many tennis fans enjoy watching both the men's and the women's championships uninterrupted.
MONDAY,
District Draws Are Posted
That did not take long.. The Districts posted their draws last night (see green box above) which led to a data feeding frenzy on OhioTennisZone. There were 46 simultaneous real time users on OTZ as tennis fans jumped online. The number of real time users is not recorded but that was the highest ever seen.
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OTZ Daily Usage - Click to enlarge |
While the number of real time users is not recorded, the number of daily users is, and this season has been the most active of any year. It was unknown if fans would come back online in the same numbers, but they have in force. The boys seasons always generate more activity than the girls, except of course, for last year. More analysis will be presented at the end of the season but the five most viewed team reports are (in order): Columbus Academy, Mason, Dublin Jerome, St. Xavier, and University School.
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Marysville - Click to team page |
Unfortunately there are deserving singles players and doubles teams that do not reach States and that will be the case again this year. The biggest problem is in the Southwest District. The Southwest District has two super strong Districts (Mason and Cincinnati), one that is very solid (Centerville), and one that is extremely weak (Troy). A player's dream is to see the Troy #1 seed in his (or her) bracket. The nightmare bracket is where the #1 and #2 Mason / Cincinnati seeds reside.
Click OTZ Player Profiles to see how players did in the Sectionals. The Northwest District still has not posted all of their results. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.Today's featured team is Marysville. They are coached by Brian Ash. They are OTZ Team Members. They are led by Sean Richardson, Kyrell Stauffer, and Carson Kane.
SUNDAY,
Sectionals Completed
Weather could not have been any better for Sectionals. The Sectional seeding rounds were completed throughout the state. Now can we get more good weather for Districts? For States?
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Alder's Riley Woods- Click to enlarge |
Thinking that we would likely get rained out anyway, I agreed to play tennis at 8:00 this morning. Oops. More Sectional data will be entered when I return.
Among the top players, St. Charles' Reece Yakubov defeated Pickerington North's Pavan Uppu and Gahanna's Brandon Carpico. Carpico beat Olentangy Liberty's Vishnu Bodavula and Bodavula defeated Pickerington North's Pavan Uppu. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
As for the mask situation at Columbus Academy yesterday, those within the fenced-in area wore masks. Spectators outside of the fenced-in area largely did not. Those of us "on-court" (coaches, trainers, officials, and myself) wore masks except for the players. Now that outdoor restrictions have been completely lifted for those who are vaccinated, watch for further relaxing of the restrictions this week. Hopefully by States, only bank robbers will be wearing masks outdoors again..
The photo today is of Jonathan Alder's Riley Woods from Sectional play yesterday.
SATURDAY,
Sectional Seeding Day
Congratulations to all of the players who reached the semi-finals of Sectionals (and reached Districts). Today is the day in which seeding is determined for the District tournament. It takes skill (and some luck) to get to States and players who do well today improve their odds in getting to the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
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Jonathan Alder - Click to team page |
Entering the Sectional data is just really time consuming. To work correctly in the OTZ system, names have to be spelled correctly and initials need to be included for brothers (or sisters). There are systems in place to help with dual match scores entered on OTZ, but there is no slick way to do this for Sectional scores unless they are input by the newspapers. The intent is to enter all scores for all paying members. If a score is missing, please contact OTZ via Feedback and provide the player names, schools, score, and date. If there are duplicates, please also contact OTZ. There are some scores entered for the Central, Northeast, and Southwest Districts but none for the Northwest. Please wait until at least Monday before contacting OTZ about scores.
Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's featured team is Jonathan Alder. They are coached by Ryan Swinehart. They have their first ever District qualifiers this year with Riley Woods in singles and Jacob Zang and Grant Welsh in dubs. Click for an article written by their school newspaper about this year's team. OTZ will be leaving for Columbus Academy for the D2 seeding round in a few minutes to watch.
FRIDAY,
OTZ Photo Friday | Entering Sectional Data
Weather conditions were perfect for Sectionals yesterday. We need one more good day on Saturday to finish them. Data entering continues. Those Sectionals that have completed and posted their quarterfinals are online. The Central District results from Thursday are not yet posted.
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Dublin Jerome's Max Fickas - Click to enlarge |
It was disappointing to see that a NEO doubles team was not seeded, and unfortunately they then bumped out the #2 seeds before they could qualify for Districts. There is adequate information on OhioTennisZone and via other sources to properly seed players. It is in everyone's best interest to seed players and teams correctly.
One of the biggest head-scratchers of the season was that I was not going to be permitted to be on the courts (indoors or outdoors) to take photos during the Northeast District D2 tournament as I had been permitted to do in pre-COVID-19 times. This was the case despite me being fully vaccinated. While it should not have been a problem before, the new CDC rules should now absolutely positively completely permit me to see everyone next Friday at the NEO D2 District.. It looks like many of us can now also be maskless!
There are 15 new photos added to OhioTennisZone. Photos from the Hilliard Davidson Doubles Tournament, St. Charles versus Watterson, and Dublin Jerome versus Upper Arlington dual matches are now online. Sign-in first and then click on Most Recently Added Photos to view them.
THURSDAY,
Massive Sectional Day
With so many Sectional matches to be played today, Ohio high school tennis is fortunate to have a clear day forecasted for the entire state. As expected, last night was quiet with just four matches recorded. Marysville defeated Big Walnut; Ottawa Hills beat Maumee; Pickerington North defeated Worthington Kilbourne; and Delaware Hayes beat Mount Vernon. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Findlay - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Findlay. They are coached by Sean Swisher. They are OTZ Team Members. They are led by Max Hosey, Carson Dale, and Kosuke Asada.
In the past, it was easy to stop by Upper Arlington to watch a few matches, but this year all of the Sectionals are outside of I-270. Rather than watch matches, more Sectional data will be added throughout the day. Sectional results were added for Columbus Academy Site 1 and Cincinnati Site for Division II this morning.
WEDNESDAY,
Jerome Beats Upper Arlington | Indian Hill Defeats CCD
Yesterday ended up being a great day for dual and Sectional matches. In the State Team Tournament, Dublin Jerome defeated Upper Arlington and Indian Hill beat Cincinnati Country Day. There were nine matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 6, Southwest - 2, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Olentangy defeated Olentangy Orange; Columbus Academy beat Pickerington North; and Lakota West defeated Kings. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Dublin Jerome - Click to team page |
Among the top players, Pickerington North's Pavan Uppu defeated Columbus Academy's Arie Tuckerman; Indian Hill's Tejas Pisati beat Cincinnati Country Day's Max Berghausen; Dublin Jerome's Max Fickas defeated Upper Arlington's Ethan Samora; Findlay's Max Hosey beat Ottawa Hills' Matthew McGee; Lakota West's Anthony Shalakov defeated Kings' Bayse; Pickerington North's Cole Alcala beat Columbus Academy's Jack Madison; and Columbus Academy's Ryan Panley defeated Pickerington North's Eskander. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's featured team is Dublin Jerome. They are coached by Ken Berlin. They are OTZ Team Members. They are led by Max Fickas, Eli Wiblin, and Kevin Liu. Confused on how to say Jerome's mascot correctly? Click on this.
There is a bunch of data entry necessary for Sectionals. The Columbus Dispatch did a terrific job with the Reynoldsburg Sectional yesterday and all of that information is now online on OTZ. Hopefully the Dispatch will be able to continue doing this for the rest of the Central District Sectionals. As for the other Sectionals, the plan is to wait until they are finished and the results are posted before beginning the OTZ data entry process. The plan is to enter data from matches in which there are OTZ Members. That could include Team, Coach, or Individual memberships. All data must be converted (by me or by someone) to the following format before the results can be entered:
Smith-Jones (Bloomingburg) def. Federer-Nadal (Jeffersonville) 6-4, 6-3
The formatting process that I hate more than this song is when team names are used rather than player names. This becomes even more aggravating when the same school has more than one doubles team reach the later stages of the tournament. (My apologies for the ear worm.)
It is still disappointing that some tournament directors do not include the graduation years of the players on their Sectional draws. College coaches really appreciate this information for recruiting purposes. The Central District has always done a great job with this. The Southwest does a good job, too. The Northwest does a so-so job. As for the Northeast - maybe next year?
Sectionals begin in earnest today. To view all of the dual matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
Wellington, 7Hills, New Albany, Ottawa Hills Win in State Team Tournament
It is never a good thing to wake up hearing rain on a Sectional Tournament morning. Hopefully, today's rain will move out of the state quickly. In State Team Tournament play, Wellington defeated Bexley; Seven Hills beat Oakwood; New Albany defeated Olentangy; and Ottawa Hills beat Shawnee. There were 17 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 12, Southwest - 3, Northeast - 1, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Buckeye Valley defeated Hilliard Darby; Olentangy Berlin beat Worthington Kilbourne; and Lancaster defeated Hilliard Davidson. The Lancaster vs. Hilliard Davidson match included four 3-setters. Ouch. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click for the State Team Tournament Draws.
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Seven Hills - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Seven Hills. They are coached by Tim Drew. They are OTZ Team Members. The are led by Avi Mahajan and Ethan Blatt.
It was nice to see that the Columbus Dispatch is already starting State's coverage. Click to read the article, "Central Ohio boys tennis players to keep an eye on in the playoffs", by Bailey Johnson. Johnson also did a nice job of crediting OTZ for the stats.
Today's matches include Findlay (H) versus Ottawa Hills. In the State Team Tournament, Dublin Jerome plays Upper Arlington at Wellington (because UA's courts are not available because of school construction efforts). Also in the state tournament, it is Cincinnati Country Day (H) versus Indian Hill. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
Ready for Sectionals
Hopefully the rain will subside for a few days to allow teams to get the all-important first day of Sectionals played. The number of players involved is huge because all teams can field three singles and two doubles teams. However, since this is a one and done tournament, half of all the players are eliminated in the first round. After the first day, the numbers are manageable enough to allow teams to go indoors if they are forced to do so.
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Thomas Worthington - Click to team page |
The State Team Tournament is moving along smoothly and hopefully the Final Four teams in each division will be determined before Districts take place next week. Click for the OTZ State Team Tournament Draws. [Now with the correct link..]
There were more player photos added for the top players. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest. It may be necessary to sign-in to view the photos of the non-OTZ members.
Today's featured team is Thomas Worthington. They are coached by Lisa Miller. They are OTZ Team Members which means that all of their friends, parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents can follow their progress from anywhere in the world (or for that matter, even the universe if there is a good wi-fi connection). They are led by Wil Newberry, Sabastian Johnson, and Zack Yablok.
Today's matches include: Watterson (A) versus St. Charles; St. Xavier (H) versus Springboro; and Bexley (A) versus Wellington. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY,
St. X Louisville Beats St. X Cincinnati | St. Charles Wins Hilliard Dubs
Happy Mother's Day! And now uh, what you are going to make my dog and me for breakfast?
At least yesterday was a dry day and once everyone was numb, the cold temperatures were not too bothersome.. In dual match play, St. Xavier-Louisville defeated St. Xavier. In tournament play, St. Charles won the Hilliard Davidson Doubles Tournament and Seven Hills finished second. To view results recorded from yesterday and other previous days, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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St. Frances DeSales - Click to team page |
This has been a challenging boys season because there were two incoming classes (freshmen and sophomores) to handle while also preparing to launch PickleballZone.com.
For those interested in playing in a skill-based, adult summer pickleball league in Central Ohio, the time is now to jump on board for the inaugural season. Clubs that have teams include: New Albany Country Club, Worthington Hills Country Club, Brookside Golf and Country Club, Scarborough East Tennis Club, Wedgewood Golf & Country Club, Lakes Golf and Country Club, Kinsale Golf and Fitness Club, and The Country Club at Muirfield Village. There may also be some community centers who jump on board, too. Click on Feedback with any questions. Mrs. OTZ will play for the Advanced Beginners team at WHCC, while I will be on the Intermediate/Intermediate+ league. (Not that I am good enough to play on an Intermediate/+ team, but hopefully I will get up-to-speed before the end of the season.) (The alternative is that I will just travel around and take photos.) Contact your club and get signed up now.
Today's featured team is DeSales. They are coached by Tom Snyder. They are led by Michael James and Kevin Heil.
It was great seeing everyone at the Hilliard Davidson Doubles Tournament. New team photos are posted for St. Charles, Worthington Kilbourne, and Seven Hills.
SATURDAY,
St. Xavier Beats Sycamore in State Team Tournament
More rainy weather canceled some matches and led to others not being able to finish all of their courts. In the biggest match of the night, St. Xavier defeated Sycamore in a State Team Tournament match. Other significant matches included: Findlay defeated Walsh Jesuit; Walsh Jesuit beat Ottawa Hills; Solon defeated Brecksville; and Grove City beat West. There were eight matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 3, Southwest - 2, Northeast - 1, and Northwest - 2. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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OSU's Maddie Atway - Click to enlarge |
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Ball State's Emma Peeler - Click to enlarge |
The OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws have been updated. Click on the above link.
Among the top players, St. Xavier's Charlie Temming defeated Sycamore's Nicholas Meyers; Mason's Akshay Joshi beat Beavercreek's Aaron Staiger; Findlay's Max Hosey defeated Walsh Jesuit's Caleb Miller; Solon's Niko Romanov beat Brecksville's Youssef; Walsh Jesuit's Caleb Miller defeated Ottawa Hills' Matthew McGee; and St. Xavier's Drew Evans beat Sycamore's Arjun Rajagopala. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Two previous Ohio high school players competing for college teams yesterday in the NCAA Team Tournament included Olentangy Liberty's and Ohio State's Maddie Atway and Westlake's and Ball State's Emma Peeler. Click to see their (Atway - Peeler) high school photos. Both photos were taken in 2017.
Hilliard Davidson is having their annual doubles tournament today and I will be leaving soon for that. In dual matches, St. Xavier (A) will travel to St. Xavier-Louisville. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY,
OTZ Photo Friday | New Albany Beats Wellington | University Defeats St. Ignatius
With Sectionals next week, it is going to be difficult for teams to get all of their matches played. Hopefully the weather clears up for Saturday. In the heavy-weight matches, New Albany defeated Wellington and University School beat St. Ignatius.
The close, 3-2 matches included: Hilliard Bradley defeated Lancaster; Gahanna beat Bexley; Highland defeated Anderson; Grandview beat Jonathan Alder; Big Walnut defeated Hilliard Darby; Thomas Worthington beat Upper Arlington-B; and Dublin Coffman defeated Olentangy Berlin. There were 24 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 15, Southwest - 7, Northeast - 1, and Northwest - 1. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Mason's Vignesh Gogineni - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, New Albany's Ryan Mudre defeated Wellington's Griffin Biernat; New Albany's Devin Boyer beat Wellington's Sanjan Shanker; Gahanna’s Brandon Carpico defeated Bexley's Austin Flamm; Centerville's Will Owen beat Miamisburg's Tella; Oakwood's Noah Boyce defeated Miami Valley School's Rithik Manchala; and Worthington Kilbourne's Owen Alderman beat Dublin Scioto's Sohum Patel. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's Photo Friday includes the Thomas Worthington versus Hilliard Darby match, the Greater Cincinnati Tennis Coaches' Association (GCTCA) Flight A matches, and the Grove City versus Big Walnut dual match. There were 18 new photos added. As mentioned earlier, the sun was brutal at the GCTCA tournament. Almost anything that the light touched was overexposed and anything that it did not, was underexposed. Sign-in first and then click to view the Most Recently Added Photos.
This is a huge day for college tennis. The Ohio State Women's team is playing at OSU today in the team tournament.
Today's matches include: Sycamore (H) versus St. Xavier; Findlay (H) versus Walsh Jesuit; and Ottawa Hills (H) versus Walsh Jesuit. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
7 Hills Beats Mason | Solon Defeats Walsh Jesuit
The temperatures were cooler, but it was great to finally see tennis played in earnest yesterday. Among the strongest teams, Seven Hills defeated Mason and Solon beat Walsh Jesuit. (Mason did not use its strongest line-up.) The close, 3-2 matches included: Grove City defeated Big Walnut; Middletown beat Colerain; Dublin Scioto defeated Watterson; DeSales beat Worthington Kilbourne; Bellefontaine defeated Sidney; Covington Catholic beat Centerville; Mariemont defeated Oak Hills; Badin beat Hamilton; and St. Xavier defeated Cincinnati Country Day. There were 23 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 11, Southwest - 11, and Northeast - 1. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Grove City - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Grove City. They are coached by Joshua Chandler. They are led by Abraham Hougland and Jesse Stevens.
The Sectional Draws are now online for all of the locations for the Central, Northeast, and Southwest Districts. The Southwest District won the esteemed "First District to Get Their Sectional Draws Online" award. The Central District has always held this title but they had some problems as they went "virtual". Since it has been deemed that the Southwest's win this year is more of a fluke, the traveling trophy for this award will remain in the Central District's trophy case..
Tomorrow will be another OTZ Photo Friday. It will include photos from the Greater Cincinnati Tennis Coaches' Association Classic.
Today's matches include: Lexington (A) versus North Canton Hoover; Centerville (A) versus Miamisburg; and University School (A) versus St. Ignatius. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
St. Xavier Beats Indian Hill
Ok. Well. We have had enough rain. But as of right now in the Central District, It's Raining Again. Several parts of the state were successful in playing matches yesterday. In the marquee match, St. Xavier defeated Indian Hill. There were nine matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Southwest - 7 and Northwest - 2. The only close, 3-2 match was Moeller defeated Kings. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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St. Xavier - Click to team page |
There were quite a few matches added to the OTZ-Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws. Click the link for the latest updates.
Among the top players, St. Xavier's Drew Evans defeated Indian Hill's RJ Poffenberger; Ottawa Hills' Matthew McGee beat Maumee Valley Country Day's Caillaux; Lexington's Tommy Secrist defeated West Holmes' Curtis Wagner; and King’s Josh Lee beat Moeller’s Hatfield. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's featured team is St. Xavier. They are coached by Joseph Jackson. They are OTZ Team Members. They are led by Charlie Temming and Drew Evans.
There are several great matches scheduled for tonight. They include: Bexley (A) versus Dublin Jerome; Lexington (A) versus Findlay; Seven Hills (A) versus Mason; and Solon (H) versus Walsh Jesuit. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
Mason Beats Springboro
The rain was spasmatic yesterday. The Central District looked good to play until it wasn't and then the evening was perfect. In the State Team Tournament, Mason defeated Springboro. Other matches included: Walsh Jesuit beat Shaker Heights; Moeller defeated Fenwick; and Anderson beat Lakota East. There was just one close, 3-2 match - Chaminade-Julienne defeated Kenton Ridge. There were seven matches recorded from state-wide play but several teams were in "catch-up mode". The breakdown by District was: Southwest - 6 and the Northeast - 1.To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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University School - Click to team page |
Among the top players, Mason's Akshay Joshi defeated Springboro's Shreyas Kode and Walsh Jesuit's Caleb Miller beat Shaker Heights' Ben Jamal. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The Southwest District is the only district with all of its Sectional draws posted.
Today's featured team is University School. They are coached by Adam Atwell. They are Team Members. They are led by Ben Martin, Dean Kirchick, and Nathan Mu.
Today's matches include: Indian Hill (A) versus St. Xavier; Seven Hills (H) versus Summit Country Day; and Copley (H) versus University School. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
Sectional Draws
The Sectional Draws are in the process of being released now. All of the Sectionals do this differently but the Central and Southwest District are normally the most prompt. [The Central D2 Districts are now available.]
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Upper Arlington's "Courts" - Click to enlarge |
This will be the first year that the Upper Arlington courts are not available for the Central District as the new school is built. In their current state, there is no denying that the "courts" would have had some bad bounces.. The plans for their new facility sound great, and UA will be interested in offering tournaments at the site. This would also be a great place for dual matches as the top teams from the Southwest, Northeast, and Northwest Districts gather to compete. (Plus, Raising Canes is just 2 1/2 miles away and Graeters is 1.1 miles away..) (The photo is facing southeast.)
There are no major surprises in the draws thus far. New Albany's Ryan Mudre and Devin Boyer are teaming up in doubles and they will be among the favorites to win States. Boyer was the doubles champion in 2017 when he teamed up with Nathan Jose. Summit Country Day's Elizabeth Fahrmeier earned a first seed. To my knowledge, she is the first female to get a top seed. She will be playing for Dartmouth next fall.
Central District Division I is working through some issues associated with the Reynoldsburg 1 site and that draw will be tweaked. Granville and Westerville South have players in the same quarter which is not permitted. The Central District used virtual draws for many (or perhaps all) of its sports. It will be interesting to see if this is done in the future. I have always viewed the draw meeting as more of a family reunion atmosphere and I think there is value in bringing the coaches together in person. It would have likely also enabled the mistakes to be identified and fixed at the meeting.
Matches that are expected to be canceled today include: Bexley (H) versus Olentangy Liberty; Watterson (A) versus St. Charles; St. Xavier (H) versus Seven Hills; and Oakwood (A) versus Cincinnati Country Day. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
With today's rainy conditions, this would be a great day for coaches to enter scores that have not yet been posted on OhioTennisZone.
Everyone needs a quick pick-me-up on a dismal rainy Monday. Here you go. You're welcome.
SUNDAY,
St. Xavier Wins Flight A of the GCTCAC
Yesterday was a perfect weather day for tournaments. St. Xavier won the Flight A group of the Greater Cincinnati Tennis Coaches' Association Classic while Mason was second. There was just one dual match recorded. Hilliard Davidson defeated Marysville. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday and the past few days, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Sycamore's Mark Karev - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, St. Xavier's Charlie Temming defeated Springboro's Sainandan Dore and Sycamore's Nicholas Meyers. Springboro's Sainandan Dore beat Sycamore's Nicholas Meyers and Mason's Vignesh Gogineni. Mason's Akshay Joshi defeated Springboro's Shreyas Kode; St. Xavier's Drew Evans; and Sycamore's Mark Karev. Sycamore's Nicholas Choo beat St. Xavier's Tucker Berry; Springboro's Josh Satter; and Mason's Eric Xu. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Taking great action photos requires highly skilled players, great competition, ideal lighting conditions, and a non-distracting background. The Greater Cincinnati Tennis Coaches' Association Classic provided three of the four at St. Xavier High School yesterday. Unfortunately the sun is the most important factor and it did not cooperate. The sun was waaay too harsh. A harsh sun and "players wearing hats" mean no great pictures. The sun is "good" when there is a slight shadow while holding a hand above the pavement. Yesterday, the shadow on the pavement was almost black..
The all-important Sectional Draw is today. The draw will be "in-person" in the Southwest, Northwest Ohio, and Northeast Districts. The Central District is holding their draws virtually. Good luck!
SATURDAY,
Wellington Defeats Bexley | Jerome Beats Pickerington North
There were quite a few matches played yesterday. With rain expected next week, some coaches may have hurried to get matches into the books. Among the top teams, Wellington defeated Bexley and Dublin Jerome beat Pickerington North. Overall, there were 21 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 11, Southwest - 7, Northeast - 1, and Northwest - 2. The close, 3-2 matches included: Lehman Catholic defeated Urbana; Hilliard Davidson beat Grove City; Waynesville defeated Carlisle; Monroe beat Finneytown; Watkins Memorial defeated Pickerington Central; Big Walnut beat DeSales; and Westerville North defeated Delaware Hayes. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Perrysburg - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Perrysburg. They are coached by Paul Vrzal. They are Team Members. They are led by Mason Deal, Matthew Wiley, and Sydney Deal.
There are numerous tournaments taking place today. OTZ travels to the Flight A group of the Cincinnati Tennis Coaches' Association Classic at St. Xavier. Bring a dog treat (for Zoey). To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY,
Orange and University School Get Wins | OTZ Photo Friday
Yesterday was almost a complete rain-out. Just two scores were reported -- Orange defeated Beachwood and University School beat North Canton Hoover. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Some coaches and parents used yesterday to catch-up with entering older scores. Perrysburg was an example of this.
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Beechcroft's Amani Lyles - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Orange's Ben Pomeranets defeated Beachwood's Ilan Amkraut and University School's Dean Kirchick beat North Canton Hoover's Colin Fitzgerald. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today is another photo Friday. There were 18 new photos added. With one Division I basketball offer already on the table, Beechcroft's Amani Lyles (click for MaxPreps) also plays court one for their tennis team. To view the new photos, please sign-in and then click Most Recently Added Photos.
Today's matches include: Bexley (H) versus Wellington; Massillon Jackson (A) versus Kenston; and Hilliard Davidson (H) versus Grove City. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
St. John's Jesuit Defeats Findlay | Dublin Jerome Beats Wellington
The weather did not impact matches as much as expected yesterday. Today will be damper. Some of the more notable matches included: St. John's Jesuit defeated Findlay and Dublin Jerome beat Wellington. There were 24 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 13, Southwest - 8, Northeast -1, and Northwest - 2. The close, 3-2 matches included: Sidney defeated Lehman Catholic; Mason-B beat Lakota West; Olentangy Liberty defeated Olentangy; Perrysburg beat Ottawa Hills; Grove City defeated Hilliard Darby; and Olentangy Berlin beat Watkins Memorial. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Centerville - Click to team page |
Among the top players, New Albany's Ryan Mudre defeated Olentangy Orange's Parth Patel; Wellington's Griffin Biernat beat Dublin Jerome's Eli Wiblin; Indian Hill's Tejas Pisati defeated Covington Catholic's Jackson Poulos; Findlay's Max Hosey beat St. Johns Jesuit's Aiden Williams; and Perrysburg's Mason Deal defeated Ottawa Hills' Matthew McGee. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
There are three new additions to the Watch List. They are Avon's Logan DeHaven, Bryan's Jay Fortner, and Highland's Elijah Hadler. There were several players moved from the Watch List to the Top Player List.
Today's featured team is Centerville. They are coached by Scott Long. They are led by Will Owen and Kunal Panwar.
Yesterday's update mess was caused by a bad cell in Excel. OTZ uses really large spreadsheets to run the numbers associated with the web site. I evidently inadvertently overwrote a formula with a text field in a spreadsheet that contains over 850K active cells. Whoops. It could have happened recently or years ago. My error prevented me from recognizing Bryan's Jay Fortner win over Ottawa Hills' Matthew McGee yesterday.
OTZ goes on the road today to the Greater Cincinnati Tennis Coaches' Classic Tournament's Flight A group at St. Xavier. Obviously the weather does not look good now, but last Saturday's weather was also expected to be a rainout and it was not. Today's dual matches include: Avon (H) versus Mayfield; Centerville (H) versus Miami Valley School; Bexley (H) versus Wellington; Massillon Jackson (H) versus University School; and Olentangy (A) versus Olentangy Orange. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
University School Defeated Orange
In the biggest match last night, #4 University School defeated #2 (D2) Orange. Overall, there were 31 matches recorded from state-wide play, but there were a ton of catch-up matches. The breakdown by District was: Central - 17, Southwest - 10, Northeast - 3, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Ottawa Hills defeated Bryan; Lehman Catholic beat Trotwood-Madison; Olentangy Orange defeated Olentangy Liberty; Gahanna beat Pickerington North; Chagrin Falls defeated Hawken; and Greenville beat Sidney. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Ready - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Bishop Ready. They are coached by Dan Skuce. They are led by Adam Bennett and Phillip Ryan.
Everything that could go wrong in today's update -- did. These scores from individuals are getting waaay too time consuming to process. Time to talk with your AD's about getting your coach onboard on OhioTennisZone, especially for next year. You are paying taxes and/or additional fees, and that makes you the customer.. So.. Be the customer.. (And yes, there is still clean-up work that needs to be done, but the update had to be pushed forward..)
Today's matches include: Findlay (H) versus St John's Jesuit; Lexington (A) versus Walsh Jesuit; Ottawa Hills (H) versus Perrysburg; and Dublin Coffman (A) versus Pickerington North. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
OTZ Team Rankings Updated | Indian Hill Defeats Seven Hills | St. X Beats Anderson
There were good regular season and State Team Tournament matches recorded from yesterday's play. In the battle between the hill people, #1 Indian Hill defeated #3 Seven Hills. In the State Team Tournament, #10 Walsh Jesuit defeated Kenston and #3 St. Xavier beat Anderson. There were 31 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Southwest - 14, Central - 13, Northeast - 2, and Northwest - 2. The close, 3-2 matches included: Copley defeated Aurora; Mason-B beat Cincinnati Country Day; Pickerington North defeated Lancaster; Archbishop Alter beat Butler; and Columbus Academy defeated Upper Arlington. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
OhioTennisZone.com |
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| Division I | Division II |
| 1. Mason◄TEAM | Indian Hill◄TEAM |
| 2. Sycamore◄TEAM | Orange◄TEAM |
| 3. St. Xavier◄TEAM | Seven Hills◄TEAM |
| 4. University◄TEAM | Columbus Academy◄TEAM |
| 5. New Albany | Wellington◄TEAM |
| 6. Springboro◄TEAM | Cincinnati Country Day◄TEAM |
| 7. Dublin Jerome◄TEAM | Chagrin Falls |
| 8. Solon◄TEAM | Bexley◄TEAM |
| 9. Findlay◄TEAM | Lexington◄TEAM |
| 10. Walsh Jesuit | Oakwood◄TEAM |
| HM: Olentangy◄TEAM | Ursuline◄TEAM |
| HM: St. Ignatius | Ottawa Hills |
◄TEAM - Denotes OTZ Team Membership. Click on School Name for Extensive Information. |
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Among the top players, St. Xavier's Charlie Temming defeated Anderson's Payson Scott; Indian Hill's Tejas Pisati beat Seven Hills' Avi Mahajan; Dublin Jerome's Eli Wiblin defeated Dublin Scioto's Luis Ramirez-Marquez; Walsh Jesuit's Caleb Miller beat Kenston's Max McNeal; Copley's Akisa Kayashima defeated Aurora's Vincent Cannata; and Watterson's Nick Geelan beat Delaware Hayes' Gabe Fogle. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
There are new OTZ State Team Rankings this morning. Mason and Indian Hill held onto the top spots in Division I and Division II, respectively. Outside of the top positions, there were significant changes since the pre-season rankings were released at the end February. In Division I, Sycamore was the biggest "up" mover after getting wins over Indian Hill and St. Xavier. Bexley was the biggest mover in Division II after they earned wins over Columbus Academy and Lexington. Note that this is not a poll. It was largely created using the OTZ Matrix Report with consideration given to players who may have been missing from line-ups. With the Sectional Draws this week, it was important to refresh these rankings.Today's matches include: University School (H) versus Orange; Sycamore (A) versus Oak Hills; Massillon Jackson (H) versus Walsh Jesuit; and Indian Hill (A) versus Wyoming. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
Sectional Draw Week
Every week is a sprint during the boys season, but this week is a faster sprint. This is the week of the all-important Sectional Draw. To best represent their players, coaches need to make sure that all of their results are online. This is important from a team perspective as well as for individual player seeding.
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Season-to-Date Report - Click to enlarge |
This is also the week of the best tournament in the state, the Greater Cincinnati Tennis Coaches' Association Classic Tournament. What makes this tournament great is that the coaches meet to place similar skilled teams into flights. This helps insure that matches will be competitive. It is also huge. This year's tournament includes 44 teams. Because of the difficulty in securing sites for the tournament, they are having 11 different flights of four teams each this year. OTZ plans to attend the Flight A group competition which will be held at St. Xavier. Those teams include: Mason, Springboro, St. Xavier, and Sycamore.
More players were added to the OTZ Watch List. They include (alpha sort): St. Ignatius' Nathaniel Day, St. Xavier's Drew Evans, Findlay's Max Hosey, University School's Dean Kirchick, Columbus Academy's Jack Madison, Sycamore's Nicholas Meyers, Walsh Jesuit's Caleb Miller, and Solon's Niko Romanov. More players will be added this week. There were also players added to Top Players List. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The OTZ Pre-Season Team Rankings will be updated in tomorrow's update.
One of the most valuable OTZ reports is the Season-to-Date report. This report is commonly used to gather the stats for players prior to the end-of-year awards party/gathering, but it is also perfect for the Sectional Draw. It provides all of the player information for the coach to more easily make his/her case for seeding players.
Today's matches include: Solon (A) versus St. Ignatius; Columbus Academy (H) versus Upper Arlington; Dublin Scioto (H) versus Dublin Jerome; St. Xavier (A) versus Anderson; and Indian Hill (A) versus Seven Hills. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY,
University Beats U and N A | Coffman Wins the Lex Invite
Yesterday's rain was not as bad as expected with numerous dual matches and the Lexington Invite played to completion. Among the top teams, University School defeated New Albany and Upper Arlington; Columbus Academy beat St. John's Jesuit; and Indian Hill defeated Oakwood.
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Walsh Jesuit's Caleb Miller - Click to enlarge |
Dublin Coffman won the Lex Invite and Walsh Jesuit finished second. Centerville's Will Owen won first singles and Walsh Jesuit's Caleb Miller and Ben Cors won first dubs. Other teams participating included: Centerville, Findlay, Kenston, Lexington, and Massillon Jackson. This tournament is an OTZ favorite thanks to its friendly atmosphere, the wide mix of teams from throughout the state, and its mix of singles and doubles play. (The 2021 team photos of each of these teams will be posted today.) Not to claim absolutely all of the credit for Coffman's win, but they were the OTZ featured yesterday..
To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, New Albany's Ryan Mudre defeated University School's Nathan Mu; St. John's Jesuit's Aiden Williams beat Columbus Academy's Arie Tuckerman; New Albany’s Devin Boyer defeated University School's Cole Kirchick; Indian Hill's RJ Poffenberger beat Oakwood's Noah Boyce; and University School's Dean Kirchick defeated Upper Arlington's Ethan Samora. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest. Watch for new OTZ player rankings tomorrow.
SATURDAY,
University School Beats Solon | Dublin Jerome Defeats Walsh Jesuit
Many of the top teams are gathering today to compete. Matches among the top teams yesterday included: University School defeated Solon; Dublin Jerome beat Walsh Jesuit; and Lexington defeated Centerville. There were 16 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 5, Southwest - 8, Northeast - 2, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Columbus Academy defeated Walsh Jesuit; Whetstone beat DeSales; Cincinnati Country Day defeated Lakota East; Ottawa Hills beat Sylvania Southview; and Wellington defeated Olentangy Liberty. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Dublin Coffman - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Dublin Coffman. They are coached by Brett Hundertpfund. They are OTZ Team Members. They are led by William Sun, Anton Bakunin, and Fedor Bakunin.
OTZ goes north to the Lexington Invite today. The goal is to leave by 7am and it is going to be close to that.. In dual matches, it is Columbus Academy (H) versus St John's Jesuit. Sycamore, University School, Upper Arlington, and New Albany are competing in dual matches. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY,
OTZ Photo Friday | Mason Beats Sycamore | University Defeats Jackson
The weather was iffy yesterday, but a few important matches still took place. Among the top teams, Mason defeated Sycamore; University School beat Massillon Jackson; Dublin Jerome defeated Olentangy; and Seven Hills beat Cincinnati Country Day. While there were 31 matches recorded from state-wide play yesterday, there were 48 matches entered as coaches who recently joined OTZ caught up with older matches. The breakdown by District was: Central - 14, Southwest - 13, Northeast - 2, and Northwest - 2. The close, 3-2 matches included: Dayton Christian defeated Miami Valley School; Chaminade-Julienne beat Carroll; and Highland defeated Copley. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Davidson's Hayes Houseworth - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Mason's Vignesh Gogineni defeated Sycamore's Nicholas Meyers; University School's Ben Martin beat Massillon Jackson's Denil Joseph; Dublin Jerome's Max Fickas defeated Olentangy's Sam Routzahn; Seven Hills' Avi Mahajan beat Cincinnati Country Day's Sai Nalagatla; Gahanna's Brandon Carpico defeated Grove City's Abraham Hougland; Bryan's Jay Fortner beat Shawnee's Gabe Burke; and Upper Arlington's Ethan Samora defeated Dublin Coffman's William Sun.Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
There were quite a few Ohio State match photos included in today's OTZ Photo Friday. Because I am in a good mood, these OSU photos are "open" so that they can be viewed by non-members as well. There were 24 photos added today. Click to view at Most Recently Added Photos.Today's matches include: Centerville (A) versus Lexington; Columbus Academy (H) versus Walsh Jesuit; Loveland (A) versus Indian Hill; and University School (H) versus Solon. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
Bexley Beats Dublin Coffman | Columbus Academy Defeats Olentangy Orange
The snow and cold temperatures forced cancellations throughout the state but there were still a few hardy schools that played (but it is not known how many played indoors). The matches reported included: Bexley defeated Dublin Coffman; Columbus Academy beat Olentangy Orange; Lancaster defeated Chillicothe; and Sycamore beat Lebanon (State Team Tournament match). To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Orange - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Orange. They are coached by Rich Bole. They are OTZ Team Members. They are led by Ben Pomeranets, Chika Nwaozuzu, and Krish Mehra.
The new OTZ keyboard allows me to type extremely fast, but very inacccurratetly. Couple that with the Microsoft's Sticky Notes list app that had become the go-to place (and brain extension) for recording everything that needed to be done and that had already been done at OTZ. While it is unclear exactly what happened, everything is gone on the Sticky Notes to-do list. It is suspected that a cntrl-A (select all) and then random characters were typed. Rather than coolly enter an "un-do", I clicked the upper-right-hand "X" which closed Sticky Notes so that it could be restarted. This was a super bad move. Sticky Notes treats the "X" as a "file save" and an "exit" with one simple mouse click. It did not support the "un-do" function after its re-opening. Despite using a wide assortment of words directed at the computer/software, this exhaustive list was gone forever. Sticky Notes are also not stored in a typical file so an older version is not on a backup. As always, if there is something that you think should have been done, but is not, please Feedback OTZ. I may also start wearing boxing gloves when I type to see if that helps improve my accuracy..
Also note that it very helpful for readers to include their phone numbers with the Feedback. If I think I can address the issue faster with a phone call, I will call.
Today's matches include: Sycamore (H) versus Mason;Centerville (H) versus Springboro; Watterson (A) versus St. Charles; and Loveland (A) versus Anderson. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
Weather Smacks Ohio HS Tennis | University School Beats St. Ignatius | New Albany Defeats Columbus Academy
Is there a snow setting on court rollers? There should be on the Ohio models.. Columbus received about two inches of snow. The photo was taken at the Whetstone Park of Roses this morning.
In matches involving the top schools, University School defeated St. Ignatius and New Albany beat Columbus Academy. Overall, there were 36 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Southwest - 18, Central - 15, and Northeast - 3. The close, 3-2 matches included: Olentangy Orange defeated Upper Arlington; Westerville North beat Big Walnut; Reynoldsburg beat Lancaster; Bloom-Carroll defeated Teays Valley; and Bellefontaine beat Urbana. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Whetstone Park of Roses This AM - Click to enlarge |
Today's highly questionable matches include: St. Xavier (A) versus Mason; Columbus Academy (A) versus Olentangy Orange; Olentangy Liberty (H) versus Centerville; and Findlay (H) versus St John's Jesuit. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
Springboro Beats Oakwood | St. Xavier Defeats Oak Hills
It was nice day yesterday and high school tennis gets another nice day today before the snowblowers get to have some fun again. Noteworthy matches included: Springboro defeated Oakwood and St. Xavier beat Oak Hills in the State Team Tournament.
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Hilliard Davidson - Click to team page |
Dublin Jerome won the Uh-Oh SpaghettiO Bowl against Dublin Coffman yesterday. This event is so named for Dublin's prolific use of traffic circles to get to their other traffic circles. Now that Dublin has decreased the number accidents from an astronomical level to a really large level, they are working on exciting new concepts.
There were 41 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 16, Southwest - 20, Northeast - 4, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Mifflin defeated Beechcroft; Urbana beat Kenton Ridge; Kettering Fairmont defeated Archbishop Alter; Mariemont beat Elder; Anderson defeated Moeller; Delaware Hayes beat Marysville; Olentangy defeated Wellington; and Pickerington North beat Dublin Scioto. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, St. Charles' Reece Yakubov defeated Columbus Academy's Arie Tuckerman; Chagrin Falls' Andrew Zimcosky beat Walsh Jesuit's Caleb Miller; Springboro's Sainandan Dore defeated Oakwood's Noah Boyce; Wellington's Griffin Biernat beat Olentangy's Sam Routzahn; Dublin Jerome's Max Fickas defeated Dublin Coffman's William Sun; Sycamore's Nicholas Meyers beat Lakota East's Vass; Indian Hill's Tejas Pisati defeated Beavercreek's Xie; Bexley's Stefan Schiff beat Reynoldsburg's Jaden Coley; and Olentangy Orange's Parth Patel defeated Worthington Kilbourne's Owen Alderman. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's featured team is Hilliard Davidson. They are coached by Shannon Murlin. They are Team Members. They are led by Hayes Houseworth, Matthew Crawford, and Dylan Murlin.
Today's matches include: Columbus Academy (A) versus New Albany; Orange (A) versus Walsh Jesuit; and University School (H) versus St. Ignatius. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
Ohio State Men Win Share of Big Ten East Title
Well. That was an exciting Ohio State tennis match. OSU eked out a 4-3 win over the team up north in yesterday's three and a half hour match. It seemed like OSU was always about to lose until they won. TUN had won the previous contest between the two schools.
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OSU's J.J. Tracy - Click to enlarge |
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Let the Celebration Begin. Carefully. - Click to enlarge |
OSU's JJ Tracy clinched the win in the third set on court 5. He was fighting off cramps for roughly the last four games. It appeared that he was close to going into "full body cramp mode" before the end as he struggled to keep his arms, hands, and legs loose. The celebration photo shows how he was guarded as the other players came to celebrate.
Congratulations to Ohio State on this huge win.
While no high school matches were played yesterday, there were still older matches recorded. To view results from previous days, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Note that it is possible to select other dates at the top of the report.
Click for the updated OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws. There have been no major surprises so far.
Today's matches include: Dublin Coffman (A) versus Dublin Jerome; Columbus Academy (A) versus St. Charles; Orange (A) versus Hawken; Oakwood (A) versus Springboro; and Olentangy (H) versus Wellington. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
Dublin Coffman is having their annual tournament again for the girls and for younger, non-high school boys. It was canceled last year due to COVID-19. Click for more information.
SUNDAY,
St. X, Mason, Bexley, and Olentangy Liberty Win Big Matches
Yesterday was a nice day for dual matches. St. Xavier came into Columbus and defeated Upper Arlington and New Albany. Mason also made the trip north and defeated Dublin Jerome and New Albany. Other noteworthy matches of the state's top teams included: Olentangy Liberty defeated Massillon Jackson and Bexley beat Lexington. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
In tournament play, Olentangy Berlin won the Reynoldsburg Doubles Tournament and Watkins Memorial finished second.
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Big Ten Champions - Click to enlarge |
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OSU's Lisa Hofbauer - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Mason's Vignesh Gogineni defeated Dublin Jerome's Max Fickas; St. Xavier's Charlie Temming beat Upper Arlington's Ethan Samora; Olentangy Liberty's Vishnu Bodavula defeated Massillon Jackson's Alvin Altman; Walsh Jesuit's Caleb Miller beat Mayfield's Yukun Wang; and Bexley's Stefan Schiff defeated Lexington's Tommy Secrist. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Sports scores are the lifeblood of any high school sport. Without scores, there is no media coverage and without media coverage, interest in that sport declines. There are obviously a large number of benefits to sports, but player recognition is an extremely big part. The kids, and especially the parents, want to see this recognition. Every sports score that is posted is an advertisement for that sport and an advertisement for that school. Coaches who do not like to report scores are going to discover that interest will wane for their programs. Quickly.
Most of the scores on OhioTennisZone are sourced via the OTZ score reporting tool. If a coach is not an OTZ member, the opposing coach normally is. The OTZ reporting tool is the easiest and most accurate way for scores to be acquired for the OTZ web site.
Unfortunately the Columbus Dispatch has gone from the best in high school sports coverage to almost being irrelevant. Since the Dispatch is printed in Indianapolis, they have a ridiculously early cutoff time (~4pm) so scores are reported a day late. They also no longer report box scores (which are the individual player results). Sadly, the spiral decline is underway for them => less scores reported by coaches => less scores shown in the newspaper => even less scores reported by coaches.
The Cincinnati Enquirer still does a solid job with its scores and so does a Miami Valley coaches web site.
It is always possible to "catch-up" with scores for OTZ Coach Members. Just enter older scores online. Individual "Parent / Player" members may also provide scores as long as they provide the results in the correct, OTZ format.
While yesterday would have normally been spent on high school courts, attention was briefly diverted to the Ohio State Women's team. OSU wrapped up the season with a share of the Big Ten Championship. There were no photos of the OSU women last year due to COVID-19. The OSU men play UM today for a share of the Big Ten title. Fan attendance is still restricted.
Two central Ohio players included in the team photo are Olentangy's Kathleen Jones (upper left) and Olentangy Liberty's Maddie Atway (lower right).
SATURDAY,
St. Xavier Beat Columbus Academy | Solon Defeated Massillon Jackson
The weather suddenly brightened at the end of the day and it turned out great for matches. Among the state's top teams, St. Xavier defeated Columbus Academy; Solon beat Massillon Jackson; and St. Charles defeated Olentangy Liberty. There were 26 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Southwest - 16, Central - 7, Northeast - 4, and Northwest - 1. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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MSU's Williams |
OSU's McNally |
Among the top players, St. Charles' Reece Yakubov defeated Olentangy Liberty's Vishnu Bodavula; St. Xavier's Charlie Temming beat Columbus Academy's Arie Tuckerman; Walsh Jesuit's Caleb Miller defeated Westlake's Rahul Jain; Solon's Niko Romanov beat Massillon Jackson's Alvin Altman; Bryan's Jay Fortner defeated Toledo Central Catholic's Bishop; and St. Xavier's Drew Evans beat Columbus Academy's Jack Madison. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Conditions were great for action photos yesterday at Ohio State. Two Ohio players are featured today. Seven Hills' Nick Williams plays for Michigan State University. Williams won D2 States singles in 2017 on a miserably hot day. John McNally is from the Cincinnati suburb of Madeira, and he did not compete in high school tennis. They played against each other on court 1 with McNally winning, 6-3, 6-3. McNally's sister, Caty, also hits the tennis ball pretty well.. She is currently ranked 110 in the world. Click on the photos above to enlarge them.
Today's matches include: St. Xavier (A) versus New Albany; Bexley (A) versus Lexington; and Massillon Jackson (A) versus Upper Arlington and Olentangy Liberty. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY,
Indian Hill Defeated CCD | St. Charles Beat Pickerington North | Photo Friday
Chilly and windy weather did not slow down the number of matches played yesterday, but it was uncomfortable for fans and photographers. There were 39 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Southwest - 20, Central - 18, and Northwest - 1. Among the state's best teams, Indian Hill defeated Cincinnati Country Day and St. Charles beat Pickerington North. The close, 3-2 matches included: Ottawa-Glandorf defeated Bryan; Monroe beat Brookville; Big Walnut defeated Worthington Kilbourne; Olentangy Orange beat Dublin Coffman; Whitehall defeated Beechcroft; Ready beat West Jefferson; Anderson defeated Kings; and Hilliard Bradley beat Hilliard Davidson. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Wellington's Griffin Biernat - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, St. Charles' Reece Yakubov defeated Pickerington North's Pavan Uppu; Mason's Vignesh Gogineni beat Lakota East's Andrew Vass; Indian Hill's Tejas Pisati defeated Cincinnati Country Day's Max Berghausen; Kings’ Josh Lee beat Anderson’s Payson Scott; Oakwood's Noah Boyce defeated Chaminade-Julienne's Sam Zelinski; and Olentangy's Trevor Gerald beat Thomas Worthington's Will Newberry. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
It is another OTZ Photo Friday. There were 15 photos added. Click to view the Most Recently Added Photos. Dense clouds kept the OTZ camera in its bag for a couple of days this week. I am looking forward to getting back into the Ohio State facility today for photos. OSU plays Michigan State.
Today's matches include: Columbus Academy (H) versus St. Xavier; Indian Hill (H) versus Mason; Olentangy Liberty (A) versus St. Charles; and Solon (H) versus Massillon Jackson. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
CA > Wellington | ITA Obliterates Common Sense | Solon > Shaker Heights | Findlay > Perrysburg
The plan was to start with, "it was another big night for high school tennis", but that has already been done too many times.. There were 29 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 12, Southwest - 12, Northeast - 4, and Northwest - 1. In some of the more noteworthy contests, Columbus Academy defeated Wellington; Solon beat Shaker Heights; Findlay defeated Perrysburg. (The Findlay match was clinched on second singles with a three set match.) The close, 3-2 matches included: Olentangy Orange defeated St. Charles; Worthington Kilbourne beat Grove City; Harrison defeated Colerain; Walnut Hills beat Lakota East; Big Walnut defeated Newark; Bexley beat Watterson; and Beavercreek defeated Miami Valley School. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Solon - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Solon. They are coached by Fredrik Nyborg. They are Team Members. They are led by Niko Romanov, Eric Liao, and Scott Zhao.
Computers are our friends - until they aren't. A great example of this is happening right now with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings. One of the best players in the country is Ohio State's Cannon Kingsley. He started the season ranked #5 in college tennis and he is 23-0 this year. He is now listed as #117. (See.) A computer hasn't gone this bad since HAL and Skynet. Algorithms can be very helpful but sometimes you have to step back from them and see if they really make sense. This is why humans are still handy to have around. (Yay us!) The big question is "Why didn't the ITA intervene and fix the algorithm or not publish the rankings?" There is a second question to consider here as well..
Today's matches include: Avon (H) versus St. Ignatius; Olentangy Liberty (H) versus Upper Arlington; Solon (H) versus Kenston; and Cincinnati Country Day (A) versus Indian Hill. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
Bexley Beats Columbus Academy | Solon Defeated Chagrin Falls
Last night was the biggest tennis night of the season. There were also big matches with Bexley defeating Columbus Academy and Solon beating Chagrin Falls. There were 41 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Southwest - 22, Central - 14, Northeast - 4, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Hilliard Darby defeated Marysville (included three, 3-setters and clinched on court 1); Fairborn beat Stebbins; Solon defeated Chagrin Falls; Eaton beat Monroe; Chaminade-Julienne defeated Dayton Christian; Mariemont beat Wyoming; and Carroll defeated Fenwick. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Olentangy - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Olentangy. They are coached by Jeff Luxenburger. They are OTZ Team Members. They are led by Sam Routzahn, Roshan Sriram, and Trevor Gerald.
The OTZ fingers have been glued to the keyboard this spring to get the OTZ Player Profiles setup for all Team and Individual (Parent/Player) members as quickly as possible. Coaches who have not updated their rosters need to do that first (and now). Also needed are high-resolution (> 1MB) team photos. The individual photos will be retrieved from that image.
Today's matches include: Columbus Academy (A) versus Wellington; Chagrin Falls (H) versus University School; Cincinnati Country Day (A) versus Sycamore; Oakwood (A) versus Seven Hills; and Orange (A) versus St. Ignatius. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
Sycamore Beats St. Xavier | Wellington Defeats Upper Arlington
In the "You just messed up my rankings" match of the day, OTZ #4 Sycamore defeated OTZ #2 St. Xavier. In other big matches, Wellington defeated Upper Arlington and Olentangy beat Columbus Academy. There were 30 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Southwest - 18, Central - 11, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Bryan defeated Maumee; Franklin Heights beat Whitehall; Oak Hills defeated Lakota West; Hamilton beat Middletown; Beechcroft defeated Northland; Lehman Catholic beat Sidney; Summit Country Day defeated Wyoming; and Reynoldsburg beat Hilliard Davidson. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Sycamore - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Sycamore. They are coached by Mike Teets. They are OTZ Team Members. They are led by Nicholas Meyers, Mark Karev, and Nicholas Choo.
Today's matches include: Bexley (A) versus Columbus Academy; Solon (H) versus Chagrin Falls; Olentangy Liberty (H) versus Dublin Coffman; and Centerville (A) versus Beavercreek. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
The Launch of PickleballZone.com | Players Added to Watch List
"Resistance is futile." The Borg.
Everyone is here for tennis at this web site but not everyone can play tennis anymore. In fact, some may not have even have the racquet skills to have fun with tennis. Pickleball is here to help. It is also the universe's fastest growing sport because it is a great way to have fun while staying fit.
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Mrs. OTZ is about to whack a pickleball upside my head - Click to enlarge |
Central Ohio has a great tradition for skill-based, adult summer tennis leagues (GCTA.net) and a growing tradition for platform tennis in the winter. Thanks to its expertise in both tennis with OhioTennisZone and with PlatformTennisZone, Gerber Analytics, LLC is launching a new service, called PickleballZone.com, that is devoted to skill-based, pickeball leagues.
Yes, OhioTennisZone will continue to be the biggest supporter of high school tennis in Ohio (and likely the biggest advocate of high school tennis in the nation). OTZ will also likely remain at the top of any Google search when a user types in "Ohio Tennis". But, it is time to try something new.
The league will be rolling out this summer in Central Ohio, and if you play pickleball, you can play. The rollout will be measured, and most of the early efforts are being focused on country clubs since they have control over their courts.
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The new logo - Click to PickleballZone.com |
The neat thing about pickleball is that new players can have fun very quickly, but there are still skills that need to be learned and honed to become a great player. Tennis players should pick it up more quickly than non-players, but they have to understand the nuances. (Look for the pickleball videos on PBZ.) Initially, there will be two skill levels in the league: Advanced Beginners and Intermediate / Intermediate +.
A major reason for offering this web site is that it is tough to say goodbye to all of the friendly tennis parents when their players graduate from high school. Now that does not have to happen. These parents can get involved with this league.
The good news for OTZ, PTZ, and now PBZ (PickleballZone.com) is all of these sites benefit as new code is developed. That is because code created for one site can often be shared with the others. PickleballZone is most similar to PlatformTennisZone, but the captain capabilities will resemble the coach capabilities on OhioTennisZone.
How much to participate? The price is a super low, $25 per season per player. No, not $25 per match - $25 for an entire season. It gets even better. For those who sign up as a couple, the price becomes $20 per player. Note that country clubs and other sites will likely charge additional fees for their overhead costs and other services. (Also note that this is not a mixed league and your spouse may be playing on a different team.)
The league begins on June 6 and it will run until August 1. Playoffs for the top teams will take place on August 8. Matches will take place on Sunday afternoons - primarily beginning at 1pm.
Interested in playing or creating a team? Those associated with a country club should contact their general manager. (The general manager will be thrilled with the potential to make more money for the club with clinics, lessons, and food sales.). Please also contact OhioTennisZone via email or Feedback to follow-up with these club managers. Those not with clubs should contact OTZ directly.
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In Ohio high school tennis news... There were five players added to the OTZ Watchlist. (This is where all of the new players begin.) Several of these players would have been added to this list last year if there had been a season. Many teams have not played matches so that held other players back. The new players are Gahanna's Brandon Carpico, Seven Hills' Avi Mahajan, Centerville's Will Owen, Orange's Ben Pomeranets, Lakota West's Anthony Shalakov, and Pickerington North's Pavan Uppu. Click on their links for more information. Also a reminder.. This is not a sprint (while wearing two COVID-19 masks), but more of a mask-free 5K. The goal is to be on one of these lists prior to the Sectional draws (on May 2). Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's matches include: St. Xavier (H) versus Sycamore; Columbus Academy (H) versus Olentangy; and Watterson (A) versus Worthington Christian. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY,
US, Big Walnut, CA, and Sycamore Earn Wins
The threatening weather held off for much of Ohio yesterday to allow some matches and tournaments to take place. At the Solon Quad Match, University School finished first followed by: Orange, Dublin Jerome, and Solon. At the Watkins Memorial Doubles Tournament, Big Walnut was the champion followed by Watkins Memorial, Reynoldsburg, and Newark
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Reynoldsburg's Jaden Coley - Click to enlarge |
There were five matches recorded from state-wide play that included matches from each district. Columbus Academy recorded two wins, defeating both Massillon Jackson and Lexington. Sycamore also defeated St. John's Jesuit. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, University School's Ben Martin defeated Dublin Jerome's Max Fickas and Orange's Ben Pomeranets; St. John’s Jesuit's Aiden Williams beat Sycamore's Nicholas Meyers; Massillon Jackson’s Alvin Altman defeated Columbus Academy's Arie Tuckerman; and Columbus Academy's Jack Madison beat Lexington's Tommy Secrist. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's photo is of Reynoldsburg's Jaden Coley at the Watkins Memorial Doubles Tournament that was held at Reynoldsburg.
SATURDAY,
7Hills Beat Anderson | University School Defeated Shaker Heights
Rain impacted some matches but there were still several good contests last night. University School played their first match of the season and they defeated Shaker Heights. Seven Hillsdefeated previously unbeaten Anderson. There were 14 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Southwest - 7, Central - 5, Northeast - 1, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Westerville South defeated Big Walnut; Wyoming beat Valley View; Greenville defeated Chaminade-Julienne; and Monroe beat Blanchester. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Delaware Hayes - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Delaware Hayes. They are coached by Gary Hibinger. They are led by Ryder Kardas and Gabe Fogle.
Last night, Hawken captain, Jarod Crider, and I met via Zoom to review the OTZ score reporting system. Widespread use of Zoom has been a big bonus of these COVID-19 times. Being able to share what is happening on my computer screen on a real-time basis has been a terrific learning tool. I am happy to offer these sessions to get coaches (or other score reporting people) up to speed quickly. Just contact me via email or Feedback.
Several teams are traveling today for good matches. They include: Columbus Academy (A) versus Lexington and Massillon Jackson; Indian Hill (H) versus St. Xavier-Louisville; Sycamore (H) versus St John's Jesuit; and University School (A) versus Dublin Jerome. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY,
OTZ Photo Friday
It is a Photo Friday and a rain diminished day for tennis results. There were just three results reported. Anderson defeated Summit Country Day; Valley View beat Monroe; and Mason defeated Oak Hills. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click for updated OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws.
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Olentangy Liberty's Vishnu Bodavula - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Mason's Atharva Rao defeated Oak Hills' Max Doerger. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest. These lists will be updated this weekend.
There were 20 new photos added to the Most Recently Added Photos page. (Please sign-in first.) All of these photos (plus others) are available for purchase. These photos are only for viewing on OhioTennisZone. Only photos that are purchased can be used elsewhere (on Twitter, Instagram, school web sites, etc.). It takes a huge amount of time to travel to sites, take photos, and process them. For more information about buying an OTZ photo, click on Buy a Tennis Photo.
While there are not yet ten photos included, the OTZ Top Ten Photos area was updated to include six photos. This page is available for all to view.
Today's matches include: Indian Hill (A) versus Mason; Seven Hills (A) versus Anderson; Solon (A) versus Gilmour Academy; University School (A) versus Shaker Heights; and Bexley (A) versus St. Charles. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
New Albany Beats Bexley | UA Defeats CA
Ok. It is time for some rain so I can catch-up.. There were 34 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Southwest - 17, Central - 15, and Northeast - 2. There were several good matches that included the state's better teams. In those matches, New Albany defeated Bexley; Upper Arlington beat Columbus Academy; and Olentangy Liberty defeated Pickerington North.
The close, 3-2 matches included: Copley defeated Wooster; Westerville South beat Marysville; Delaware Hayes defeated Buckeye Valley; Talawanda beat Harrison; and Lehman Catholic defeated Elida. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Bloom-Carroll - Click to team page |
Among the top players, St. Charles' Reece Yakubov defeated Worthington Kilbourne's Owen Alderman; Mason's Vignesh Gogineni beat Centerville's Will Owen; Olentangy Liberty's Vishnu Bodavula defeated Pickerington North's Pavan Uppu; New Albany's Devin Boyer beat Bexley's Stefan Schiff; Olentangy's Sam Routzahn defeated Dublin Coffman's William Sun; New Albany's Ryan Mudre beat Bexley's Will Meyer; Seven Hills' Avi Mahajan defeated Loveland's Ethan Libby; and Upper Arlington’s Ethan Samora beat Columbus Academy's Jack Madison. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
With the Columbus Dispatch no longer providing boxscore summaries, Central District coaches need to submit their results via OhioTennisZone.com if they wish to recognize their players. If the "home" coach (or whoever is responsible for submitting scores) is not an OTZ member, the visiting coach can still submit the result to OTZ. Tennis players like to be recognized just as much as other school athletes so please get these scores into OTZ.
Today's featured team is Bloom-Carroll. They are coached by Rick Rowland. They are led by Lawson Miller and Aiden Kovacs. There have been quite a few Central District teams that have been featured. That is partly because it is much easier for OTZ to get to these matches to take photos. Any coach can provide their team photo so that his/her team can be recognized. Please email a *high-resolution* image to OTZ. Please refer to the instructions below on how to email a *high-resolution* photo. The key words here are *high resolution*, not the default thumbnail image. Click for Team Photos.
Today's matches include: Findlay (H) versus St John's Jesuit; Columbus Academy (A) versus Dublin Jerome; Solon (A) versus Westlake; and Sycamore (H) versus Lakota East. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
Oakwood Beat Centerville | East > West | North > South
More perfect weather led to more matches. There were 31 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Southwest - 18, Central - 11, Northeast - 1, and Northwest - 1. There were two community-related match-ups yesterday with Lakota East beating Lakota West and Pickerington North defeating Pickerington Central. In another big match, Oakwood defeated Centerville. The close, 3-2 matches included: Big Walnut defeated Delaware Hayes; Grove City beat Marysville; Hartley defeated Ready; and Wilmington beat New Richmond. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Big Walnut - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Big Walnut. They are coached by Ryan Balaz. They are led by Evan Fisher, Grant Mudre, and Andrew Grubb.
Today's matches include: Columbus Academy (H) versus Upper Arlington; Olentangy Liberty (H) versus Pickerington North; Seven Hills (H) versus Loveland; and Avon (H) versus Berea. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
Sycamore Beats Indian Hill | Seven Hills Defeats CCD
It was a big night for tennis with several OTZ Top 10 teams competing. They included Sycamore defeated Indian Hill and Seven Hills beat Cincinnati Country Day. Overall, there were 25 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Southwest - 15, Central - 9, and Northeast - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Loveland defeated Centerville; Wellington beat St. Charles; Little Miami defeated Wilmington; and Anderson beat Walnut Hills. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Bexley - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Bexley. They are coached by Will Gingery. They are Team Members. They are led by Stefan Schiff and Will Meyer. Bexley is a Division II team located in the Central District.
Today's matches include: Solon (A) versus Orange; Centerville (H) versus Oakwood; and Findlay (A) versus Lima Senior. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
Ready for a Full Week of Matches
Most teams have yet to play a match but this will change this week. All of the top teams have matches. Ohio also catches a break with the weather with warm temperatures and hopefully three or four dry days this week.
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Columbus Academy - Click to team page |
Many coaches have yet to enter their schedules online, but click on List of Upcoming Matches to see the list for many.
For those who have not yet checked out results this season, click on Previous Day's Match Results and select the dates near the top of the page.
There have been no changes among the OTZ Top Players list, but a few will likely be added to the Watch List this week. (The Watch List is the starting point for the top players.) Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
OTZ is rapidly setting up Player Profiles for those with Team Memberships and for those with individual memberships. Many coaches have yet to enter their rosters so that is slowing down this process.
Today's featured team is Columbus Academy. They are coached by Marc Wurtzman. They are OTZ Team Members. They are led by Arie Tuckerman, Jack Madison, and Ryan Panley.
SUNDAY,
Lancaster Beats Marysville in State Team Tournament
Happy Easter. There were just two matches recorded from state-wide play yesterday. Matches will begin in earnest this coming week. Yesterday's matches include: Lancaster defeated Marysville and Bryan beat Van Wert. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Avon - Click to team page |
The Lancaster match was also at State Team Tournament match. Click for the updated OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draw.
On court one yesterday for their respective matches, Lancaster's Jonah Hoffman-Weitsman defeated Marysville's Sean Richardson and Bryan's Jay Fortner beat Van Wert's Jace Fast. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.Today's featured team is Avon. They are coached by Eric Korey. Coach Korey is an OTZ Coach Member. They are led by Logan DeHaven and Luke LeMaster.
To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SATURDAY,
Seven Hills Defeated Milton-Union in State Team Tournament
In observance of Good Friday, there were just five matches recorded from yesterday's play. All of the matches were held in the Southwest District. Seven Hills defeated Milton-Union in the State Team Tournament. The close, 3-2 matches included: Urbana defeated Piqua and Valley View-B beat Stebbins. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click to view the OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws. The draws have been updated to reflect the 7Hills match.
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Grandview's Kieren Bode - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Seven Hill's Avi Mahajan defeated Milton-Union's Joel Benkert. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The photo is of Grandview's Kieren Bode in his match on Wednesday against Bloom-Carroll's Aiden Kovacs.
There is just one match on the schedule for today. Marysville (A) plays Lancaster.
FRIDAY,
Cold Weather Hampers Play | Lakota East Beats Oak Hills
It was chilly day yesterday and numerous matches were canceled or postponed. Just two matches were recorded - Lakota East defeated Oak Hills and Anderson beat Lebanon. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Olentangy Berlin - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Olentangy Berlin. They are coached by Richard Hunt. They are Team Members. They are led by Joshua McKnight and Akhil Damarla.
Today and tomorrow would be great days for coaches to get their rosters and schedules entered online on OTZ. For those coaches who want an overview of OhioTennisZone, please submit a Feedback. I will be around most of the day today and tomorrow to offer Zoom sessions.
To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
Are Masks Leading to a New Form of Deception?
It was just a matter of time.. "People wear masks to rob banks and we are apparently going to see the same thing happen in high school tennis," exclaimed a Westerville East fan yesterday during their match against Bloomingburg. A player who was perhaps much older than a high school player competed for Bloomingburg "by turning it on when he needed to" to allow them to win their 3-2 match. The player did not arrive with the other players in the bus but that is not unusual with social distancing in effect. The East assistant coach suspected something was amiss and was overheard saying, "How many kids wear dark glasses on cloudy days and wear a mask while they play?"
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Masked Player - Click to enlarge |
It was reportedly not an act of graciousness when the Westerville East coach offered the masked player a snack and drink after the match, "we wanted to see what he looked like, but the guy grabbed a crazy straw out of his tennis bag and manipulated it so that he would not have to remove his mask." Will we see this player at States? "You can't ask anyone to take their mask off so this so-called freshman may graduate before we know who he is," lamented another player.
Bloomingburg plays Wapacannota next..
There were 15 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Southwest - 9 and Central - 6. The close, 3-2 matches included: Delaware Hayes defeated River Valley; Lehman Catholic beat Kenton Ridge; Archbishop Alter defeated Valley View; Grandview beat Bloom-Carroll; Upper Arlington defeated Bexley; and Watterson beat Worthington Kilbourne. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, Worthington Kilbourne's Owen Alderman defeated Watterson's Nick Geelan and Upper Arlington's Ethan Samora beat Bexley's Stefan Schiff. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.Today's matches include: Loveland (A) versus Beavercreek and Seven Hills (A) versus Milton-Union. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
Seven Hills Beats CHCA | Wellington Defeats Watterson
It was a tough day for anti-wind players and for players who like to hit big serves. This is probably an exageration [that happens a lot here] but there were likely more double faults than successful first serves at the Coilumbus Academy/Olentangy dubs tournament yesterday. Still though, it was great to watch boys tennis again.
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Olentangy's Sam Routzahn - Click to enlarge |
There were 25 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Southwest - 15, Central - 9, and Northeast - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Urbana defeated Kenton Ridge; Chaminade-Julienne beat Archbishop Alter; Moeller defeated Elder; and Lancaster beat Zanesville. In other big matches, Seven Hills defeated Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy and Wellington beat Watterson. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, Walsh Jesuit's Caleb Miller defeated North Canton Hoover's Colin Fitzgerald and Watterson's Nick Geelan beat Wellington's Sanjan Shanker. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.The weather is going to be iffy today, but today's matches include: Avon (H) versus St Edward; Bexley (H) versus Upper Arlington; and Findlay (H) versus Bowling Green. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
Sycamore Beats Lakota West
Ohio gets a complete smorgasbord of weather this week. Some teams moved their matches to today to avoid the poor weather expected on Thursday. There were 14 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Southwest - 9 and Central - 5. The close, 3-2 matches included: Hamilton defeated Monroe and Carroll beat Valley View. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Order of Finish - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Lakota West’s Anthony Shalakov defeated Sycamore's Nicholas Meyers; Watterson's Nick Geelan beat Centennial's Max Wissman; and Sycamore's Mark Karev defeated Lakota West's Nicholas Athans. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
More teams are starting to use the new Order-of-Finish field as they report their scores. This stat provides more insight into the match. The score-reporting system is available to OTZ Coach Members. (I'm not crazy about the OOF abbreviation. I need to work on that..)
Today's matches include: St. Xavier (H) versus LaSalle; Watterson (A) versus Wellington; Copley (H) versus St Edward; and Kenton Ridge (H) versus Urbana. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
First Full Week of Tennis Underway
The boys season is getting off to a slow start due to spring breaks. The number of matches per day will not be up to par until the week of April 12. To view all of the dual match results recorded from Friday and Saturday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Watterson - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Watterson. They are coached by Ryan Schwieterman. They are OTZ Team Members. They are led by seniors Nick Geelan, Johnny DiOrio, Adam Pavliga, and Cole Petrilla.
Coaches are starting to get their schedules online. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY,
St. Xavier > St. Xavier-Louisville > Mason
Not wasting anytime before jumping into competitive matches, St. Xavier and Mason both played St. Xavier-Louisville. St. Xavier (Cincinnati) recorded their first win and Mason was defeated in a tight 3-2 match. The Mason match was the first to utilize the new Order of Finish field revealing that court 4 (or first dubs) was the court that clinched the win for St. Xavier-Louisville. In other matches, Walsh Jesuit defeated St. John's Jesuit and Oak Hills beat Elder. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Average By Court Performance - Click to enlarge |
A new graph was created for last year's boys season but.. The new graph shows the Average By Court Performance throughout the season. Since St. Xavier has played just one match, the two are now the same. It is too early to tell after just one match but St. X's court 3 might be stronger on a relative basis versus the other courts. This new graph is a premium feature for paying members and it is prominently displayed on the new OhioTennisZone Personalized Report.
The update process is still askew. It will get better.. The target time for the data portion of each daily update is 7am and the verbal portion (what you see on this page) is 8am.
SATURDAY,
First Day of Results
And just like that, the season is underway. There were seven matches recorded from state-wide play and the Southwest District contributed six of those matches. The close, 3-2 matches included: Carlisle defeated Chaminade-Julienne and Lakota West beat Bellbrook. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Pickerington North's Pavan Uppu - Click to enlarge |
The Lakota West versus Bellbrook match was a State Team Tournament match, and this has already been reflected on the OTZ-enhanced State Team Tournament Draws.
None of the state's top players were in action. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The most reliable way to insure that your team's score gets online on OhioTennisZone is to use the OTZ score reporting system. Any coaches who would like a Zoom session to get an overview of OTZ can contact OTZ via a Feedback message or via email. I will be around today and hunkered down to clean up the update processes. Taking a year off from the boys season did not contribute to a crisp and effective update this morning..
FRIDAY,
It's Time..
After the boys season was canceled last year, Fred eloquently summarizes the feelings of many today in this brief video. With many already sporting a needle mark, let's hope that the improving conditions continue in that direction.
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Copley - Click to team page |
Most coaches are off to a slower than normal start after the long break from the 2019 boys tennis season. One coach who is not is Copley's Mark Ullman. Coach Ullman promptly provided all of the information neeeded and his team is the first OTZ featured team of the season. Copley is in the Northeast District and they are OTZ Team Members. The upper classmen on the team include Caleb Scott and Josh Hertz.
Just as many teams are expected to do, Copley provided a high resolution cell phone image for their team photo. For advice on taking a good cell phone image, please review this short How-to document first.
The season starts out really slow but it will pick up steam quickly as teams return from spring break. It is uncertain how many results will be posted in tomorrow's update.
TUESDAY,
So Far So Good..
Last year, the first day of practice that I attended was the last day of practice that I attended. This year should be better. The weather certainly could not have been any better yesterday. Conditions were absolutely ideal.
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Watterson's Nick Geelan - Click to enlarge |
Just as he did last year, Watterson's Nick Geelan starts things out in the OTZ photo department. Bishop Watterson returns four of their starters from last season. They are: Nick Geelan, Johnny DiOrio, Adam Pavliga, and Cole Petrilla.
The closest courts to the OTZ headquarters are the Whetstone Park of Roses courts and the Upper Arlington courts. These are (were) the go-to courts when a quick picture is needed. Both Bishop Watterson and Whetstone practice at the Park of Roses.
The Upper Arlington courts are out of commission this spring as UA builds their new high school. UA will spend most of their season on the road except for an occasional match at a neighborhood park. They will have to fight off the pickleballers to use those courts so their odds do not look good..
Remember - those renewing their OTZ memberships do not need to register again. The only thing that you need to do is to pay. Questions? Please click Feedback.
WEDNESDAY,
OTZ Boys State Team Draws Now Available
The OTZ Enhanced State Team Draws are now online. There were no matches played in the State Team Tournament last year. Hopefully this year will be different.
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State Team Tournament Draws - Click to go to draws |
The draws are available at the top of this page and they will remain there throughout the season. As with everything else on OTZ, the goal is to enable high school tennis fans to quickly obtain the information they need rather than to maximize OTZ clicks and page views. As indicated in the four features that are circled: 1) the most recent update date is included; 2) the navigation links allow users to quickly jump throughout the draw; 3) the Team designation means that a Team Membership was purchased and that all of the individual player information is available via their OTZ Player Profiles; and 4) the team links are "click-able" to enable fans to do more research. For the best experience, sign-in to OTZ first. The goal is to keep the draws promptly updated throughout the season. Please click on Feedback if you are aware of a result that is not yet posted.
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State Team Tournament Participation- Click to enlarge |
The number of boys teams that enter the tournament varies from year to year. This year, there is a decrease. In fact, this is the lowest number of teams in the last seven years. Hopefully it bounces back after this COVID-19 year. There are 110 teams participating. The number of boys teams by year is: 2015 - 148; 2016 - 128; 2017 - 126; 2018 - 125; 2019 - 119; 2020 - 128, and 2021 - 110. As shown in the graph, Southwest and Northeast have the most participants and Central has the least. Out of the 386 OHSAA boys tennis teams, 28% of the teams are competing in this tournament. Please click on the graph to enlarge it for easier viewing.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY
OTZ Pre-Season Top Ten Teams (beta release)
It was far more challenging to identify the OTZ Pre-Season Top Ten Teams this year because two new classes will be beginning high school tennis this year -- this year's freshmen and sophomores. As is often the case, there are several top level teams that are clearly in contention for State Team Champion. The rankings and the rational behind the rankings are listed below. They are all subject to tweaking if players decide not to play (or to play) Ohio high school tennis this spring. "Thank you" to all of the coaches who provided feedback on these rankings.
OhioTennisZone.com |
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| Division I | Division II |
| 1. Mason◄TEAM | Indian Hill◄TEAM |
| 2. St. Xavier◄TEAM | Columbus Academy◄TEAM |
| 3. New Albany | Orange◄TEAM |
| 4. Sycamore◄TEAM | Wellington◄TEAM |
| 5. University◄TEAM | Seven Hills◄TEAM |
| 6. Springboro◄TEAM | Cincinnati Country Day◄TEAM |
| 7. Dublin Jerome◄TEAM | Chagrin Falls |
| 8. Pickerington North | Lexington◄TEAM |
| 9. Solon◄TEAM | Ursuline◄TEAM |
| 10. Findlay◄TEAM | Ottawa Hills |
◄TEAM - Denotes OTZ Team Membership. Click on School Name for Extensive Information. |
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In D1, Mason, St. Xavier, New Albany, and Sycamore will be the teams to beat.
Division I
#1 The defending 2019 State Team champion, Mason, returns with a strong team that includes: Vignesh Gogineni (Yale - 2022 recruit), Anish Gangavaram, Akshay Joshi, and Sam King.
#2 St. Xavier would have been the favorite to win the State Team Tournament last year and they are a strong contender for this year. They return Charlie Temming (State Doubles Champion and Xavier recruit), Vincent Knott (Northern Kentucky recruit), Alex Brandt, Tucker Berry, and Jimmy Gott. They picked up sophomore, 4-star Drew Evans and 2-star Chase Homan. They lost Ronit Hiryur (Dayton) to graduation and Preston Stearns.
#3 New Albany returns Devin Boyer (2018 State Dubs Champion and Cleveland State recruit) and Ryan Mudre. They picked up 2-star Benjamin Bilenko. They lost Alek Jacoby to graduation.
#4 Sycamore returns to the top ten thanks to several strong incoming freshmen. They return Mark Karev and Kevin Dong. They pick up 4-star Nicholas Meyers and Nicholas Choo, both freshmen. They also picked up the last of the Wittenbaum's, Andrew, who is also a freshman.
#5 University School returns Ben Martin, Spencer Krantz, and Nathan Mu. They also pick up two Kirchick's -- Dean (3-star) and Cole (2-star). They lost Chas Norman and Charlie Joranko to graduation.
#6 Springboro's Sai Dore and Temur Nazarov return to the team. They also get Shreyas Kode (2-star), Joshua Satter (2-star), and Jack Siehl (1-star).
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Mason's 2019 Team - Click to enlarge |
#7 Dublin Jerome returns a solid team, including: Max Fickas, Tanish Pairu, and Kevin Liu. Maxwell Stratford is 1-star sophomore. They lost Anish Patel and Christopher Knight to graduation.
#8 Pickerington North returns Cole Alcala and Ben Starrett. They gain 4-star sophomore, Pavan Uppu.
#9 Solon returns Scott Zhao and Eric Liao. They pick up sophomore Nick Romanoff.
#10 Findlay returns Max Hosey and Carson Dale. They lost Drew Swisher to graduation.
Other teams that are on the radar include: St. Ignatius, Olentangy, Upper Arlington, Massillon Jackson and Centerville.
D2 is always tough to determine because many of the teams do not travel outside of their district. Please consider scheduling more out-of-town matches. Columbus remains the perfect place to meet to hold dual matches among Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest District teams. Many of the top players are accustomed to going out-of-state for matches once or twice a month so traveling is not an issue for them. If your soccer, lacrosse, and baseball teams are traveling outside of your outer belt, then tennis can, too.
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Indian Hill's 2018 Team - Click to enlarge |
#1 Indian Hill returns Tejas Pisati, Coleman Warstler, and Jasper Bennett. They lost Anay Gautham to graduation. They pick up several good freshmen including RJ Poffenberger and Jack Pollock (both 3-stars), and Eshaan Gandhi (2-star).
#2 Columbus Academy returns the 2019 State Doubles Finalists, Arie Tuckerman and Jack Madison (Colorado College recruit). They also return Lucas Huang and Ryan Panley. They lost Rhian Seneviratne and Ryan Wahl to graduation.
#3 Orange returns Jake Goldstein, Rohit Kashyap, and Noah Lurie. They gain sophomore Benjamin Pomeranets (5-star), freshman Chika Nwaozuzu (4-star), junior Josh Nwaozuzu (2-star), and freshman Ace Bloom (2-star). They lost Robert Miron to graduation. If these new players come on strong, no one should be surprised to see Orange win it all.
#4 Columbus' Wellington School was the favorite to win in 2020 but they lost key players to graduation including Trevor Ball (Northern Kentucky) and Milan Gonela (Denison). They return Griffin Biernat, Evan Manley, and Brayden Chawla. They also pick up 2-star freshman, Sanjan Shanker.
#5 Seven Hills lost many of their players to graduation including Ajay Gupta, Kevin Wang, and Naail Sajjad, but they always reload. They pick up 3-star Avi Mahajan, 2-star Ethan Blatt, John Corbett, and Colin Yeager.
#6 Cincinnati Country Day returns Sai Nalagatla, Kasey Chopra, Aziz Mahmud and Abhijit Jagtap. They pick up Max Berghausen and Matt Castrucci who are both sophomores. They lost Neil Badlani and Annapantula Ashutosh to graduation.
#7 Chagrin Falls returns 2019 State Singles Champion, Andrew Zimcosky, as well as Jackson Quinn and Ellis Clark.
#8 Lexington returns Tommy Secrist, Ryan Mercurio, Ross Drlik. They lost Benton Drake, Blake Webster, and Brent Webster to graduation.
#9 Ursuline returns Josh Khavari, Gavin Blacksher, and Glenn Christopher. They lost State Finalist Greg Morgione to graduation.
#10 Ottawa Hills returns Matthew McGee, Henry Harders, and Jack Burke. They lost Henry McQueen to graduation.
Other teams on the the radar include Oakwood and Hawken.
Note that there is additional detail for players with high-lighted links. Teams with the green "team" designation will include information (or they soon will have) about all of their players.
Those with additional insights on why a team should be ranked differently or included on one of these lists are welcome to submit a Feedback. Please include specific reasons and player names.
Remember. If your team beats a better team, that's your fault - not mine..
WEDNESDAY,
OHSAA Boys Season Calendar / Other Important Dates
The OHSAA Boys Season Calendar is listed below. Last year's OTZ calendar was posted on February 10, and in the "what a big difference a few days can make" department, there was no mention of COVID-19.. The boys season calendar is normally chaotic because of the weather and due to the timing of spring breaks but it may actually be less chaotic this year since many families will likely stay in Ohio over spring break.
OhioTennisZone.com
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| Feb. 26: Registration Deadline for the State Team Tournament |
| Feb. 26 - Mar. 5-6: Virtual OTCA Coach Clinic |
| Mar. 8: 1st Day of Coaching |
| Mar. 13: SAT Test Date |
| Mar. 26: HS Season Begins |
| Apr. 1: OhioTennisZone Payment Due |
| Apr. 12: Non-Interscholastic Date |
| Apr. 17: ACT Test Date |
| Apr. 25: Waiver Extension Ends |
| May 2: Sectional Tournament Draw |
| May 8: SAT Test Date |
| May 10-15: Sectional Tournament |
| May 17-22: District Tournament |
| May 28-29: State Tournament |
| May 30: State Team Tournament |
| June 5: Season Ends |
The OTZ calendar includes a few additional dates that are important to tennis players, such as the ACT / SAT test dates. While these dates are believed to be correct, always check with other sources before planning the rest of your future. The tennis dates should mimic the OHSAA Tennis Sports Calendar.
There are normally ample opportunities to participate in high level USTA tournaments prior to the season, but that is not the case this year due to COVID-19. When you combine that with the difficulty in finding tournaments on the new USTA web site, it makes it that much tougher. For example, Elysium hosts numerous compass draw tournaments but it is hard to find them because the USTA sorts tournaments based on proximity to the searcher. While that should help Elysium by placing these tournaments at the top of the list for those living in Columbus, it does not because the USTA thinks Elysium is 5,852 miles from our home in Columbus even though it is actually 14 miles away. Maybe the USTA thinks that everyone will take the "long way" to get there?
This will be the third season that the boys can use waivers to play non-HS tennis during the season. The waivers should enable most boys to start the season on time (rather than waiting to play in a key tournament). For more information, click OHSAA Waivers. Always (always, always) work with your coach, athletic director, and the OHSAA to insure that this waiver is completed way in advance and is done absolutely correctly.
Since there was no season last year, OhioTennisZone did not remove the previous year's seniors. That will happen very soon. Coaches, please do not remove graduated players from your roster. This will be done by OTZ.
TUESDAY,
College Tennis Commitments
Ohio high school players are now commiting to colleges to continue with their tennis careers. It has been a very tough year for these players since COVID-19 has made college visits very difficult if not impossible to do. The list below includes the players, their high schools, and their college choices.
OhioTennisZone.com |
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| Player - Girls | High School / College |
| Olivia Gidlow | Hathaway Brown / Bates |
| Lilly McCloskey | Oakwood / Case Western |
| Elizabeth Pendergast | St. Ursula Academy / University of Cincinnati |
| Sydni Ratliff | Columbus Academy / Ohio State University |
| Dani Schoenly | Olentangy Liberty / Ohio State University |
| Cassady Shough | Dublin Coffman / Otterbein University |
| Caroline Sproule | Olentangy Orange / Wittenberg University |
| Carolyn Tsung | Columbus Academy / Washington University St. Louis |
| Player - Boys | High School / College |
| Vishnu Bodavula | Olentangy Liberty / Army |
| Devin Boyer | New Albany / Cleveland State |
| Jack Madison | Columbus Academy / Colorado College |
| Ryan Mudre | New Albany / Tennessee Chattangooga |
| Luke Ritchie | Dublin Coffman / LaFayette |
| Sam Routzahn | Olentangy / Warner |
| Connor Ruble | Loveland / Wittenberg University |
| Charlie Temming | St. Xavier / Xavier University |
| Reece Yakubov | St. Charles / Ohio State University |
This year's group of 28 players will continue to grow and the date at the top of the list will be updated to reflect these changes. Last year's total was 37 college players and the previous year was 35.
The players with OTZ Player Profiles are included in the table on the right. Click on the player names to view their OTZ Player Profiles.
Other players with college commitments who do not have player profiles include: Bella Kirby, Elizabeth Stewart, Semmie Moore, Lillia Walter, and others.
To see the complete list of Ohio players who are currently competing in college (or have committed to playing at a college next fall), click on College Players from Ohio or by using the drop-down above.
Please send a Feedback or email if you are aware of changes to this list.
This information was sourced by TennisRecruiting.net and OhioTennisZone.
THURSDAY,
Top OTZ Photos for 2020
Obviously, it has been a difficult year for almost everyone - and for tennis photos. There were no boys high school photos, no Western & Southern Open photos, and no Kalamazoo photos. The Ohio State Women's team was shutdown on the same weekend in which I had planned to take their photos.
With many events shut down, it was time to improvise.. Top Seed Tennis in Nicholasville, KY offered two pro-level women's events so it was still possible to get photos of Caty McNally, CiCi Bellis, and others. Cracked Racquets offered two tournaments - one in Indianapolis and another at St. Xavier High School which enabled photos to be taken of the stronger junior players and of some adults.
Despite all of this, there was still a Top Photo Video / Slideshow for 2020 created, and my dog thinks that some of these images are pretty good.. This year's video is loosely separated into two sections: the photos of professionals, college players, and adults, and of course, of high school players. Player photos are largely sorted in alphabetical order by last name. Obviously it is a subjective list, but these are the OTZ favorites.
Click for OTZ Top Photos Video - Click for video |
This video also provides an opportunity to thank several OTZ sponsors. Having sponsors is crucial for OTZ. Special OTZ thank-you's go out to The Players Club, the Greater Columbus Tennis Association (GCTA), and Midwest Sports for their sponsorships of OhioTennisZone.
The Players Club is a tennis club in Hilliard, which is a suburb in northwest Columbus. They offer all of the services in which junior and adult players need to be successful with and to have fun with tennis. Contact Players to inquire about indoor practice time for your team and for pre-season clinics.
The Greater Columbus Tennis Association (GCTA) provides an adult summer tennis league and it promotes tennis throughout the year. The GCTA leagues are very popular and teams from private clubs and public courts participate. Players compete on both hard and clay courts. The GCTA was one of the rare organizations that offered a summer tennis program for 2020 and it went extremely well. In a non-COVID times, there are 11 women's leagues consisting of 178 teams and nine men's leagues with 75 teams. The GCTA won the national USTA Community Tennis Association of the Year Award in 2014. OhioTennisZone also provides the web site for the GCTA. Contact the GCTA now to inquire about playing during the 20U21 season.
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David and Scott Gerber at the Fair - Click to enlarge |
Midwest Sports is the premier tennis web store in the Midwest and it is located in Cincinnati. This is a very popular place to go for juniors competing in Cincinnati-area tournaments. Midwest Sports provides great discounts to OhioTennisZone users, and OTZ benefits financially from each order you place online via the OTZ links (Code: Gerber).
The video is dedicated to my dad, David B. Gerber. He got me involved with photography many years ago. He passed away on December 15. He was very involved with agriculture and we lived on a small farm outside of Washington CH (the Bloomingburg exit off of I-71). Note my awesome t-shirt in the photo. Click for his obituary.
The high school photos in this video are available for purchase by the parents and/or by the schools. Some schools use OTZ photos in their year books to recognize their tennis teams.
Yes, I know that I still need to process a few photo orders from the girls season.. Most of November and December were pretty chaotic, but I am getting back into the groove now..
Contact OhioTennisZone via Feedback with any questions.
FRIDAY,
Final Team Rankings: Mason and Hathaway Brown Finish #1
Mason completes the season at the #1 spot in the OhioTennisZone Team Rankings for Division I and Hathaway Brown did the same for Division II. Congratulations to both teams and to the other teams on the list.
OhioTennisZone.com State Top Ten Girls Tennis Teams Final 2020 Rankings November 6, 2020 |
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| Division I | Division II |
| 1. Mason◄TEAM State Spots 2 Final 4 | Hathaway Brown◄TEAM 4 Final 4 |
| 2. Upper Arlington◄TEAM 2 Final 4 | Columbus Academy◄TEAM 1 Final 4 |
| 3. Magnificat◄TEAM 3 Final 4 | Indian Hill 3 Final 4 |
| 4. North Canton Hoover◄TEAM 1 | Eaton 1 |
| 5. St. Joseph Academy◄TEAM 2 | Oakwood◄TEAM 2 |
| 6. Notre Dame Acad. ◄TEAM 2 Final 4 | Archbishop Alter◄TEAM 1 |
| 7. Centerville 1 | Wellington◄TEAM 1 |
| 8. Ursuline Academy 1 | Seven Hills◄TEAM 0 |
| 9. St. Ursula Academy◄TEAM 1 | Hawken◄TEAM 1 |
| 10. Massillon Jackson◄TEAM 2 | Cincinnati Hills Christ. Acad. 1 |
| HM: Olentangy Liberty◄TEAM 1 | Ottawa Hills 1 Final 4 |
| HM: Sycamore◄TEAM 0 | Revere◄TEAM 0 |
◄TEAM - Denotes OTZ Team Membership. Click on School Name for Extensive Information. | |
The pre-season rankings were released at the end of July for Division I and Division II, and the final rankings compared favorably. Several of the state's top players decided not to play and some players were injured. It was also unknown how many of the touted freshmen would contribute at the level in which they did.
The rankings would have normally been posted last week but things were more complicated this year and more research was necessary. It is also worth noting that Columbus Academy and Hathaway Brown tied in the coaches poll for the #1 spot.
After 91 straight, seven-day-a-week updates, OhioTennisZone goes into "intermittent mode" until March when the Ohio High School Boys Season (hopefully) begins. There will still be updates but on a far less frequent basis.
There are still a few teams and parents who have not yet paid so more effort will now be spent to chase down those payments. OTZ is working off half of the cash flow versus what was received last year so your payments would be greatly appreciated. While many teams never paid for the Boys 2020 season, payments that were received for the boys season were transferred to the Girls 2020 season or to next year's Boys 2021 season. Plus, ya know that records are maintained on who logs in, correct? If you used OTZ, got a tennis lesson, ate a restaurant, got a haircut, and you did not pay, you really should. If you cannot afford to pay this year, please reach out via Feedback.
Coaches are still sending match scores into OhioTennisZone and that is completely fine to do. Parents may do the same as long as the score formatting is close to correct. Please remember that the 2020 results are shown for 2021 so it is best to report these 2020 scores.
After the payment situations mentioned above are resolved, OTZ goes into picture processing mode.
THURSDAY,
Midwest Closed Competition This Weekend
The premier junior tournament held each summer, the Midwest Closed, was delayed until this weekend. The good news is that this important tournament is taking place. The bad news is that it had to be condensed from a 128 player draw to a 64 player draw. In this case, the good outweighs the bad.
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Anthony Wayne's Lilly Black- Click to enlarge |
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St. Charles' Reece Yakubov- Click to enlarge |
This tournament gives us one more look at States-quality competition (actually better) for the girls and a preview of the upcoming boys season.
Links to the tournaments are:
G14 - Cincinnati
G16 - Cincinnati
G18 - Streetsboro, OH
B14 - Indianapolis
B16 - Fort Wayne, IN
B18 - Indianapolis
The higher level seeds that include Ohio high school tennis players are:
G16: Mason's Shyla Aggarwal (4)
G18: Anthony Wayne's Lilly Black (10)
B14: Olentangy Liberty's Dean Atway (6)
B16: Pickerington North's Pavan Uppu (4)
B18: St. Charles' Reece Yakubov (2)
Click the tournament links above for additional information on who else is seeded and to follow the action during the tournaments.
I would have loved to stop by and watch if one of these events were to take place in Columbus. Despite its size and the number of junior players it has, Columbus does not have any of these high level tournaments. Viewing will also likely be restricted because of COVID-19.
WEDNESDAY,
OTZ Top Girls Photos for 2020
Now that the photos have been processed for 2020, there was a reassessment of the girls top photos for 2020. Click for the Top Photos. This is subjective list of the OTZ favorites for the season.
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OTZ Top Photos - Click to report |
The attributes that many of these images have in common are: great tennis technique (i.e. coiling), athleticism, sharp focus, flowing hair and outfits, good eye-on-ball, and a non-distracting background.
While a couple of more photos could have been selected from States, I wanted more variety from different locations.
These photos compare favorably with the top photos taken in previous years in 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014.
The second after I took the top photo of Elizabeth Pendergast, I thought that it might beat the Anna Rogenburk photo taken in 2017, but I do not think it is quite there.
While there have been a couple of OTZ photos selected for cover magazine shots for platform tennis [Oct 2018 and March 2019], there have been no OHSAA awards for OTZ for high school tennis. The Columbus Dispatch photographers pick those award winners, and unlike the Cincinnati Enquirer and Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Dispatch does not post many tennis photos. The best chance for OTZ to win an OHSAA award for a tennis player may be to take photos of tennis players competing in a different sport..
A video / slideshow of the Top OTZ photos from 2020 will be created later this year. Click for the videos for 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016.
Speaking of platform tennis, can anyone identify this tennis player [photo] taken in 2017 when she was playing platform tennis? Submit a Feedback.
TUESDAY,
OTZ Top Players / Watch Lists
The OTZ Top Players and Watch Lists have been updated to reflect the State Tournament matches. While there is always a recency bias, the State Tournament plays a major role in the final rankings.
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OTZ Top Players List - Click to report |
The lack of play between the districts made it more difficult to compare players this year, but I think this is still a solid list. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The Top Players list is ranked and the Watch List players are unranked.
Sign-in first to see the results for the non-OTZ Member players.
Congratulations to the girls who made the lists.
Off to vote..
MONDAY,
More OTZ Photos
There were 38 more photos added to OTZ this weekend. These photos included the matches from the first and second day of States and the State Team Tournament. Sign-in first and then click on Most Recently Added Photos to view the photos.
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Magnificat's Audrey Smitek - Click to enlarge |
For those interested in purchasing a photo, that would be great. That will help cover the cost of a new lens that was just purchased.
Here is how the process works. The best photo of your daughter was posted online. If you are going to purchase that photo but you would still like to see others, a pdf of additional photos will be provided to you. You just need to buy the original photo *or* one in the pdf file. If you do not like the current photo that is posted, then let's wait and see what I get next year. Since this is a time consuming, I do not want to spend additional time putting together photos in a pdf file only to find out that you do not want to purchase any. I know that this sounds a bit weird, but I have learned the hard way that some people just never get around to buying any photos (or they "buy" photos and then they do not pay for them).
Since high-resolution digital images are sold, they can be used on digital picture frames, shared with grandparents, and posted on TennisRecruiting.net, Facebook, or Instragram, etc. Some of the images will also be included on OhioTennisZone under the player's OTZ Player Profile (i.e. Audrey Smitek) and team page (i.e. Magnificat) for everyone to see.
The price of the first photo is $19.99 and it declines from there for additional photos (i.e. $17.50, $15.00, and $12.50). Photos of sisters can be grouped together for the discount during this girls season. For all of the prices, click on Buy an OTZ Photo.
If you (or the grandparents) have a digital picture frame, this is the image of your daughter that will always be on that frame to enjoy.
Quite a few comments have been provided about the schools of the freshman boys and incoming freshman girls. Thank you for your help.
SUNDAY,
Top Freshman Boys
This list would have normally been created at the end of the Boys 2020 season, but that season did not work out so well.. Hopefully 2021 will be better - a lot better.
Coaches are already requesting information on who the strong teams are and strong freshmen can normally step in and make an impact immediately. This list is created with the help of TennisRecruiting.net and it includes the freshmen who are in the Top 20 in Ohio. Of course, it is also important to know which school these players are attending so your help is needed with this. If you have inside knowledge of which school a player attends, please submit a Feedback.
OhioTennisZone.com |
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| Player - TRN Stars | City (District) | School |
| Dean Atway - 3 | Powell (C) | Olentangy Liberty |
| Ethan Blatt - 2 | Cincinnati (SW) | |
| Ace Bloom - 2 | Pepper Pike (NE) | |
| Noah Boyce - 2 | Oakwood (SW) | |
| Nicholas Choo - 4 | Montgomery (SW) | Sycamore |
| Chase Homan - 2 | Cincinnati (SW) | St. Xavier |
| Rohit Jain - 2 | Westlake (NE) | |
| Srihan Jairam - 2 | Milford (SW) | |
| Jacob Khvalsky - 2 | New Albany (C) | |
| Cole Kirchick - 2 | Moreland Hills (NE) | University School |
| Dean Kirchick - 3 | Moreland Hills (NE) | University School |
| Jay Kneiss - 2 | Avon (NE) | |
| Avi Mahajan - 3 | Mason (SW) | |
| Nicholas Meyers - 4 | Cincinnati (SW) | Sycamore |
| Chika Nwaozuzu - 4 | Woodmere (NE) | |
| RJ Poffenberger - 3 | Cincinnati (SW) | Indian Hill |
| Jack Pollock - 3 | Cincinnati (SW) | Indian Hill |
| Arjun Rajagopala - 2 | Cincinnati (SW) | Sycamore |
| Sanjan Shanker - 2 | Dublin (C) | Wellington |
| Isaac Vens - 2 | Sylvania (NW) | |
Some of the schools listed are educated guesses based on players of the same last name who are currently attending the school.
The Tennis Recruiting.net star ratings are included beside each of the players. The player links go to Tennis Recruiting.net.
Of the 20 players on the list, the Central District has three, Northeast - six, Northwest - one, and Southwest - ten.
With the USTA schedule still in question, players who may have considered skipping high school tennis will probably reconsider this decision.
OTZ has provided daily updates since August 7th. That is 86 straight days without taking a day off. There will still be an update or two this week, but OTZ will soon be going into "intermittent mode".
SATURDAY,
Top Incoming Freshman Girls
Fans and coaches like to see who the strong players are on the horizon. Using TennisRecruiting.net, OTZ has identified the top 20(ish) eighth graders in Ohio. This information should be especially helpful to the coaches who want to schedule strong opponents. Of course, it is also important to know which school these players are attending. Some of the schools listed are educated guesses based on players of the same last name who are currently attending the school. Any help on this would be appreciated. Please submit a Feedback.
OhioTennisZone.com |
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| Player - TRN Stars | City (District) | Incoming School |
| Audrey Austin - 2 | Perry (NE) | Perry |
| Amy Grace Beebe - 1 | Hudson (NE) | CVCA |
| Caroline Boyle - 3 | Hamilton (SW) | Badin |
| Lauren Burkett - 3 | Dublin (C) | Dublin Coffman |
| Elena Fleming - 3 | Mentor (NE) | NDCL |
| Sheryl Gerald - 3 | Lewis Center (C) | Olentangy |
| Reagan Gilbert - 2 | Liberty Township (SW) | Lakota East |
| Lucy Glassmeyer - 1 | Cincinnati (SW) | |
| Riya Hegde - 1 | Hudson (NE) | Western Reserve |
| Mallory Hitchcock - 4 | Eaton (SW) | Eaton |
| Amelia Kunard - 1 | Dublin (C) | Dublin Scioto |
| Brooke Lint - 1 | Cincinnati (SW) | Oak Hills |
| Anna Mancino - 3 | Westlake (NE) | Magnificat |
| Ava Mathur - 3 | Wooster (NE) | Wooster |
| Brooke McNeal - 4 | Chagrin Falls (NE) | Kenston |
| Mika Morris - 2 | West Chester (SW) | CHCA |
| Lucy Paulin - 1 | Chagrin Falls (NE) | NDCL |
| Madeline Peisley - 3 | Toledo (NW) | Sylvania Northview |
| Maria Poon - 3 | Cincinnati (SW) | St. Ursula Academy |
| Haley Slay - 3 | Canton (NE) | Archbishop Hoban |
| Sofia Tomlin - 2 | Waynesville (SW) | |
| Elle Warren - 4 | Canton (NE) | Mass. Jackson Boys |
The list is sorted alphabetically and the Tennis Recruiting.net star ratings are included beside each of the players. The player links go to Tennis Recruiting.net.
Normally there are a few players who are listed as Ohioans but it is clear that they are now living elsewhere for training purposes. That does not appear to be the case this year. Of course, COVID-19 may have squashed many of those plans.
While there are some players / parents who believe that participating in high school tennis is not worthwhile, none of the players on this list are in that elite (i.e. Caty McNally) category. Hopefully all of these players will be included on a team.
Of the 22 players on the list, the Central District has three, Northeast - ten, Northwest - one, and Southwest - eight.
Speaking of Tennis Recruiting.net, now is always the time to update player contact information on TennisRecruiting.net. This is the service that many college coaches use to reach out to prospective recruits.
Efforts are still underway with processing photos.
There have been 85 daily OhioTennisZone updates made in a row (since August 7). That run will end this coming week as publishing goes to an "intermittent" update schedule.
FRIDAY,
It's Photo Friday
There have been quite a few parents who have expressed interested in purchasing photos so it was time to spend more effort on processing photos. Today's 23 new photos brings OTZ up the Southwest District (held on October 15). Photos remaining to be processed include Central Districts (seeding round), first and second days of States, and the State Team Tournament. Sign-in first and then click to view the Most Recently Added Photos.
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Sycamore's Gabrielle Frischer - Click to enlarge |
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there was no "on-court" access for the Northeast Division II Districts so that event was not included this year for the first time since 2016.
If things actually ever get caught up, there might be a special "pony tail tricks" competition. Today's featured photo of Sycamore's Gabrielle Frischer would be included in the competition for getting her pony tail to mimic her racquet swing. There have also been several good anti-gravity pony tail tricks this season, too.
Note that there are a few other photos that could have been included for the Greater Cincinnati Tennis Coaches Association Classic but I do not know all of the girls who are not members of OhioTennisZone.
Several of the photos for the players on the OTZ All-Ohio Girls Tennis Team were updated to include recent action photos.
MONDAY,
OhioTennisZone.com's All-Ohio Girls Tennis Team
Congratulations to the players selected for the OhioTennisZone's All-Ohio Girls Tennis Team for 2020.
OhioTennisZone's All-Ohio |
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Division I - Singles |
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Division II - Singles |
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 Macy Hitchcock Eaton |
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 Bella Kirby Indian Hill |
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Division I - Doubles |
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Division II - Doubles |
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The OTZ list is a bit different than the OHSAA All-Ohio team. While a player's performance at States is the best way to get on the team, OTZ also looks at a player's entire season and includes players who may not have even qualified for States because of unfortunate District draws. OTZ also believes that the OHSAA team is too mechanical in its approach by granting honors only based on the round in which the player reached at States.
The number of players on the OTZ All-Ohio Team can vary from year to year based on the skill levels of the players. The normal barometer in measuring the strength of the All-Ohio team is to count the number of Division I college or high-end Division III players on the list. Of course, nothing about this year is normal and the recruiting process is in disarray. That said, four players are known to be playing Division I college tennis. The number of Ohio D1 players on the OTZ All-Ohio team this year is seven for both D1 and D2. In previous years, it has been: 2019 - 8, 2018 - 7, 2017 - 7, and 2016 - 6. The D2 teams have totaled: 2019 - 7, 2018 - 8, 2017 - 6, and 2016 - 6.
Note that players with the yellow PP tennis balls next to their names have Player Profiles and that more information is available for them by clicking on their names. Click to sign-up to get obtain an OTZ Player Profile.
The OTZ Top Players Lists will be updated later today. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest. To see all of the players on one page, click on All Districts.
OTZ will soon list next year's top upcoming freshmen. The purpose of this list is to not only recognize the players but to also help coaches understand which teams should be included in their schedules for next fall.
I was pleased to see the kind words by ZooTennis' Colette Lewis in her update today about OhioTennisZone. If you have not checked out ZooTennis, please do so. Colette does an incredible job of covering high-end junior tennis. She is credentialed for the Slams and she is widely followed by everyone on the who's who list of college and professional tennis. Regular readers of her web site may even notice an occasional OTZ photo that she uses for an article (i.e. JJ Wolf, Gabriela Talaba, Shelby Rogers, Cici Bellis, and Daniel Cukierman). In fact, her photo on her web site is an OTZ photo that was taken at the 'Zoo (USTA Boys' National in Kalamazoo) in 2016.
Speaking of photos.. Things are still waay backed up with other projects that needed to be addressed.
WEDNESDAY,
Who Uses What on OhioTennisZone?
What is accessed on OhioTennisZone and who accesses it? It is time for the seasonal usage edition. Read on to learn what areas of the nation access OTZ the most. Which players get the most views on their OTZ Player Profiles; and what team pages generate the most views. The usage covered is for the time period of August 1 to October 26.
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Olen. Orange's Ellie Logan - Click to enlarge |
The Hathaway Brown team page drew the most interest during the season. The other teams in the top ten (in order) were: Upper Arlington, Columbus Academy, North Canton Hoover, Magnificat, Mason, St. Joseph Academy, Dublin Jerome, Olentangy Orange, and Dublin Coffman. While it is unknown who specifically accesses each OTZ page, note that middle school players and parents are certainly big users. Teams need to think of these OTZ Team pages as advertisements for potential future customers (and/or team players / students).
The top pages accessed on OhioTennisZone (outside of this main page) are listed below and sorted in pageview order. The OTZ Personlized Report is what users see when they first login and it is new this season. The Northeast Team Lookup page jumped past the Southwest Team Lookup this season. The biggest usage day of the season was on the first day of States.
- Central Ohio Team Lookup
- Girls State Draws-2020
- OTZ Personalized Report (page presented at sign-in)
- Northeast Ohio Team Lookup
- Girls State Team Draws
- Southwest Ohio Team Lookup
There was a big change in which Metro Areas use OTZ. The Cleveland-Akron Metro (with 24%) area blew past the Cincinnati Metro (15%) in terms of users as more teams join OTZ from that area of the state. The Columbus Metro remains the highest at 27% but not by much. Other top areas are: Detroit (5%), Dayton (4%), and Toledo (3%). It has always been mind-boggling that the Detroit-area does better than the Toledo Metro area when OTZ does not include Michigan-area content.
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Mason's Aggarwal - Click to enlarge |
SJA's Brahmbhatt |
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Hoover's Bucher |
UA's Hazelbaker - Click to enlarge |
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SUA's Pendergast - Click to enlarge |
CA's Ratliff |
The six players who had the most views of their OTZ Player Profiles during the girls season are (in alphabetical order): Mason's Shyla Aggarwal, St. Joseph Academy's Amara Brahmbhatt, North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher, Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker, St. Ursula Academy's Elizabeth Pendergast, and Columbus Academy's Sydni Ratliff. Click on the player names above to view their OTZ Player Profiles. The parent associated with the Player Profile may view the total number of views since the Player Profile was created. The photos of the players to the right may be clicked to enlarge them.
Sure, Twitter is largely a waste of time, but it does draw people from Twitter onto the OhioTennisZone web site. It also extends the OhioTennisZone brand. The #1 Top Tweet this season is of Olentangy Orange's Ellie Logan (See photo above). This photo was taken at the Upper Arlington Sectional. The rest of the top 6 OTZ tweets sorted by impressions are: #2 The District Seeding rounds are finished. Click to read the Sunday edition of OhioTennisZone.com at ohiotenniszone.com/#2020-10-18_art. Today's photo is of the 2020 Central District D1 State Qualifiers.. #3 Upper Arlington's Megan Basil is recognized by TennisRecruiting.net.. #4 Ok. I'm really (really) getting tired of entering Sectional results. Next year, instead of keeping score, let's give everyone a ribbon instead.. #5 The order of finish for Central D1 Singles was: Ella Franz, Dani Schoenly, Dasha Chistyakova, Libby Alderman. Dubs: Hazelbaker-Basil, Sproule-Reed, Mizer-Richard, Nickel-Sriram. Video of Berlin’s Ella Franz in today’s match. #6 The Upper Arlington Sectional is off to a smooth start. Parents show their tickets as they enter. Per anonymous sources, the caution tape is electrified with 75K volts so please do what you are supposed to do..
OTZ appreciates its sponsors and advertisers and it can always use more. Please contact OTZ for more information. Online activity continues to grow. For more information about advertising, please submit a Feedback.
Spectrum had some problems in our area this morning and the update got off to a late start..
Tomorrow's update presents the OhioTennisZone.com All-Ohio Girls Tennis Team.
TUESDAY,
OHSAA Tournament Championship Points
Videos of all four championship points were captured this season. Normally, there have been zigs when there should have been zags when selecting the next court to zoom to next but that was not the case this season. Unfortunately though, since the goal is to capture the videos, it greatly reduces the amount of time available to take photos. The order of finish was D1 Doubles, D2 Singles, D2 Doubles, and then finally, D1 Singles.
New camera gear provided a much better video image, but the width of the video was less than in the past. It was difficult to get both teams or players into the frame unless they played on a stadium court.
New software was used this year and photos of each of the players were included at the end of the videos.
For best results, use full screen mode and increase the resolution to HD.
There is not much control over the image that is selected for the video. When time permits, this image may be tweaked.
All of the videos include two or three of the final points.
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Division I Singles: St. Ursula Academy's Elizabeth Pendergast defeated Mason's Shyla Aggarwal. |
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Division I Doubles: Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker - Megan Basil beat Centerville's Caroline Hinshaw - Clara Owen. |
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Division II Singles: Eaton's Macy Hitchcock defeated Columbus Academy's Sydni Ratliff. |
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Division II Doubles: Oakwood's Sarah Hall - Natalie Connelly beat Wellington's Alexis Burkhalter - Katie Zerbi. |
There are always some scoring snafus found by coaches as they begin to print off their end-of-season reports. If results are incorrect, please provide:
- the *incorrect* match information. The error first needs to be located in the database and their are a zillion scores. Please include the date, the name(s) of all of the player(s) and their schools, and the score.
- then provide the correct match information which includes all of the above, but with the correct information
If the commentary is incorrect, please provide *when* the commentary was in error, the erroneous comments, and what it should be. Screen shots are always helpful.
Please keep in mind there are quite a few moving parts. The players could have reported the wrong score, the coach could have recorded it incorrectly, the newspaper may have posted it incorrectly, or maybe, just possibly, OTZ could have made an error.
Tomorrow is the OTZ usage issue which includes the most viewed teams and players.
MONDAY,
Mason and Hathaway Brown ReReReRepeat as State Team Champions
Congratulations to Mason and Hathaway Brown as the D1 and D2 State Champions, respectively. Mason defeated Magnificat and Upper Arlington, and Hathaway Brown beat Indian Hill and Columbus Academy on their way to their respective titles. This is Mason's fourth title in a row and Hathaway Brown's sixth. Click to view the teams that started the current title runs -- Mason's 2017 team and Hathaway's 2015 team. Magnificat defeated Notre Dame Academy and Indian Hill beat Ottawa Hills for the third place awards. To view the graphic results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
The Mason - Upper Arlington match provided an exciting finish as momentum shifted back and forth. After UA won first dubs to tie the match, Mason clinched the championship with a three-setter at second dubs.
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Mason - D1 State Champions - Click to enlarge |
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Hathaway Brown - State D2 Champs - Click to enlarge |
These championship matches stop play as soon as a decision is clinched so many of the top court matches "Did Not Finish". Some of the ones that did finish included: Columbus Academy's Sydni Ratliff defeated Hathaway Brown's Alice Lin; Mason's Shyla Aggarwal beat Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker; Upper Arlington's Megan Basil defeated Mason's Harshita Uppuganti; Magnificat's Audrey Smitek beat Notre Dame Academy's Olivia Assenmacher; Columbus Academy's Carolyn Tsung defeated Hathaway Brown's Katie Mills; and Hathaway Brown's Brigette Fuentes beat Indian Hill's Jessica Budde and Columbus Academy's Arya Chabria.
Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Thanks to Mike Reid for providing the Mason championship photo. It was used rather than the OTZ photo. Have an HB photo that you wish to share? Please forward it to OTZ.
OTZ content will continue for a few more days. The videos of the State Championship points will be posted tomorrow.
SUNDAY,
Congratulations to the State Champions | State Team Tournament Ready to Roll
Congratulations to all of the players yesterday and especially to the State Champions. This was a historic year with COVID-19 and it was great that it ended on a picture perfect day. The tournament finished at 3:30pm on Court 11 with the Division I Singles match. Click for the final results at https://ohiotenniszone.com/draws.
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SUA's Pendergast - Click to enlarge |
UA's Basil - Hazelbaker |
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Eaton's Hitchcock |
Oakwood's Hall - Connelly |
The State champions and the finalists are:
Division I Singles: St. Ursula Academy's Elizabeth Pendergast defeated Mason's Shyla Aggarwal.
Division I Doubles: Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker - Megan Basil beat Centerville's Caroline Hinshaw - Clara Owen.
Division II Singles: Eaton's Macy Hitchcock defeated Columbus Academy's Sydni Ratliff.
Division II Doubles: Oakwood's Sarah Hall - Natalie Connelly beat Wellington's Alexis Burkhalter - Katie Zerbi.
There was already a backlog in processing photos before States and now things are waaay backed up. After the State Team Tournament this afternoon, the priority switches to getting the Columbus platform tennis schedule completed for our league.. For those who are buying photos, you will get a pdf with numerous photos from which to choose. This is going to take some time so please tell me if you need to get the photos by a certain date. Creating these pdf's takes time (as did taking the photos with expensive equipment) so as long as there are good photos, the expectation is that you are going to purchase at least two photos (and pay for them).
See you at Reynoldsburg (D1) and New Albany (D2). The first round matches are: Mason versus Magnificat and Upper Arlington versus Notre Dame Academy. Division II starts with Columbus Academy versus Ottawa Hills and Indian Hill versus and Hathaway Brown.
SATURDAY,
First Day of States in the Books
For a day that looked quite dire weather-wise early in the week, Saturday turned out great from both the weather and tennis perspectives. There was a weather delay (loud thunderclap) that began about 1:45pm and lasted for a half hour. At that point, there were ten matches that were "on court" that needed to be finished.
There was also great tennis. Unfortunately some of these great matches should have taken place in the semi-final round today. Read on below for results.
We have one more day of States and one more day of State Team Tennis. C'mon, we can do this..
Click the link below to follow all of the action.
https://ohiotenniszone.com/draws
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Hoover's Tess Bucher - Click to enlarge |
Division I
Singles: St. Ursula Academy's Elizabeth Pendergast defeated St. Joseph Academy's Tia Clemens and Perrysburg's Sydney Onest; Mason's Shyla Aggarwal beat Magnificat's Audrey Smitek and Mayfield's Hannah Kassaie; Anthony Wayne's Lilly Black defeated St. Joseph Academy's Amara Brahmbhatt and Olentangy Liberty's Dani Schoenly; and North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher beat Wilmington's Claire Burns and Olentangy Berlin's Ella Franz.
Doubles: Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker - Megan Basil defeated Magnificat's Lexi Ospelt - Kayra Koprulu and Ursuline Academy's Nina Dhaliwal - Bridget Estes; Centerville's Caroline Hinshaw - Clara Owen beat Olentangy Orange's Caroline Sproule - Tyler Reed and Mason's Annie Kruse- Raina Chada; Magnificat's Natalie Smitek - Caroline Moritz beat Bellbrook's Nitika Arora - Maya Bring and Massillon Jackson's Madison Altman - Paige Reese; and Upper Arlington's Noah Mizer - Ava Richard defeated Brecksville's Lakshmy Arakoni - Helen Lee and Massillon Jackson's Emma Henson - Samantha Reese.
Division II
Columbus Academy's Sydni Ratliff defeated Edison's Jayla Medina and Oakwood's Lily McCloskey; Eaton's Macy Hitchcock beat Orrville's Claudia Adcock and Laurel's Ellie Brotherton; Orange's Alexis Nyborg defeated Indian Hill's Brooke Arington and Toledo Central Catholic's Ellie Hire; and Archbishop Alter's Grace Lampman beat Wheelersburg's Maddie Gill and Ottawa Hills' Catherine Rhegness.
Doubles: Wellington's Alexis Burkhalter - Katie Zerbi defeated Indian Hill's Jessica August - Hannah Pollock and Hathaway Brown's Ally Mills - Katie Mills; Oakwood's Sarah Hall - Natalie Connelly beat Hawken's Hayley Garber - Eliana Yang and Hathaway Brown's Brigette Fuentes - Alex Wolf; Toledo Central Catholic's Bella and Lucia Spinazze defeated CHCA's Kennedy and Payton Puryear and Canton South's Destiny Winans - Abigal Franks; and Bath's Ruby and Esther Bolon beat Marlington's Mary and Elizabeth Mason and Indian Hill's Jenny Zhang and Lexi Larsen.
Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Best of luck to all of today's participants.
FRIDAY,
Today is the Day | Upper Arlington Gets Last Final Four Spot
It is time to listen to this because it will add at least a couple of games to your score.
First, before you leave, enter the following link on the cell phone. Note that the court assignments for the first round of singles were added early yesterday evening.
https://ohiotenniszone.com/draws
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Draws with Court Assignments - Click to draws |
There have been some nice articles and videos about States. Click to read this article by Steve Blackledge in the Columbus Dispatch about Columbus Academy's Sydni Ratliff. Here's a nice video by BCNSports about Notre Dame Academy's Olivia and Ellie Assenmacher.
In the Central District, Upper Arlington defeated Olentangy Liberty yesterday to book the final Final Four spot, finally.
THURSDAY,
One More Day..
Warm conditions today and Friday will yield to cooler temperatures on Saturday and Sunday as fans and players pack all of their warm and cold weather clothes. It will likely be necessary to bring along some rain gear, too..
All sixteen courts will be available this year at the Lindner Family Tennis Center (LFTC) so hopefully the first round matches can be played before the rain begins. OhioTennisZone will be at the LFTC so this page of OhioTennisZone will not be updated after the early morning update. Watch for updates and announcements tomorrow via Twitter via @OhioTennisZone and via the OHSAA web site.
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OTZ Enhanced Draws - Click to enlarge |
There is a substantial amount of effort happening in the background to insure that the State Team Tournament is played. This is a bit like juggling cats as officials deal with varying site rules and health board regulations. Coaches know the details and they should be the first point of contact. Attendance will be severely limited and recorded to insure that contact tracing can be done if someone has or gets COVID-19. In a nutshell, if you do not already have a known ticket, then don't go. Some of the restrictions include: no sitting on bleachers (bring your own chairs), no tents, and no warmth sharing (maintain social distancing). The weather forecast is improving for Sunday, but if it cannot be played due to rain the team tournament will be delayed to the following weekend. Division I is at Reynoldsburg and Division II is at New Albany. We are going to have to roll with the punches with this -- just as we have done all season..
The court assignments should be included on the OTZ online draws soon so that players know where they will start the day tomorrow. The draws will be "put through their paces" this morning to insure that everything is aok. Please do not be alarmed if your player gets beat in the first round or happy that your player won the tournament..
As of now, there are photos included for all of the players in the Division I Singles and Doubles draws and Division II Singles. Hopefully more will be received today.
Everything is going to be dicey with photos, especially if play goes indoors. Send me an email or submit a Feedback if you want me to take a photo of your player and if you will be purchasing at least one.
Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The Upper Arlington versus Olentangy Liberty match was rained out once again yesterday. They will play early this afternoon and then beeline it to the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
WEDNESDAY,
OhioTennisZone Video of Its Top Picks for the State Championships
It is time for something new. OhioTennisZone is releasing its first video that identifies the players who are favored in winning the State Championships. The video uses a combination of OTZ action photos and videos that were taken over the last two years. Hope you find it to be interesting and informative.
Most avid OhioTennisZone fans know that a "hype" video is normally created for States. Why the change? There are several reasons. #1 It is fun to use popular and professional produced music. When this music was used, the artists benefited from the ads that were included in the video. The three most recent girls hype videos in 2019, 2018, and 2017 included music from Joan Jett & the Blackhearts' "I Love Rock 'N Roll", Fifth Harmony's "Worth it", and the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back", respectively. While the YouTube playlist was already restricted, Youtube now no longer offers any popular music to be used. Other YouTube's own music is available but it really is not satisfactory. #2 COVID-19 restrictions by teams meant that fewer teams traveled to Columbus or gathered for tournaments (i.e. Lexington Invite) so there were less photos this year of the top players. #3 It was a huge undertaking. 109 videos or photos were used in last year's video. Not only did these photos / videos have to be taken, but they also had to be prepared for use in the video. It was also time consuming to insure that photos were grabbed for each player. #4 The timeframes were too tight. While much of the work could begin after the State qualifiers were determined, there was always a Final Four spot or two that was not decided until the week of the State tournament. For example, the Central District still has not determined their Division I representative and it is Wednesday. #6 It was time to try something new and really challenging. It was. I have rarely been on camera, and the computer software, the camera, and the computer hardware are recent purchases.
The names are always challenging for me to pronounce. Rather than say that the OTZ pronunciations are incorrect, families affected are kindly requested to use the pronunciations used in the video from this point forward..
There are a few items that I knew but misspoke on the video. Ananya Aggarwal was a State Singles Finalist last year. Midwest Sports is a tennis facility that is one of the biggest tennis retailers in the U.S. That is where we purchased most of our kids' tennis gear and where I get my snazzy tennis shoes and my stylish and intimidating tennis clothes. Use GERBER as the checkout code. Latest add.. Sydni Ratliff is a TennisRecruiting.net Blue Chip rather than a 5-star. "Blue Chip" is TRN's highest rating.
The last State Team Tournament finally takes place today. Really. Upper Arlington travels to Olentangy Liberty for the Central District finals. Finally.
TUESDAY,
One Day Closer..
Things are slowly coming together, but it is complicated.. The OHSAA released its state draws yesterday. There was one mistake and it was cleaned up quickly. The OHSAA will reportedly restrict attendance to the State Tournament but no details have been provided. The State Team Tournament will be restricted to family members and school coaches as they abide by school site and health board restrictions.
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Central D2 State Qualifiers - Click to enlarge |
The weather could present another set of problems. Afternoon showers on Friday and morning showers on Saturday are expected in Mason. Morning showers are expected in Columbus on Sunday. Private clubs used as back-ups will likely have their own set of attendance restrictions. If showers rain-out the State Team Tournament, it is expected to be delayed until the following weekend.
Everyone has had to be flexible this season and this flexibility will need to continue..
The State draws are problematic for some of the top teams and players. The draws overloaded with talent are Q4 of D1 Singles, Q2 and Q4 of D1 Doubles, and Q1 and Q3 of D2 Doubles. More on this tomorrow..
The OhioTennisZone Enhanced State Draws are coming along nicely. There are now only 13 players (out of 96) who need photos. Please send a Feedback on how to include your players' photos. It would be nice to wrap this up by Thursday morning.
More players were added to the OTZ Top Players and Watchlists. These lists will continue to be tweaked. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The last State Team Tournament finally takes place today. Upper Arlington travels to Olentangy Liberty for the Central District finals.
MONDAY,
Awaiting the State Draws | State Team Tournament Information
The State draws are expected to be released today. The enhanced OhioTennisZone.com draws will be available via the link, OhioTennisZone.com/draws. Include it on your cellphone now to follow the action at States.
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Southwest D1 State Qualifiers - Click to enlarge |
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Southwest D2 State Qualifiers - Click to enlarge |
The State Team Tournament will be held at Reynoldsburg (map) for Division I and New Albany (map) for Division II. Per the Ohio Tennis Coaches' Association 's Mike Teets (Sycamore's coach), the tournament will begin at 10am and there will be a one hour break between the first and second round team matches. They play until one team clinches the victory. The cost will be $10/person. There will be limits on who can attend. Enter the Reynoldsburg facility via the northernmost entrance. Enter New Albany's tennis facility via Kardules Fields Way off of 605 (or New Albany Condit Rd). (Refer to the maps.) For those wanting to watch tennis at both sites, it takes about 23 minutes of travel time using back roads. Click for the OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws. [Note that more information about audience restrictions is forthcoming.]
The OTZ Top Players and Watchlist reports will be modified today. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
All of the State Qualifiers are listed below in the entry for Friday, October 16. They are listed in seed order by District.
Thanks to Mason coach, Mike Reid, for the Southwest District photos. Contact OTZ if your district has State Qualifier photos that contain players from multiple teams. Sorry, I am not interested in same team group photos.All of the State Team Tournament Final Four teams have been decided except for Central D1. Upper Arlington is scheduled to play Olentangy Liberty tomorrow.
SUNDAY,
Ready for States
The District seeding rounds were completed yesterday. Was it chilly yesterday? Yes. Would high school tennis be thrilled to have the same weather conditions next weekend? Yes.
The biggest issue is that everyone needs to stay safe from COVID-19 this week. For schools that offer a hybrid option, this may be a great week to stay at home.
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Central D1 State Qualifiers - Click to enlarge |
Singles players with the #1 seeds earned them by winning the following matches. Columbus Academy's Sydni Ratliff defeated Columbus Academy's Arya Chabria; St. Ursula Academy's Elizabeth Pendergast beat Wilmington's Claire Burns and Mason's Shyla Aggarwal; Mayfield's Hannah Kassaie defeated Magnificat's Audrey Smitek and North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher; Olentangy Berlin's Ella Franz beat Dublin Coffman's Dasha Chistyakova and Olentangy Liberty's Dani Schoenly; Anthony Wayne's Lilly Black defeated Toledo St. Ursula Academy's Marissa Patino and Perrysburg's Sydney Onest; Orange's Alexis Nyborg beat Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu and Laurel's Ellie Brotherton; and Eaton's Macy Hitchcock defeated Archbishop Alter's Grace Lampman and Oakwood's Lily McCloskey. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The finals in doubles were: Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker - Megan Basil defeated Olentangy Orange's Caroline Sproule - Tyler Reed; Wellington's Alexis Burkhalter - Katie Zerbi beat Columbus Academy's Carolyn Tsung - Lauren Motta; Magnificat's Caroline Moritz - Natalie Smitek defeated Brecksville's Lakshmy Arakoni - Helen Lee; Hathaway Brown's Ally Mills - Katie Mills beat Hathaway Brown's Brigette Fuentes - Alex Wolf; Mason's Annie Kruse - Raina Chada defeated Ursuline Academy's Nina Dhaliwal - Bridget Estes; and Oakwood's Sarah Hall - Natalie Connelly beat CHCA's Kennedy and Payton Puryear.
The Northwest and Southeast/East District draws have yet to be posted.
Upper Arlington is scheduled to play Olentangy Liberty in the district finals of the State Team Tournament.
There is a change for the State Team Tournament. Division I will remain at Reynoldsburg and Division II will play at New Albany High School. [Note: This is reversed from what was posted in the earlier edition.] This reduces the number of people at each site as a COVID-19 precaution. The good news is that the tournament will finish quickly but there will only be half of the excitement (and crowds). Ask your coaches for the details.
SATURDAY,
Ready for Seeding Round
The district seeding rounds will be delayed this morning in many areas of the state to allow temperatures to rise. As of now (7am), it is 31 degrees in Columbus, 35 in Mason, 34 in Akron, 38 in Port Clinton (NW Districts), and 29 in Portsmouth (SE/E Districts).
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Wilmington's Claire Burns - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Oakwood's Lily McCloskey defeated Indian Hill's Bella Kirby; Wilmington's Claire Burns beat Mason's Rashi Loni; Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu defeated Chagrin Falls' Adelaide Doman and Orrville's Claudia Adcock; Hathaway Brown's Olivia Gidlow beat Ursuline's Anna Morgione and Perry's Lily Walker; Orange's Alexis Nyborg defeated Archbishop Hoban's Kate Wenzlik and Revere's Morgan Dobos; and Laurel's Ellie Brotherton beat St. John's Julianne Sheldon and St. Vincent-St. Mary's Andie McKnight. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Look below for the October 16th update to see all of the State Qualifiers.
OTZ will be at Reynoldsburg today for the Central District Division 1 seeding round.
While many players are thrilled to be state qualifiers, others are vying for the #1 seeds to improve their chances of being state champions and state finalists. Good luck to everyone today.
FRIDAY,
Most of the State Qualifiers Determined
Most of the state identified their State Qualifiers, but not all. The Southwest District got rained out and the Northeast and Northwest need to play additional rounds.
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Wyoming's Sydney Evans - Click to enlarge |
The Northeast District D2 Qualifier takes place today. Normally OTZ would be on the way to this qualifier but not this year. The court area was restricted to officials and players. This would have been the seventh year of attending this tournament.
The photos taken at the Southwest District were not very good. The cloud cover was way too dense.
Columbus Academy's Sydni Ratliff defeated Columbus School for Girls' Sophia Vershinin and Columbus Academy's Grace Philip; St. Ursula Academy's Elizabeth Pendergast beat Northmont's Aubrey Ferrell and Mason's Anna Tonkal; Mayfield's Hannah Kassaie defeated Rocky River's Samantha Robertson and Canfield's Anna Kan; Mason's Shyla Aggarwal beat Springboro's Amaya Hulbert and St. Ursula Academy's Emily Jennewein; Olentangy Liberty's Dani Schoenly defeated Dublin Coffman's Cassi Shough and Watterson's Sara Goodlive; Magnificat's Audrey Smitek beat Hudson's Sunny Fan and Highland's Jo Oberhaus; North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher defeated Hudson's Laura Nijhuis and St. Joseph Academy's Amara Brahmbhatt; Olentangy Berlin's Ella Franz beat New Albany's Madison Spiess and Dublin Coffman's Pritika Ghosh-Choudhuri; Archbishop Alter's Grace Lampman defeated Greenville's Marchal and Wyoming's Sydney Evans; Eaton's Macy Hitchcock beat Mariemont's P.Wilhelm and Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy's Lynn Kader; Dublin Coffman's Dasha Chistyakova defeated Upper Arlington's Ellis Mizer and New Albany's Paige Cornelius; Worthington Kilbourne's Libby Alderman beat Marion Harding's Nicole Flock and Olentangy Liberty's Kylie Wilson; Walnut Hills' Alexis Covington defeated Centerville's Arabelle MacPherson and Princeton's Brooklyn Bowen; and St. Joseph Academy's Tia Clemens beat Medina's Elizabeth Stuart and Solon's Niya Fried. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
This list of State Qualifers will be updated over the next two days. After the seeding round takes place, the players will be listed in seed order.
State Qualifiers:
Central D1 Singles: Olentangy Berlin's Ella Franz, Olentangy Liberty's Dani Schoenly, Dublin Coffman's Dasha Chistyakova, and Worthington Kilbourne's Libby Alderman.
Central D1 Doubles: Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker - Megan Basil, Olentangy Orange's Caroline Sproule - Tyler Reed, Upper Arlington's Noah Mizer - Ava Richard, and Olentangy's Sydney Nickel - Archita Sriram.
Central District D2 Singles: Columbus Academy's Sydni Ratliff.
Central District D2 Doubles: Wellington's Alexis Burkhalter - Katie Zerbi.
Northeast D1 Singles: Mayfield's Hannah Kassaie, North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher, Magnificat's Audrey Smitek, St. Joseph Academy's Tia Clemens, St. Joseph Academy's Amara Brahmbhatt, and Canfield's Anna Kan.
Northeast D1 Doubles: Magnificat's Caroline Moritz - Natalie Smitek, Brecksville's Lakshmy Arakoni - Helen Lee, Massillon Jackson's Madison Altman - Paige Reese, Massillon Jackson's Emma Henson - Samantha Reese, Highland's Sarah Sgambati-Madison Pawlak, and Magnificat's Lexi Ospelt - Kayra Koprulu.
Northeast D2 Singles: Orange's Alexis Nyborg, Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu, Laurel's Ellie Brotherton, Hathaway Brown's Olivia Gidlow, and Orrville's Claudia Adcock.
Northeast D2 Doubles: Hathaway Brown's Ally Mills - Katie Mills, Hathaway Brown's Brigette Fuentes - Alex Wolf, Hawken's Hayley Garber - Hawken's Eliana Yang, Canton South's Destiny Winans - Abigail Franks, and Marlington's Mary and Elizabeth Mason.
Northwest D1 Singles: Anthony Wayne's Lilly Black and Perrysburg's Sydney Onest.
Northwest D1 Doubles: Notre Dame Academy's Olivia Assenmacher - Ellie Assenmacher and Notre Dame Academy's Gretchen Gmitter - Erin Sturgeon.
Northwest D2 Singles: Ottawa Hills' Catherine Rhegness, Lexington's Sydney Pfieffer, Toledo Central Catholic's Ellie Hire, and Edison's Jayla Medina.
Northwest D2 Doubles: Bath's Ruby and Esther Bolon, Toledo Central Catholic's Bella and Lucia Spinazze, Shawnee's Aria and Alora Patel, and Bryan's Emilee Bassett - Reese Grothaus..
Southeast D2 Singles: South Point's Meredith Riley and Wheelersburg's Maddie Gill.
Southeast D2 Doubles: East Liverpool's Sydney Cooper - Gianna Davie and Circleville's Emma Shaw - Kara Hinton.
Southwest D1 Singles: St. Ursula Academy's Elizabeth Pendergast, Mason's Shyla Aggarwal, Walnut Hills' Alexis Covington, and Wilmington's Claire Burns.
Southwest D1 Doubles: Mason's Annie Kruse - Raina Chada, Ursuline Academy's Nina Dhaliwal - Bridget Estes, Centerville's Caroline Hinshaw - Clara Owen, and Bellbrook's Nitika Arora - Maya Brink.
Southwest D2 Singles: Eaton's Macy Hitchcock, Oakwood's Lily McCloskey, Archbishop Alter's Grace Lampman, and Indian Hills' Brooke Arington.
Southwest D2 Doubles: Oakwood's Sarah Hall - Natalie Connelly, CHCA's Kennedy and Payton Puryear, Indian Hills' Jenny Zhang - Lexi Larsen, and Indian Hills' Jessica August - Hannah Pollock.
THURSDAY,
Ready for Districts
Districts start in much of the state today. While States is the goal for most players, it is important to keep in mind that reaching Districts is a great accomplishment, too. Everyone is under pressure, so let's relax a bit and make this tournament fun and memorable. So here we go..
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Southwest District D2 2018 Qualifiers - Click to enlarge |
OTZ likes to recognize the players from each District who qualify for States by using group photos. Please get those cameras (or high-level, new cellphones) ready for Saturday. Note that group photos of players from multiple schools is what is needed -- not the state qualifiers from each school. Please put the singles players together in front, and team up the doubles players in back. Click State Qualifier Photos to view photos from previous years.
In the Southwest D1 2018 State Qualifier photo, there are five players who may make a return trip to States. They are Mason's Annie Kruse - Raina Chada; Ursuline Academy's Bridget Estes - Nina Dhaliwal; and Indian Hills' Bella Kirby.
One free action photo* goes to the first person who identifies the first names of the two adorable OTZ youngsters (via Feedback). (*The action photo has to already be in the OTZ inventory of photos.)
I will be leaving shortly to attend the Southwest Districts at the ATP site. Both Division I and Division II will be playing so it is an ideal place to watch players and to take photos. A really big deal with photos is having a pleasing or non-distracting background. It is not possible to have better background than what a professional tournament site provides.Just in case the only reason why you are coming to Southwest Districts today is because of the McNasty Food Truck, it will not be there. It will be at States.
Dual match scores are still coming in from earlier in the season. As long as coaches are using the OTZ score reporting system, the scores will be included online.
WEDNESDAY,
Mason, Notre Dame Academy, and Hathaway Brown Secure Final 4 Spots
Three more State Team Final Four berths have been decided. Mason defeated St. Ursula Academy and Notre Dame Academy beat Toledo St. Ursula Academy. In an earlier contest, Hathaway Brown defeated Laurel for their NE D2 spot. Only Central D1 and Northwest D2 have yet to be decided. Click for the OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws.
In another dual match, Centerville defeated Oakwood using their State line-ups. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Revere - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Revere. They are coached by Kathy Shisler. They are OTZ Team Members. They are led by Morgan Dobos, Maddie Kavenagh, and Nina Lazbin.
OTZ plans are to go to the Southwest Districts on Thursday, Northeast D2 Districts on Friday, and the Central District finals on Saturday. The Southwest District is played at the Lindner Family Tennis Center and their 16 courts accommodate both the Division I and Division II teams. If rainy weather bumps the Southwest District matches to Friday, that is where you will find me.
Platform tennis leagues throughout the state are preparing for their seasons. Interested in playing this invigorating outdoors racquet sport? I've got you covered in Central Ohio. Just submit a Feedback. I can probably also connect you with someone if you live elsewhere in the state. When is it too cold to play? At our club, it is 10 degrees or lower (with chill factor). Before playing, it is absolutely mandatory that participants first be tested -- and receive a positive result -- for hardiness and/or insanity..
TUESDAY,
Two More Teams to the Final Four: Magnificat Beats Hoover | Indian Hills Defeats Eaton
Two more teams get to book their trips to Reynoldsburg. Magnificat defeated North Canton Hooverand Indian Hill beat Eaton. Upper Arlington defeated Pickerington Central for an opportunity to play against Olentangy Liberty in the Central District D1 final. Click for the OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws.
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Olentangy Liberty - Click to team page |
In other matches yesterday, Walsh Jesuit defeated St. Joseph Academy and Delaware Hayes defeated Buckeye Valley. To view the graphs from yesterday's matches, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker defeated Pickerington Central's Semmie Moore; North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher beat Magnificat's Audrey Smitek; Magnificat's Natalie Smitek defeated North Canton Hoover's Lilly Altman; Walsh Jesuit's Emma Kealy beat St. Joseph Academy's Tyler Schuerlein; and Upper Arlington's Megan Basil defeated Pickerington Central's Khandice Thomas. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.Today's featured team is Olentangy Liberty. They are coached by Will Thieman. They are OTZ Team Members. They are led by Dani Schoenly and Kylie Wilson.
St. Ursula Academy (A) plays Mason in the Southwest District final today.
MONDAY,
District Draws Posted
The District draws are now available statewide. This is the earliest that these draws have been available so great job by all of the District tournament managers. All of the draws are accessible via the links above. (Watch for the Southwest District's draw soon.) The managers also included the full names of the players, their grades, and their schools. This is extremely important to college coaches, so again, good job.
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Oakwood's Lily McCloskey - Click to enlarge |
There will be some interesting match-ups to determine state qualifiers. Note that when the word "interesting" is used, that means it will be great viewing for fans but absolutely agonizing for the players, parents, and coaches.. The Southwest normally has some quarters that are not as strong as others and unfortunately that is the case again this year. There are some really strong players from the Mason, ATP, and Centerville Sectionals which means that strong, 1-2 seeds will have to meet before they qualify. States-worthy players that could meet in the second round include: St. Ursula Academy's Elizabeth Pendergast versus Mason's Anna Tonkal; Oakwood's Lily McCloskey versus Indian Hills' Bella Kirby; and Eaton's Macy Hitchcock versus CHCA's Lynn Kader. All but one of the above players have competed at States in the past.
The Northeast has numerous strong match-ups but since they get six spots for Division I and five spots for Division II, that makes it a bit easier for the top players to qualify. They must still reach the second round though and some strong first round matches include Solon's Niya Fried versus St. Joseph Academy's Tia Clemens.
The Central District has numerous good match-ups, but there are no quarters that contain the top players as is the case in the Southwest. Central gets four states spots for Division I but just one spot for Division II.
Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
There are two big State Team Tournament matches scheduled for today. North Canton Hoover (A) plays Magnificat in the Northeast finals and it is Upper Arlington (A) versus Pickerington Central in the Central D1 semi's. Click for the OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws.
SUNDAY,
Day 2 of Sectionals Completed
It is really nice to be able to type, "So far. So good". Hopefully that will continue..
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Orange's Caroline Sproule - Click to enlarge |
I was pleasantly surprised when I did not get eye strain on Friday after entering all of the Sectional results. Well, that feeling of happiness did not last long on Saturday. Many of the results got entered but I had to shut down things early on Saturday evening. All of the results for the Central and Northeast Districts and a portion of the Southwest are online.
Among the top players, Columbus Academy's Sydni Ratliff defeated Columbus Academy's Arya Chabria; St. Ursula Academy's Elizabeth Pendergast beat St. Ursula Academy's Emily Jennewein; Mason's Shyla Aggarwal defeated Mason's Anna Tonkal; Mayfield's Hannah Kassaie beat Solon's Niya Fried; Magnificat's Audrey Smitek defeated St. Joseph Academy's Amara Brahmbhatt; Olentangy Liberty's Dani Schoenly beat Olentangy Liberty's Kylie Wilson; Laurel's Ellie Brotherton defeated Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu; Indian Hill's Bella Kirby beat Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy's Lynn Kader; and Olentangy Berlin's Ella Franz defeated Watterson's Sara Goodlive. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
More results will be entered after I return from my 8am platform tennis match.
SATURDAY,
Day 1 of Sectionals Now Online
After entering 600 matches, the Sectional results for day 1 are now online*. Congratulations to all of the players who reached Districts.
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Franklin Heights' Liliana Soy - Click to enlarge |
*The exception being the Northwest District, but watch for those later today. Since there are not many OTZ members in Northwest Ohio, that district is the quickest to do.
Since there are so many OTZ customers in the Central District, all of those matches are included. There are also a few Southwest and Northeast Sectionals with the majority of their matches included.
While reaching Districts is a big accomplishment, the top teams in the state want more. They want a #1 or #2 seed to better position themselves to get to States.
Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Good luck to all of the players today, especially those with short, easy to type names..
FRIDAY,
Day One of Sectionals is Finished | Mason Beats Ursuline Academy
The weather was even better than perfect yesterday as the District qualifiers in all areas of the state were determined. In fact, some Sectionals have even played their seeding rounds. How much longer until States begin? This lady knows the answer.
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Laurel - Click to team page |
In the State Team Tournament, Mason defeated Ursuline Academy. In that match, Mason's Shyla Aggarwal defeated Ursuline Academy's Nina Dhaliwal and Ursuline Academy's Bridget Estes beat Mason's Anna Tonkal. Mason will play St. Ursula Academy in the Southwest District Finals. Click for the State Team Tournament Draws.
OTZ fingers were crossed, hoping that the results would be posted in the Columbus Dispatch and the Cincinnati Enquirer, but that was not the case. OTZ will be retrieving the data from the draws to include the information on OTZ. This will take most of the day. There is little doubt that input will be interrupted numerous times as OTZ's only full-time employee persistently requests outdoor play time and an opportunity to go to the bathroom outdoors..
Today's featured team is Laurel. They are coached by Betsy O'Neill. They are Team Members. They are led by Ellie Brotherton and Julia Bowman.
There are no dual matches listed in the OTZ schedule for today.
THURSDAY,
Sectionals Breezing Along
So far so good.. Even though it has been windy, the weather has been ideal thus far. Getting through the first day of Sectionals is critical because of the number of players involved. There are just no good indoor alternatives for this many teams, and that was before the COVID-19 concerns.. While Sectionals started on Monday, today is the huge day for the Central District as it starts five of its Sectionals.
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Olentangy Liberty's Dani Schoenly - Click to enlarge |
Many of the matches in the first day are rather one-sided, especially for the seeded players. The seeding rounds on Saturday are always interesting.
Both the Cincinnati Enquirer and Columbus Dispatch are doing great with the results so far in their respective areas. Again, all of those results will be posted online - regardless if players are OTZ members.
The OTZ focus today will be on entering results but I plan to stop by the Upper Arlington location to watch and to get a few photos.
Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
There are no dual matches scheduled.
WEDNESDAY,
Columbus Academy Beats Dublin Coffman | Notre Dame Academy Defeats Sylvania Northview
Except for the wind, it was a perfect evening. Last year, Sectional week had boiling temperatures. Among the state's top teams, Columbus Academy defeated Dublin Coffman and Notre Dame Academy beat Sylvania Northview in the State Team Tournament. There were seven matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 6 and and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Hamilton Township defeated Franklin Heights; Dublin Jerome beat Olentangy Orange; and Delaware Hayes defeated Hartley. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Olentangy Berlin's Ella Franz - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Olentangy Berlin's Ella Franz defeated Worthington Kilbourne's Libby Alderman; Dublin Coffman's Dasha Chistyakova beat Columbus Academy's Lauren Motta; Upper Arlington's Megan Basil defeated New Albany's Kary Hollenbaugh; Olentangy Orange's Karol Korotkin beat Dublin Jerome's Audrey Cook; and Notre Dame Academy's Ellie Assenmacher defeated Sylvania Northview's Fiona McDaniel. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Sectionals may be a new process for many. Because of the extremely large number of matches, here is how the results are included on OTZ. If results are included in the newspapers (Columbus Dispatch or Cincinnati Enquirer), then those results will be included on OhioTennisZone. For the results not in those huge score aggregators, OTZ retrieves the Sectional results for players if the Coach or Team has an OTZ membership or if the Parent/Player has an OTZ membership. Results will largely be gathered after a Sectional is completed to reduce the number of duplicate postings on OTZ. Some Sectionals delay the posting of the results, and obviously that is a problem. The Columbus Dispatch has done an incredible job with Sectional results in previous years, but this year has been challenging for them. We will see what happens..
OhioTennisZone will recognize the players who reach States by including their photos on the OTZ online draw. Click to view the State Draws for 2019. This is extremely time consuming process and alert readers know that OTZ did this with Ohio High School State draws before the Grand Slams did it for professional tennis. (Pause and think about that for a second..) To my knowledge, no other state recognizes their high school players to this extent. Since OTZ needs the photos of State Qualifiers, *think* about getting your qualifier's photo to OTZ immediately after they qualify for States. Don't do it yet though.. That would be a kid jinxing mistake..
There were no matches included in the schedule today as teams either play in or prepare for Sectionals.
TUESDAY,
Columbus Academy Gets 1st State Team Tournament Final Four Spot
Columbus Academy now has something to do on October 25th. CA defeated Wellington, 3-1, to get the first Final Four spot in the State Team Tournament. To advance to the District Finals in their respective draws, Olentangy Liberty defeated Olentangy Orange and St. Ursula Academy beat Sycamore. Click for the OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws.
There were 17 dual matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 10, Southwest - 2, Northeast - 4, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: DeSales defeated Worthington Christian; Lancaster beat Granville; Pickerington Central defeated Watkins Memorial; and Laurel beat Beachwood. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Columbus Academy - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Columbus Academy. They are coached by Marc Wurtzman. They are Team Members. They are led by Sydni Ratliff, Carolyn Tsung, and Lauren Motta.
Sectionals began yesterday in the Northeast and Southwest Districts. To prevent duplicates from being entered, OTZ will wait until the Sectionals are completed before posting the results.
Today's matches include: Columbus Academy (A) versus Dublin Coffman; Upper Arlington (A) versus New Albany; and Centerville (H) versus Miamisburg. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
OTZ College Report | Sectionals Begin Today
The OhioTennisZone College Report for the 2020-2021 season is now available. It includes information on 156 Ohio high school players who are competing in D1, D2, and D3 college tennis programs. High school tennis players tend to do well after high school, and this report is a way to recognize them by making it easy for fans to see where they are attending college and what their college majors are. (Perhaps you will even want to hire one of these players when they graduate from college and include them on your company's tennis team..) It is also fun to see how much the players have changed physically since their high school years.
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OTZ College Report - Click to enlarge |
This report includes easy access to each player's OTZ Player Profile, the player's high school profile photo, his/her college tennis web site, and one click access to a player's OTZ action photos.
Because this report is very time consuming to create, note that this it is not exhaustive. OTZ primarily focuses on players who had OTZ Player Profiles (or in other words were team or individual OTZ members).
Players who did not have OTZ Player Profiles are often still listed, especially if the college coach is an OTZ member.
Several colleges have terminated their tennis programs and their players are still listed. This includes Wright State (Jillian Milano, Anna Reynolds, and Madison Riley) and Notre Dame of Ohio (Hayleigh Tucker).
This report will be tweaked over time because many colleges have not yet updated their rosters for this year.
This report includes an occasional update on how Ohio's professional players are doing on the tour. This information was updated this morning and it is in the right-side navigation bar.
This is Sectional week as the march toward Districts and States begins. Sectionals begin today in the Northeast District's Solon and Canton locations.
Today's matches include: St. Ursula Academy (H) versus Sycamore; Upper Arlington (H) versus Watterson; Westerville North (H) versus Hilliard Bradley; and Mayfield (A) versus Walsh Jesuit. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY,
Mason Wins GMC | North Canton Hoover Beats St. Joseph Academy
There were tournaments and one key State Team Tournament match yesterday. Mason won the Greater Miami Conference. They won all of the flights. In the State Team Tournament, North Canton Hoover defeated St. Joseph Academy. Hoover faces Magnificat in the Northeast Finals. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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SJA's Amara Brahmbhatt - Click to enlarge |
Click to view the OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws.
Among the top players, Mason's Shyla Aggarwal defeated Sycamore's Gabrielle Frischer; St. Joseph Academy's Amara Brahmbhatt beat North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher; Mason's Anna Tonkal defeated Sycamore's Marilene VandenBerg; and St. Joseph Academy's Tia Clemens beat North Canton Hoover's Lilly Altman. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today would be a great day for teams to enter older results. Older results can be submitted at any time.
SATURDAY,
Solon Defeats Laurel
There were just three matches recorded from yesterday: Solon defeated Laurel; Avon beat Kenston; and Pickerington Central defeated Watterson. To view the graphs from yesterday's matches, click on Previous Day's Match Results. For the State Tournament results, click on OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws
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Solon - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Solon. They are coached by Fredrik Nyborg. They are Team Members. They are led by Niya Fried, Phoebe Shi, and Ariel Hsieh.
The headliner match today is the State Team Tournament match between OTZ #4 North Canton Hoover and #5 St. Joseph Academy. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY,
Ursuline Academy Beats St. Ursula Academy | Upper Arlington Defeats Reynoldsburg
Rain arrived into Central Ohio at just the wrong time yesterday and many matches were affected. Among the top teams, Ursuline Academy defeated St. Ursula Academy and Upper Arlington beat Reynoldsburg. There were just four matches recorded. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click for the OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws.
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Eaton's Sophia Murphy - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, St. Ursula Academy's Elizabeth Pendergast defeated Ursuline Academy's Nina Dhaliwal; North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher beat Highland's Jo Oberhaus; Walsh Jesuit's Emma Kealy defeated Hudson's Laura Nijhuis; St. Ursula Academy's Emily Jennewein beat Ursuline Academy's Bridget Estes; and North Canton Hoover's Addy Utterback defeated Highland's Sammy Kuczynski. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
There are 12 cheers posted thus far for the OTZ Cheer Contest. Some of these were entered while others were captured by OTZ. Cheers need to be submitted by the end of Sectionals which is on October 10. The plan as of now (which is subject to change within five minutes) is to total the number of Twitter Likes and Retweets that each cheer generates. The cheers with the highest totals will be included in a Twitter poll. The top five cheers so far (sorted in totals order) are: Laurel (32), Notre Dame Academy (27), Westerville North (25), Columbus Academy (22), and Wilmington (21). The others (in alphabetical order) are: Big Walnut, Bishop Hartley, Centerville, Dublin Jerome, Olentangy (Excellent), Watkins Memorial, and Worthington Kilbourne.This is not a Photo Friday. OTZ traveled to Cincinnati last Saturday for the Coaches Classic but those were the only photos taken this week due to weather issues. More from that tournament will be posted after several names are confirmed.
Today's matches include: Avon (H) versus Kenston; Laurel (H) versus Solon; and Seven Hills (A) versus St. Ursula Academy. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
Ursuline Academy Beats Cincinnati Hills | Massillon Jackson Defeats Solon
It was a windy evening. Ursuline Academy defeated Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy and Massillon Jackson beat Solon. There were 22 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 12, Southwest - 9, and Northeast - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Granville defeated Worthington Kilbourne; Watkins Memorial beat Reynoldsburg; Chaminade-Julienne defeated Northwestern; Grandview beat Canal Winchester; Big Walnut defeated Worthington Christian; and Newark beat Westerville North. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Olentangy Orange - Click to team page |
Among the top players, Columbus Academy's Sydni Ratliff defeated Olentangy's Pranjal Agochiya; Solon's Niya Fried beat Massillon Jackson's Paige Reese; Hilliard Bradley's Anh Thi Thai defeated Dublin Jerome's Ella Oleson; Worthington Kilbourne's Libby Alderman beat Granville's Eckels; Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy's Lynn Kader defeated Ursuline Academy's Bridget Estes; Dublin Coffman's Pritika Ghosh-Choudhuri beat Dublin Scioto's Srivastava; Reynoldsburg's Kareen Meoko defeated Watkins Memorial's Breaunna Doucette; and Olentangy Orange's Karol Korotkin beat Westerville Central's Sidney Choo. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
All of the Sectional Draws have now been posted. These draws are available via the links at the top of this page. They will remain there until the District Draws are posted.
Today's featured team is Olentangy Orange. They are coached by Susan Storrer. They are Team Members. They are led by Caroline Sproule, Karol Korotkin, and Tyler Reed.
Today's matches include: North Canton Hoover (H) versus Highland; St. Ursula Academy (H) versus Ursuline Academy; Columbus School For Girls (H) versus Olentangy Berlin; and Upper Arlington (A) versus Reynoldsburg. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
Magnificat Beats Highland and Upper Arlington Defeats Wellington
Tennis was back in full force yesterday with regular and State Team Tournament matches. In the State Team Tournament, Magnificat defeated Highland and Pickerington Central beat Hilliard Bradley. In an OTZ Top Ten match, Upper Arlington defeated Wellington; There were 18 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 12, Southwest - 4, and Northeast - 2. The close, 3-2 matches included: Dublin Scioto defeated Hilliard Darby; Olentangy beat Upper Arlington-B; Dublin Jerome defeated Gahanna; Oak Hills beat Sycamore-B; and Hartley defeated Whetstone. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. For the State Tournament results, click on OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws.
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Centerville - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Centerville. They are coached by Scott Long. They are led by Caroline Hinshaw, Clara Owen, and Arabelle MacPherson.
Today's matches include: Hathaway Brown (H) versus North Canton Hoover; Massillon Jackson (H) versus Solon; Notre Dame Academy (H) versus Sylvania Northview; and Dublin Coffman (A) versus Dublin Scioto. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
Rain. Finally.
It may not have been a complete rain-out, but it was close enough. There were just two matches reported, Louisville defeated Manchester and Lancaster beat Athens. It had been two weeks since Central Ohio had received rain. To view the graphs from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Orange - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Orange. They are coached by Rich Bole. They are Team Members. They are led by Alexis Nyborg and Natalie Borsch.
The Central and Southwest Districts have posted all of their draws. While the Mason location was posted, it does not include the player names which means that it is not very helpful. For example, it uses "Sycamore #3", rather than the name of the player. The Northwest has posted most of their locations. The Northeast has not posted any of their draws.
There are plans to catch up on the big backlog of email messages today.
Today's matches include: Magnificat (A) versus Highland; St. Ursula Academy (A) versus Wyoming; and Upper Arlington (A) versus Wellington. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
Sectional Draw Edition
Yesterday was the Sectional Draw day throughout Ohio. The draws will be posted (or linked to) as they become available.
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Mason's Shyla Aggarwal - Click to enlarge |
The first draws posted were for Central District Division I. There were no major surprises on who are playing singles and doubles. Players of note: Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker and Megan Basil and Olentangy Orange's Caroline Sproule and Tyler Reed are playing doubles. The Central District normally allows teams to pick their Sectional location, but not this year. The teams returned to the same location as last year. The draws were conducted via Microsoft Teams and the process appeared to go very smoothly. I was a typist for the Upper Arlington Sectional and we finished at 2:50pm. Central D1 gets four spots for States.
Click for the Central District Division 2 Draws. Central only gets one spot for States which obviously makes it tough for the other players when a Division II State Singles Champion (Sydni Ratliff) is in your district.
The Southwest Draws are here. All of the draws are posted except for the Mason Site. Some of the stronger players were expected to team up for doubles in Division II, but many did not.
When the Northeast District makes their Sectional draws available, they will be here.
When the Northwest District makes their Sectional draws available, they will be here. The Northwest Districts' draws are normally the last to be posted. The Northwest has also not made any updates to their State Team Tournament Draws. C'mon Northwest, listen to Arnold. The parents and players like to know what's going on.
As other draws become available, they will be posted on or linked to from OhioTennisZone. Aware of draws that are posted but not linked to from OhioTennisZone? Please submit a Feedback.
Today's matches include: Mayfield (A) versus Solon and Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (A) versus Ursuline Academy. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY,
Mason Wins Flight A of GCTCAC, Ursuline Academy Wins Flight B
There were several tournaments held yesterday. The highly successful Greater Cincinnati Tennis Coaches Association Classic was completed. Mason won Flight A and St. Ursula Academy finished second. The winner of Flight B was Ursuline Academy and Seven Hills was second. Highland won the Surburban League-American Division Tournament. Revere was the runner-up.
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SUA's Elizabeth Pendergast - Click to enlarge |
There were also several big dual matches. Upper Arlington defeated Oakwood and Magnificat beat Rocky River. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, St. Ursula Academy's Elizabeth Pendergast defeated Mason's Shyla Aggarwal and Indian Hills' Brooke Arington; Mason's Shyla Aggarwal beat Indian Hill's Brooke Arington; Magnificat's Audrey Smitek defeated Rocky River's Samantha Robertson; Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker beat Oakwood's Lily McCloskey; and Revere's Morgan Dobos defeated Highland's Madison Pawlak. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
As it is probably clear from the above photo, OTZ traveled to the Classic's Flight A round-robin tournament. It was great to meet a few new parents and to see the strong competition. The common theme was "how can we keep our kids out of quarantine?". The State tournament that is four weeks from now could get blown up quickly if kids cannot compete in Sectionals.
Today is the day for the big Sectional Draw. Let's hope that it goes smoothly. Hopefully the Sectionals that are doing in-person draws will not have anyone exposed to COVID-19. For those doing the draws remotely, we will keep our fingers crossed that there will not technical issues.
SATURDAY,
St. Joseph Academy Beats Shaker Heights
There were just two matches recorded from state-wide play. St. Joseph Academy defeated Shaker Heights and Kettering Fairmont beat Springfield. To view the bar charts of yesterday's results, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Worthington Kilbourne - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Worthington Kilbourne. They are coached by Stephen Metzmaier. They are Team Members. They are led by Libby Alderman and Lilly Hershey.
The Greater Cincinnati Tennis Coaches Classic has had a variety of start times because of COVID-19. See you at the Flight A group in Mason at 8:15. (Yes, ouch, because OTZ is in Columbus..)
Things are really backed up, especially with photos. If you need the photo that you ordered quickly, please send a Feedback.
FRIDAY,
St. Ursula Academy Beats 7Hills | Centerville Defeats Springboro | Foto Friday
Yesterday provided more of the same perfect, boring weather. Boys tennis would be thankful for two of these great weather days in a row.. Among the top teams, OTZ #9 St. Ursula Academy defeated OTZ #7 (D2) Seven Hills and OTZ #7 Centerville beat Springboro. There were 20 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 11, Southwest - 7, and Northeast - 2. The close, 3-2 matches included: Reynoldsburg defeated DeSales and Dublin Scioto beat Canal Winchester. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click for updated OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws.
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Springboro's Amaya Hulbert - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, St. Ursula Academy's Elizabeth Pendergast defeated Seven Hills' Shriya Sekar; Archbishop Alter's Grace Lampman beat Chaminade-Julienne's Patty Estrada-Sanchez; Centerville's Clara Owen defeated Springboro's Amaya Hulbert; Solon's Niya Fried beat Avon's Denver Johnson; and Wellington's Alexis Burkhalter defeated Bexley's Sydney Elliott. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today is yet another Foto Friday. There were 21 photos added. Matches included Dublin Jerome versus Olentangy Liberty, Upper Arlington versus Columbus Academy, and Centerville versus Springboro. The Centerville match provided some challenges because many of the girls wore the OTZ-Never-Approved visors. Visors basically block out a player's eyes as they cast a shadow from the sun. So the race was on.. Could the sun drop faster than the length of the match? The longer a match lasted, the lower the sun dropped in the sky, and the better the photos. The lower sun allowed the sun to go beneath a visor's bill plus the lower sun also helped enrich the colors as is clear from this photo of Springboro's Alissa Pajari. Sure, visors may help players win a few extra games and they may even help a team win a championship, but isn't a better photo worth it?.. Sign-in first and then click for the Most Recently Added Photos. (Remember to click "Next" at the bottom of each page.)
Today's matches include: St. Joseph Academy (A) versus Shaker Heights. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
Eaton Beats Oakwood | Mason Defeats Seven Hills
It was another night for big matches. OTZ #5 (D2) Eaton defeated OTZ #2 Oakwood in the State Team Tournament; OTZ #1 Mason beat OTZ #8 (D2) Seven Hills; and OTZ #4 North Canton Hoover defeated Solon. There were 21 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 9, Southwest - 9, and Northeast - 3. The close, 3-2 matches included: Franklin Heights defeated Groveport; Lakota West beat Seton; Hartley defeated Grove City; Walsh Jesuit beat Revere; Hilliard Davidson defeated Marysville; Bloom-Carroll beat Teays Valley; Mercy McAuley defeated Harrison; Greeneview beat Washington CH; and Reynoldsburg defeated OTZ alma mater, Miami Trace. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click to view the OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws.
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Dublin Jerome - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Dublin Jerome. They are coached by Ken Berlin. They are Team Members. They are led by Ella Oleson, Lydia Foster, and Sudi Pelluru.
Today's matches include: Centerville (H) versus Springboro; Avon (A) versus Solon; and St. Ursula Academy (H) versus Seven Hills. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
St. Ursula Academy Beats Eaton | Magnificat Defeats Brecksville
This has been one of the nicest stretches of good weather that we have had and it will continue for a few more days. In matches involving the state's best teams, St. Ursula Academy defeated Eaton and Magnificat beat Brecksville. There were 29 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 12, Southwest - 13, and Northeast - 4. The close, 3-2 matches included: Bexley defeated Columbus School for Girls; Oak Hills beat Lakota West; St. Joseph Academy defeated Hudson; Reynoldsburg beat Westerville Central; Olentangy Liberty defeated Olentangy; Thomas Worthington beat Whetstone; and Hartley defeated Ready. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Archbishop Alter - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Archbishop Alter. They are coached by Charlie Painter. They are Team Members. They are led by Grace Lampman, Annie Gayonski, and Emily Pojman.
Today's matches include: Dublin Jerome (A) versus Pickerington North; Mason (H) versus Seven Hills; Mayfield (A) versus Shaker Heights; and Revere (A) versus Walsh Jesuit.. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
North Canton Hoover Beats Massillon Jackson | Columbus Academy Defeats Upper Arlington
About half of the 22 matches were competitive, 3-2 contests yesterday. Among the top teams, North Canton Hoover defeated Massillon Jackson; Columbus Academy beat Upper Arlington; and Oakwood defeated Archbishop Alter. The breakdown by District was: Central - 10, Southwest - 5, and Northeast - 7. The close, 3-2 matches included: Olentangy Orange defeated Wellington; Granville beat Westerville North; Big Walnut defeated Marysville; Kettering Fairmont beat Springboro-B; Worthington Christian defeated Reynoldsburg; Bellbrook beat Chaminade-Julienne; Hilliard Bradley defeated Westerville Central; and Lexington beat Manchester. There were no scores in the Cincinnati Enquirer or Columbus Dispatch this morning. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Academy's Sydni Ratliff - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Columbus Academy's Sydni Ratliff defeated Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker; Magnificat's Audrey Smitek beat Westlake's Madison Shami; North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher defeated Massillon Jackson's Emma Henson; Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu beat Revere's Morgan Dobos; St. Joseph Academy's Amara Brahmbhatt defeated Boardman's Ava Valko; Archbishop Alter's Grace Lampman beat Oakwood's Sarah Hall; Wellington's Alexis Burkhalter defeated Olentangy Orange's Caroline Sproule; Medina's Elizabeth Stuart beat Walsh Jesuit's Emma Kealy; Reynoldsburg's Kareen Meoko defeated Worthington Christian's Abby Mayotte; and Columbus Academy's Carolyn Tsung beat Upper Arlington's Megan Basil. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
There were quite a few updates to the State Team Tournament. Click Team Tournament Draws for the latest results. The Southwest D2 District is the furthest along.
Today's matches include: Magnificat (H) versus Brecksville; Dublin Coffman (A) versus Olentangy Berlin; Olentangy Liberty (H) versus Olentangy; and St. Ursula Academy (H) versus Eaton. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
Updated OhioTennisZone.com Team Rankings
It looks like today will be a great day for tennis. Because it is September 21, it is a cloudless day.. Ba de ya.
The OTZ Rankings have been updated. North Canton Hoover makes a big jump in the Division I rankings after beating St. Joseph Academy 4-1. Hoover has lost just one court all season, and they have played three highly ranked teams. Will this write-up jinx Hoover in their match against Massillon Jackson tonight? We'll see..
OhioTennisZone.com State Top Ten Girls Tennis Teams September 21, 2020 |
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| Division I | Division II |
| 1. Mason◄TEAM | Columbus Academy◄TEAM |
| 2. Magnificat◄TEAM | Oakwood◄TEAM |
| 3. Upper Arlington◄TEAM | Indian Hill |
| 4. North Canton Hoover◄TEAM | Hathaway Brown◄TEAM |
| 5. St. Joseph Academy◄TEAM | Eaton |
| 6. Notre Dame Academy◄TEAM | Archbishop Alter◄TEAM |
| 7. Centerville | Wellington◄TEAM |
| 8. Ursuline Academy | Seven Hills◄TEAM |
| 9. St. Ursula Academy◄TEAM | Hawken◄TEAM |
| 10. Massillon Jackson◄TEAM | Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy |
| HM: Olentangy Orange◄TEAM | Toledo Central Catholic |
| HM: Sycamore◄TEAM | Revere◄TEAM |
◄TEAM - Denotes OTZ Team Membership. Click on School Name for Extensive Information. |
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Centerville also makes a big move after their strong showing against Mason. That is the best "full strength line-up" match that Mason has had this season. Mason's court 1 singles player did not play in Mason's matches against Upper Arlington and Hathaway Brown.
The Division II Rankings included minor tweaks.
Occasionally, the OTZ Rankings are identified as a poll. That is not the case. While coaches provide feedback from time to time, the rankings are created by OhioTennisZone. OTZ started its rankings a few years ago because of the regional biases associated with voting and because there is a tendency by coaches to vote for teams that have had high rankings in the past. OTZ simply shows favoritism to teams with nice dogs..
Today's matches include: Massillon Jackson (H) versus North Canton Hoover; Revere (H) versus Hathaway Brown; Olentangy Orange (H) versus Wellington; Upper Arlington (H) versus Columbus Academy; Oakwood (H) versus Archbishop Alter; and Worthington Christian (A) versus Reynoldsburg. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY,
Notre Dame Academy Beats Lexington | St. Ursula Academy Defeats Walnut Hills
It was a relatively quiet day. Eaton won the Chaminade-Julienne Doubles Tournament and Bellbrook was second. In dual matches, Notre Dame Academy defeated Lexington and St. Ursula Academy beat Walnut Hills. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Season-to-Date Report - Click to enlarge |
Click for the OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws.
Among the top players, St. Ursula Academy's Elizabeth Pendergast defeated Walnut Hills' Alexis Covington; Lexington's Gracie Pfieffer beat Notre Dame Academy's Olivia Assenmacher; St. Ursula Academy's Emily Jennewein beat Walnut Hills' Claire Meng; and Notre Dame Academy's Ellie Assenmacher defeated Lexington's Gabriela Wallace. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
One of the best reports, especially before Sectionals and at the end of the season, is the Season-to-Date Report. This report allows a coach to quickly gather the records of all of the players for Sectionals and/or for the end-of-year recognition program. For a coach who values his/her time, this report pays for OTZ in just a few minutes. It is available via the OTZ Personalized Report and via the Coaches tab.
Not all of your results included on the report? That's no problem. Please use today as a catch-up day to enter your results on OTZ. Have tournament results that would help your players? That's ok, too. Just use this format:
September 19, 2020
Tomak (Avon) def. Queen (North Ridgeville) 6-0, 6-0
McLellon-Koziy (Avon) def. S.Williams-V.Williams (Miami) 6-4, 7-5
OhioTennisZone will also be using today to catch-up with scores.
This is going to be a busy week with the Greater Cincinnati Tennis Coaches Classic taking place at the end of the week.
Monday's matches include: Columbus Academy (A) versus Upper Arlington; Massillon Jackson (H) versus North Canton Hoover; Magnificat (A) versus Westlake; and Olentangy Orange (H) versus Wellington.
SATURDAY,
Mason Beats Centerville
Friday night football gets in the way of Ohio high school girls tennis, but that's ok this year.. It is great that they finally get to compete, too.
Mason defeated Centerville in a good State Team Touranment match. As stated before, it has been difficult to rank teams this year because of playing restrictions. Centerville certainly deserves special mention though. With both teams using their full strength line-ups, Centerville won 34% of the games. That compares to Notre Dame Academy's 18% versus Mason, Sycamore's 19%, Eaton's 27%, and Columbus Academy's 33%.
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St. Joseph Academy - Click to team page |
In other matches, Notre Dame Academy defeated Walsh Jesuit; Archbishop Alter beat Lebanon; St. Joseph Academy defeated Laurel; and Sycamore beat Seton. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Click to view the OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws, which include both the Mason and Sycamore wins.
Among the top players, Mason's Shyla Aggarwal defeated Centerville's Clara Owen; St. Joseph Academy's Amara Brahmbhatt beat Laurel's Ellie Brotherton; Notre Dame Academy's Olivia Assenmacher defeated Walsh Jesuit's Emma Kealy; Centerville's Caroline Hinshaw beat Mason's Anna Tonkal; St. Joseph Academy's Tia Clemens defeated Laurel's Samyuktha Iyer; and Archbishop Alter's Grace Lampman beat Lebanon's Jada Seuberling. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's featured team is St Joseph Academy. They are coached by Dan Mitoff. They are Team Members. They are led by Amara Brahmbhatt, Tia Clemens, and Delia Guzic. Several teams have not taken new photos this year because of mask requirements. This team photo is from last year.
Several teams had planned to get together to play two dual matches today. The new OHSAA prohibits this so many matches were canceled.
FRIDAY,
Massillon Jackson Defeats Hawken | Jerome Beats Liberty | Photo Phriday
Another week is almost done and there are just five more weeks to go.. Among the top teams, Massillon Jackson defeated Hawken and Dublin Jerome beat Olentangy Liberty. OTZ was in attendance at the Jerome/Liberty match and Jerome's 3-2 win went down to the wire. It was clinched on 3rd singles.
There were 24 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 13, Southwest - 7, and Northeast - 4. The close, 3-2 matches included: Big Walnut defeated Reynoldsburg; DeSales beat Worthington Kilbourne; Hilliard Darby defeated Westerville North; and Olentangy Orange beat Pickerington Central. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Olentangy's Archita Sriram - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Olentangy Liberty's Dani Schoenly defeated Dublin Jerome's Ella Oleson; Oakwood's one "L'd" Lily McCloskey beat Valley View's two "L'd" Lilly Holbrook; Olentangy Orange's Caroline Sproule defeated Pickerington Central's Semmie Moore; Hawken's Hayley Garber beat Massillon Jackson's Emma Henson; Rocky River's Samantha Robertson defeated Avon's Denver Johnson; Sycamore's Gabrielle Frischer beat Oak Hills' Gabrielle Kadakia; Lancaster's Mallory Thomas defeated Logan Elm's Clouse; and Olentangy Orange's Tyler Reed beat Pickerington Central's Khandice Thomas. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Ohio high school tennis is now moving into the home stretch.. The Sectional Draws are coming up on September 27. OTZ Coach Members and OTZ Parent Members, Please provide the scores that are not yet included on OTZ. It is important that these be posted soon.The Top OTZ Girls Photos page has been updated to reflect recent photo additions. The photos of the professionals have been replaced with Ohio high school players. What generally happens with these top photos is that a great photo location melds with good quality sun light. Some of the better locations, Dublin Scioto, Bexley, and Thomas Worthington, yielded six of these photos. Click to view the Most Recently Added Photos. There were 15 new photos added.
Dublin Scioto may be the new OTZ favorite location because of the windscreen on the north side of the court and the pine trees on the south side. The worst location remains Upper Arlington, but things are looking up there, too, as my new best friend, Mr. Excavator, lurks in the background. Here's a perfect example of why UA is a problem with this photo of Massillon Jackson's Samantha Reese. It would be a perfectly good photo, but the background is completely cluttered and distracting. Viewers have to hunt for the ball (plus, it is equally distracting for the players).
Today's matches include: Laurel (A) versus St. Joseph Academy and Notre Dame Academy (A) versus Walsh Jesuit. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
North Canton Hoover Defeats St. Joseph Academy | Mason Beats Oakwood
OTZ #8 North Canton Hoover did not get the memo about the OTZ rankings and erroneously defeated #4 St. Joseph Academy yesterday by the score of 4-1.. They will have a rematch in the State Team Tournament in two weeks. In another big match, Mason beat Oakwood 5-0. There were 17 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 8, Southwest - 5, and Northeast - 4. The close, 3-2 matches included: Reynoldsburg defeated Marysville and Lancaster beat DeSales. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Mag's Audrey Smitek - Click to Profile |
Among the top players, Mason's Shyla Aggarwal defeated Oakwood's Lily McCloskey; Magnificat's Audrey Smitek beat Shaker Heights' Kayla Lowery; North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher defeated St. Joseph Academy's Amara Brahmbhatt; Orange's Alexis Nyborg beat Hawken's Hayley Garber; Eaton's Macy Hitchcock defeated Wilmington's Claire Burns; Dublin Coffman's Dasha Chistyakova beat Olentangy's Pranjal Agochiya; St. Joseph Academy's Tia Clemens defeated North Canton Hoover's Lilly Altman; and Wellington's Alexis Burkhalter beat Columbus School For Girls' Lanie Klatt. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The Player Profile is one of the best ways to recognize players on OhioTennisZone. This report not only recognizes the player of interest but also all of the other competitors who have OTZ Player Profiles whom she has played. This report is unique in tennis and it is more comprehensive than fans get in Division I college tennis. Click on the player links above to go to their Player Profiles. There is also a Player Profile Lookup in the right-hand navigation bar. Now that it is getting harder to find player results, this report is ideal to share with friends, relatives, and college coaches.
Tomorrow will be another photo Friday.
There will be several interesting matchups tonight. The matches include: Centerville (A) versus Springboro; Dublin Jerome (H) versus Olentangy Liberty; Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (A) versus Seven Hills; Hathaway Brown (H) versus Brecksville; Hawken (H) versus Massillon Jackson; and Avon (A) versus Rocky River. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
Mason Beats Sycamore | Dublin Jerome Defeats Dublin Coffman
The biggest matches yesterday included: Mason defeated Sycamore and Dublin Jerome beat Dublin Coffman. There were 29 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 11, Southwest - 13, Northeast - 3, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Franklin Heights defeated Groveport; Chaminade-Julienne beat Badin; Dixie defeated Carlisle; Reynoldsburg beat Gahanna; Kettering Fairmont defeated Miamisburg; Hilliard Davidson beat Delaware Hayes; Wilmington defeated Western Brown; and Greeneview beat Carroll. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Olentangy - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Olentangy. They are coached by Jeff Luxenburger. They are Team Members. They are led by Pranjal Agochiya, Archita Sriram, and Sydney Nickel.
Today's matches include: North Canton Hoover (H) versus St. Joseph Academy; Mason (H) versus Oakwood; Magnificat (A) versus Shaker Heights; and Hawken (A) versus Orange. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
St. Ursula Academy Beats CHCA | Columbus Academy Defeats Olentangy Liberty
The temperatures are finally dropping, but not the level of tennis play. Among the top teams, St. Ursula Academy defeated Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy and Columbus Academy beat Olentangy Liberty. There were 25 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 9, Southwest - 5, Northeast - 10, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Shaker Heights defeated Walsh Jesuit; Canfield beat Laurel; Hilliard Davidson defeated Lancaster; Madison Senior beat Middletown; Reynoldsburg defeated Granville; and Pickerington Central beat Dublin Jerome. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws for the latest results.
The Cincinnati Enquirer has been spotty with their sports coverage recently. Note that OTZ Coach Members can always catch-up with their score reporting on OTZ. Also note how Northeast Ohio is really starting to come on-board with more (and more) scores being reported via OTZ.
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Massillon Jackson - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Massillon Jackson. They are coached by Jennifer Janson. They are Team Members. They are led by Paige Reese, Madison Altman, and Emma Henson.
The OTZ Cheer contest has officially begun. They will be retweeted by @OhioTennisZone as they are received. So far so good..
I almost thought that I was going to get through my emails yesterday until our Internet provider (Spectrum) went down for most of the afternoon and early evening. Plus, I was tied up in a meeting last night. Today will be the day.
Today's matches include: Seven Hills (A) versus Summit Country Day; Dublin Coffman (H) versus Dublin Jerome; Walsh Jesuit (H) versus Massillon Jackson; and Watkins Memorial (H) versus Big Walnut. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
OTZ Cheer Contest
It is time for something new..
A good pre-match cheer should enthusiastically and cheerfully obliterate any hope that the opposing team has to flip more than a couple of score cards during a match. Is your team cheer better than other teams' cheers? It is time to find out.
Upper Arlington is hosting a tournament with Ursuline Academy, Columbus Academy, and Massillon Jackson. This is CA’s cheer and it was the best of the four. Really. It was.. pic.twitter.com/w2a4yhHhN5
— Scott Gerber (@OhioTennisZone) September 12, 2020
How will this work? Forget about finding a bunch of ballots in your mail box. Fraudulent voting will only be done via Twitter rather than via the mail. Can dogs vote? Sure! How about great, great, great, great, grandparents? Of course. Maybe a cat? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
The ground rules are still to be determined (made up on the fly) but getting a bunch of retweets on a cheer is probably a good thing.
Now is your team's chance to sparkle in this first (and possibly only) ever annual contest. Does your team have the zeal to compete?
Any team can participate -- this contest does not care how many players have high TennisRecruiting.net rankings or UTR ratings.
Tweet your cheer by including @OhioTennisZone and we'll get this party started.
This contest will officially replace Ohio State Football this fall as entertainment unless the Big 10 Conference also shuts this down.
Good luck to all of the participants.
Today's matches include: Columbus Academy (H) versus Olentangy Liberty; St. Joseph Academy (H) versus Rocky River; and Walsh Jesuit (A) versus Hawken. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY,
St. Ursula Beats Oakwood | Upper Arlington Wins Its Dubs Tournament
Earlier in the week, rain was expected on Saturday but it turned out to be a great day. Upper Arlington won its own doubles tournament and Massillon Jackson finished second. In dual match play, St. Ursula Academy defeated Oakwood in a match that included three, 3-setters. Eaton defeated Mariemont in State Team Tournament play. In other dual match play, Manchester defeated Ashland and Lancaster beat Marysville. To view the graphs from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws for recent updates.
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Jackson's Emma Henson - Click to enlarge |
It was nice to see everyone at the Upper Arlington Doubles Invite yesterday. I got a few good photos as I battled mask-induced glasses fogging..
Time to try something new.. Stay tuned tomorrow.
SATURDAY,
Eaton Beats Sycamore | Hoover Defeats Toledo SUA
There were more matches than expected yesterday, and there were also some really good matches. Among the top teams, Eaton defeated Sycamore and North Canton Hoover beat Toledo St. Ursula Academy. In a close, 3-2 match, Manchester defeated Chippewa. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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North Canton Hoover - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is North Canton Hoover. They are coached by Ryan Shaffer. They are Team Members. They are led by Tess Bucher, Lilly Altman, and Claire Wood.
Quite a few teams are getting together for tournaments today. While several of these would have likely been dual matches, a recent OHSAA COVID-19 rule change prohibits a Team A vs Team B and Team A vs Team C scenario. When considering that some Sectionals will have ~15 teams, this new rule does not make much sense, but hey, Ohio is still playing girls high school tennis. OTZ will travel a few blocks to Upper Arlington to watch Massillon Jackson, Upper Arlington, Ursuline Academy, and Columbus Academy this morning.
FRIDAY,
Mag Beats Hathaway Brown | Columbus Academy Defeats Wellington | Foto Friday
Ohio tennis has almost made it through another week. Yay. It is also Foto Friday. Double yay.
There were some really big matches yesterday. Magnificat defeated Hathaway Brown; Columbus Academy beat Wellington; and Olentangy Liberty defeated New Albany (State Team Tournament). There were also quite a few close, 3-2 matches. They included: Westerville Central defeated Marysville; DeSales beat Big Walnut; Buckeye Valley defeated Grandview; Hilliard Davidson beat Hilliard Darby; Olentangy Orange defeated Olentangy; Laurel beat Howland; and Notre Dame Academy defeated Toledo St. Ursula Academy; There were 31 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 14, Southwest - 11, Northeast - 5, and Northwest - 1. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click to view the updated OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws.
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Dublin Scioto's Megha Joish - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Columbus Academy's Sydni Ratliff defeated Wellington's Alexis Burkhalter; Magnificat's Audrey Smitek beat Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu; Olentangy Liberty's Dani Schoenly defeated New Albany's Paige Cornelius; Oakwood's Lily McCloskey beatBellbrook's Maya Brink; Magnificat's Natalie Smitek defeated Hathaway Brown's Alice Lin; Rocky River's Samantha Robertson beat Massillon Jackson's Emma Henson; Worthington Kilbourne's Libby Alderman defeated Dublin Coffman's Dasha Chistyakova; Toledo St. Ursula Academy's Marissa Patino beat Notre Dame Academy's Olivia Assenmacher; Hilliard Bradley's Anh Thi Thai defeated Delaware Hayes' Alana Kay; and Watkins Memorial's Lillia Walter beat Lancaster's Mallory Thomas. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
This is the first update that includes photos from the brand new Nikon lens, coupled with my newer camera. I had hoped to get this lens at the end of the girls season last year, then in time for the college season, then before the boys season, then in time for the professional tennis season, and finally it was picked up on September 1. Your daughters will now appear ~15% more wonderful than before. Click to view the Most Recently Added Photos. There were 24 photos added.
The Top OTZ Girls Photos for 2020 will soon be updated, but it still currently includes a few professional players.
Since this is the fourth Foto Friday in a row and since that has never happened before, OTZ will humbly receive the Crumbly Coffee Cake Award following today's update.
There have been numerous photo purchase requests. Today is the day. Really. Please disregard the previous promises made..
Today's matches include: Grove City (H) versus Reynoldsburg; North Canton Hoover (A) versus Toledo St Ursula Academy; and Seven Hills (A) versus Walnut Hills. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
Never forget. It is 9/11.
THURSDAY,
Wellington Beats Dublin Jerome
It was a hot, but quieter tennis night. There were 22 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 6, Southwest - 10, and Northeast - 6. The close, 3-2 matches included: Westlake defeated Laurel; Reynoldsburg beat Columbus School for Girls; Turpin defeated Seton; Centerville-B beat Beavercreek; Valley View defeated Fenwick; and Wellington beat Dublin Jerome. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Avon - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Avon. They are coached by Eric Korey. They are led by Denver Johnson, Hanna LeMaster, and Amelia Tomak.
For those who have not yet paid for their OhioTennisZone.com memberships, please get your payment into OTZ via check or PayPal. A PayPal link is provided on the Sign-up page. (Have extra, hoarded toilet paper rolls? Contact OTZ for the current exchange rate..) Even though there was OTZ content created during the spring, money paid for the boys season can be moved to this girls season or to the next boys season. OTZ logins are recorded so if you are using OTZ, you need to pay. Contact OTZ if an invoice is needed.
Tomorrow will be another Photo Friday.
Today's matches include: Hathaway Brown (H) versus Magnificat; Dublin Coffman (A) versus Worthington Kilbourne; Columbus Academy (H) versus Wellington; and Notre Dame Academy (H) versus Toledo St Ursula Academy. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
Indian Hill Beats Sycamore | Olentangy Liberty Defeats Olentangy Orange
The state started the week out in a hurry by playing a bunch of tennis matches. Among the top teams, Indian Hill defeated Sycamore and Olentangy Liberty beat Olentangy Orange; There were 33 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 16, Southwest - 9, Northeast - 7, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Granville defeated Worthington Christian; Medina beat Revere; Mariemont defeated Wyoming; Dublin Scioto beat Westerville North; and Archbishop Hoban defeated Manchester. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Dublin Coffman - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Dublin Coffman. They are coached by Brett Hundertpfund. They are Team Members. They are led by Dasha Chistyakova, Pritika Ghosh-Choudhuri, and Cassi Shough.
Today's matches include: Dublin Jerome (A) versus Wellington; Walsh Jesuit (H) versus St. Joseph Academy; and Dublin Scioto (H) versus Olentangy. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
OTZ Top Players Update
The creation of the OTZ Top Players list has been challenging this year. Last year's seniors were exceptional with ~nine going on to play D1 college tennis. Several other grads are playing D3 tennis. There were also six players on the list who are not playing high school tennis this year. Without these really skilled players, the number of players on this list will not total the same number (30) as last year's but there will still be a good, solid group.
It has also been more difficult to compare players in different districts because several teams are playing "close-to-home" due to COVID-19. Some Court 2 players and doubles players also deserve to be on the list but it is difficult to do this when they cannot be compared with other strong singles players.
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Alter's Annie Gaynoski - Click to enlarge |
Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
In dual match play, Watkins Memorial defeated DeSales and Valley View-B beat Carroll. Watkins Memorial's Lillia Walters defeated DeSales' Molly Ballard.
Click for the most recent updates to the OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws.
As mentioned in Sunday's update, the sun can be very challenging when it is too bright (or harsh). There is, however, also potential for great photos, especially when players do not wear visors or hats. The photo Archbishop Alter's Annie Gaynoski to the right is under full sun. This photo of Oakwood's Claudia Schnell is from the same match but under full shade. With photos, it is always about the sun.. This is also why cameras have a bunch of adjustment buttons..
Today's matches include: Notre Dame Academy (A) versus Lima Senior; Avon (H) versus St. Joseph Academy; Hawken (A) versus Hathaway Brown; and Dublin Coffman (H) versus Hilliard Bradley. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
2020. Again.
2020 is waiting for you to make a mistake before it pounces. Don't tempt it. Just ask Novak Djokovic (but wait for a few days first). If you've been thinking about trying skydiving, learning how to skateboard, or surfing, just no. Don't do it. Play tennis (responsibly).
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Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker - Click to enlarge |
There were no high school tennis matches yesterday but there were a few scores entered by parents and coaches to help get things caught up.
There are quite a few girls competing this weekend in the USTA Level 3 tournaments in Grand Rapids, MI. These players include: Worthington Kilbourne's Libby Alderman, Anthony Wayne's Lilly Black, Laurel's Ellie Brotherton, Wilmington's Claire Burns, Dublin Coffman's Dasha Chistyakova, Hawken's Hayley Garber and Beatrice Hardacre, Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker, Centerville's Caroline Hinshaw and Clara Owen, St. Ursula Academy's Emily Jennewein, Mason's Rashi Loni, Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu, and Orange's Alexis Nyborg.
Congrats to #3 seed, Lilly Black, who won the G18 division.
The complete draws are located in the OTZ Season Calendar which is located in the right navigation bar.
Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
SUNDAY,
Eaton > Ursuline Academy | Oakwood > Alter | Hoover > NDA
Several teams took advantage of the great weather and traveled to get good competition. Eaton defeated Ursuline Academy; Oakwood beat Archbishop Alter; and North Canton Hoover defeated Notre Dame Academy. Click Previous Day's Match Results to view the graphical results and the other matches.
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Oakwood's Sarah Hall - Click to enlarge |
The above Oakwood match was a State Team Tournament match. Click for the State Team Tournament Draws.
Among the top players, Oakwood's Lily McCloskey defeated Archbishop Alter's Grace Lampman; Eaton's Macy Hitchcock beat Ursuline Academy's Nina Dhaliwal; North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher defeated Notre Dame Academy's Olivia Assenmacher; Oakwood's Sarah Hall beat Archbishop Alter's Annie Gaynoski; North Canton Hoover's Lilly Altman defeated Notre Dame Academy's Ellie Assenmacher; and Avon's Denver Johnson beat Avon Lake's Brooke Mangano. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The last two Saturday early morning suns have not been favorable for photo taking. The sun has been way too bright. Half of the players' faces are overexposed and the other half is too dark. The harsh sun also washes out much of the colors.
Both JJ Wolf and Caty McNally were defeated yesterday at the US Open. Both had terrific tournaments.
SATURDAY,
Caty McNally into 3rd Round of US Open | JJ Wolf to Play Medvedev
Caty McNally continued her run in the US Open. She upset the #21 seed, Ekaterina Alexandrova , 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (tb 7-2). McNally won an impressive 17 of 25 (68%) at the net. She often hits winning volleys by taking on just enough risk to win the point. Why hit a winning volley by 15 feet when five foot margin on a less risky shot is adequate? The doubles team of Coco Gauff and Caty McNally (referred to as "McCoco") did not fair as well in their 7-6, 7-6 loss to the #3 seeds, Nicole Melichar and Yifan Xu. Gauff loss faith in her second serve and she had a number of key double faults.
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Grove City - Click to team page |
JJ Wolf takes on #3 seed Daniil Medvedev today at noon. Medvedev is ranked #5 in the world. Check out USOpen.org for more information and for streaming video.
There was just one match recorded from yesterday. Mariemont defeated Ursuline Academy-B. Click Previous Day's Match Results to view the graphical results.
Among the top players, Mariemont's Logan Wilhelm defeated Ursuline Academy-B's Thea Han. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's featured team is Grove City. They are coached by Joshua Chandler. They are OTZ Team Members. They are led by Gabriella Hougland, Julie Moore, and Breanna Bellar. Grove City has the best team photo to date.
OTZ is headed to Oakwood to watch Oakwood and Archbishop Alter play in their State Team Tournament match today. They start at 8:15am (ouch). On the bright side, I may be able to get back to Columbus in time to watch JJ's match. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY,
Ursuline Academy Beat St. Ursula | HB Defeated Jackson | Foto Friday
Great weather and a rush to get matches in before the holiday weekend meant that last night was a very busy night for tennis. There were several big matches yesterday: Ursuline Academy defeated St. Ursula Academy; Hathaway Brown beat Massillon Jackson; and Upper Arlington defeated Dublin Coffman.
There were 34 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 17, Southwest - 9, and Northeast - 8. The close, 3-2 matches included: Laurel defeated Boardman; Worthington Kilbourne beat Westerville North; Kent Roosevelt defeated Manchester; and Olentangy Berlin beat Marysville. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Hathaway Brown's Ally Mills - Click to enlarge |
This is the third Photo Friday in a row. Yes, I am more amazed than you are. There were 19 photos added. Still in catch-up mode and but that is what holiday weekends are for. Several parents have inquired about photos and please look for an email within the next couple of days. Please sign-in first and then click to view the Most Recently Added Photos.
Ohio is doing very well at the US Open. JJ Wolf won another huge match at the US Open yesterday. He plays the 3rd seed, Daniil Medvedev, next. Caty McNally got rained out. Her second round match against 21st seed, Ekaterina Alexandrova, will resume today. Caty will be starting in the third set.
Have a safe weekend. Wear a mask. Only breath in and not out (when you are around me)..
THURSDAY,
Updated OTZ State Team Rankings | St. Joseph Academy Beats Notre Dame Academy
The OTZ State Top Ten Team rankings are updated today. Mason and Columbus Academy continue to lead the rankings. Read on for more information.
Matches that included the top teams in the state included: St. Joseph Academy defeated Notre Dame Academy; Columbus Academy beat Olentangy Liberty; and Eaton defeated Archbishop Alter. There were 19 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 8, Southwest - 6, Northeast - 5. The close, 3-2 matches included: Westerville Central defeated Pickerington North; Reynoldsburg beat Mount Vernon; Lancaster defeated Granville; and Highland beat Revere. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
OhioTennisZone.com State Top Ten Girls Tennis Teams September 3, 2020 (Corrected) |
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| Division I | Division II |
| 1. Mason◄TEAM | Columbus Academy◄TEAM |
| 2. Magnificat◄TEAM | Oakwood◄TEAM |
| 3. Upper Arlington◄TEAM | Indian Hill |
| 4. St. Joseph Academy◄TEAM | Hathaway Brown◄TEAM |
| 5. Notre Dame Academy◄TEAM | Eaton |
| 6. Ursuline Academy | Archbishop Alter◄TEAM |
| 7. St. Ursula Academy◄TEAM | Wellington◄TEAM |
| 8. North Canton Hoover◄TEAM | Seven Hills◄TEAM |
| 9. Olentangy Orange◄TEAM | Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy |
| 10. Centerville | Hawken◄TEAM |
| HM: Massillon Jackson◄TEAM | Revere◄TEAM |
| HM: Sycamore◄TEAM | Toledo Central Catholic |
◄TEAM - Denotes OTZ Team Membership. Click on School Name for Extensive Information. |
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Among the top players, Magnificat's Audrey Smitek defeated Walsh Jesuit's Emma Kealy; Eaton's Macy Hitchcock beat Archbishop Alter's Grace Lampman; Ursuline Academy's Nina Dhaliwal defeated Oak Hills' Morgan Lint; St. Joseph Academy's Amara Brahmbhatt beat Notre Dame Academy's Olivia Assenmacher; St. Joseph Academy's Tia Clemens defeated Notre Dame Academy's Ellie Assenmacher; Revere's Morgan Dobos beat Highland's Madison Pawlak; Lancaster's Mallory Thomas defeated Granville's Olivia Eckels; Westerville Central's Levi Burks beat Pickerington North's Miller; and Eaton's Sophia Murphy defeated Archbishop Alter's Emily Pojman. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Updating the OTZ Team Rankings is much tougher this year. Some teams are not traveling as much, and in some cases, play is being restricted to within each conference. The top players are key for any team and numerous eligible players are not competing this year. There were also a large number of graduates. D1's St. Joseph Academy was the biggest upward mover after wins over Olentangy Orange, Hathaway Brown, Massillon Jackson, and Notre Dame Academy.
There needs to be a complete state rain out so that I can catch-up. For those awaiting a reply to a feedback or email, today will be the day. Really. There are also more scores that need to be processed.
Today's matches include: Hathaway Brown (A) versus Massillon Jackson; Dublin Coffman (A) versus Upper Arlington; Solon (A) versus St. Joseph Academy; and Oakwood (A) versus Wyoming. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
Magnificat Beats Massillon Jackson | Upper Arlington Defeats Olentangy Orange
Sometimes updates take (a lot) longer than normal and that was the case today. Things are also backed up so hopefully today will go smoother. If you expected a reply to a request, look for it later today or tonight. The OTZ team rankings will be released tomorrow morning.
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Grandview - Click to team page |
In some of the bigger matches in the state, Magnificat defeated Massillon Jackson and Upper Arlington beat Olentangy Orange; There were 26 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 12, Southwest - 9, Northeast - 4, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Westerville Central defeated Gahanna; Taylor beat Madison Senior; Watterson defeated Worthington Christian; Lancaster beat Reynoldsburg; and Mayfield defeated Laurel. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, Mayfield's Hannah Kassaie defeated Laurel's Samyuktha Iyer; Magnificat's Audrey Smitek beat Massillon Jackson's Paige Reese; Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker defeated Olentangy Orange's Caroline Sproule; Olentangy Liberty's Dani Schoenly beat Hilliard Bradley's Anh Thi Thai; Dublin Coffman's Dasha Chistyakova defeated Hilliard Davidson's Maya Koob; Olentangy Berlin's Ella Franz beat Dublin Jerome's Ella Oleson; Notre Dame Academy's Olivia Assenmacher defeated Findlay's Sydney Swisher; and Magnificat's Natalie Smitek beat Massillon Jackson's Madison Altman. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's featured team is Grandview. They are coached by Kathy Kinnard. They are led by Cate Stanley, Dylan Dobbs-Euans, and Lydia Robertson.
In US Open play, Cincinnati's JJ Wolf and Caty McNally won their first round matches.
Today's matches include: Columbus Academy (A) versus Olentangy Liberty; Notre Dame Academy (A) versus St. Joseph Academy; and Dublin Coffman (A) versus Watterson. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
St. Ursula Academy Beats Sycamore | Mason Defeats Eaton
Competition is heating up. There were eight, 3-2 matches recorded yesterday and there were 24 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 7, Southwest - 13, and Northeast - 4. In matches involving the state's top teams, Mason defeated Eaton and St. Ursula Academy beat Sycamore. The close, 3-2 matches included: Turpin defeated Loveland; Blanchester beat New Richmond; Worthington Christian defeated Watkins Memorial; Marysville beat Delaware Hayes; Westerville Central defeated Westerville North; Kettering Fairmont beat Beavercreek; and Canton South defeated Manchester. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Mason's A.Kruse-R.Chada - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, St. Ursula Academy's Elizabeth Pendergast defeated Sycamore's Gabrielle Frischer; Mason's Shyla Aggarwal beat Eaton's Macy Hitchcock; Olentangy Liberty's Dani Schoenly defeated Dublin Scioto's Ashima Srivastava; Centerville's Caroline Hinshaw beat Miamisburg's Eden Hill; and St. Ursula Academy's Emily Jennewein defeated Sycamore's Marilene Van den Berg. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
There will be new OTZ State Team Rankings tomorrow.
Today's matches include: Massillon Jackson (A) versus Magnificat; Solon (A) versus Hathaway Brown; Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (A) versus Oakwood; Laurel (A) versus Mayfield; and Upper Arlington (A) versus Olentangy Orange. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
More about OhioTennisZone Photos
Mondays provide an opportunity to talk about something other than tennis results since there are normally no matches on Sundays. Today's blog entry talks more about the OTZ photos. OhioTennisZone has evolved overtime. Initially there were only team results and no Player Profiles and very few photos. Unfortunately only people who worked in the financial industry (financial planners and tax professional) really liked that level of detail. Since there was an interest in taking photos, that seemed to be a logical extension for OTZ. While processing the scores takes most of the morning, much of the rest of the day is spent with photos.
While most of the photos taken are of high school players, OTZ posts a large number of professional and college photos as well. The hardest part of getting professional photos is access to the courts. Thankfully, OTZ has had Western & Southern Open credentials for about six years and OSU court side access for several years. While the W&S has a photo blind that is provided, I sit on the courts at OSU and other professional events just as I do for high school matches. Sitting on the courts is not exactly the most comfortable place to be, but the lower perspective provides an angle that more closely provides the "photo-blind" perspective that are in professional venues.
The W&S also offers interview rooms for the players and media. It is interesting to be in a room within just a few feet of the athletes. While action photos are preferred, these rooms provide an opportunity to get other shots that are away from the court as players respond to questions. (See Novak Djokovic and Garbine Muguruza.)
It maybe counterintuitive, but getting great photos of the professionals is by far the easiest to do. Those players have excellent technique (i.e. good player and ball spacing, great eye-on-ball, and good body coiling). They make a lot of balls. They wear the latest, colorful fashions, and they are regularly in full extension as they chase down balls. Plus. the backgrounds are subdued and consistent, which makes the player images "pop". College matches have many of the same features of professional tennis but to a lessor degree. Meanwhile, getting great high school match photos is hard. Very, very hard. Plus, a great high photo can get destroyed by having a porta-jon or a bunch of shiny automobiles in the background.
The video of the Top 2019 photos has the players in the the following order: professional, college, and high school players (by last name). Click for the top photos of 2018, 2017, and 2016. It is best to view the videos in high resolution mode and on a full screen.
The Top Ten(ish) Girls Photos of 2020 have been updated to include a few high school players. There are also images of several professional players that are "fillers" until more high school photos are taken. Most of the professional images were taken at the Top Seed Young Kings Scholarship exhibition on July 3rd and 4th in Lexington, KY. With near-90 degree temperatures and masks, it made for a long day. Several of these players will be competing during the US Open. Very few images make good Twitter profile images, but eagle-eyed viewers may notice that the "color version" of the Genie Bouchard image is the same image as the @OhioTennisZone's Twitter profile. A link to the Top Ten photos is available via the Tennis Photos drop down menu at the top of any page.
Contact OTZ via Feedback with any photo-related questions.
Today's matches include: Mason (H) versus Eaton; St. Joseph Academy (H) versus Laurel; and St. Ursula Academy (A) versus Sycamore. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY,
Upper Arlington > Mason | Mason > HB | HB > Upper Arlington
Central Ohio hosted many of the top teams in the state yesterday and the tennis was great. Concerns over rain dissipated and Ohio was left with a sunny and breezy day. Because of the masks, most people did not suffer from severe nose sunburns.. (Thank you, 2020, for granting us with this one benefit.)
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Ursuline Academy's Nini Dhaliwal- Click to enlarge |
Click on Previous Day's Match Results but the biggest matches included: Upper Arlington defeated Mason; Hathaway Brown beat Upper Arlington; Mason defeated Hathaway Brown; Magnificat beat Notre Dame Academy; Ursuline Academy defeated Dublin Coffman; and Sycamore beat New Albany. Also, North Canton Hoover beat Sycamore and New Albany. Numerous matches were determined by three-setters.
Among the top players, St. Ursula Academy's Elizabeth Pendergast defeated Oak Hills' Morgan Lint; Magnificat's Audrey Smitek beat Notre Dame Academy's Olivia Assenmacher; Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker defeated Mason's Anna Tonkal; North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher beat Sycamore's Gabrielle Frischer and New Albany's Paige Cornelius; Ursuline Academy's Nina Dhaliwal defeated Dublin Coffman's Dasha Chistyakova; Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu beat Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker and Mason's Anna Tonkal; Upper Arlington's Megan Basil defeated Mason's Rashi Loni; and Sycamore's Gabrielle Frischer beat New Albany's Paige Cornelius. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
A ton of OTZ photos were taken at the Mason versus Hathaway Brown and Dublin Coffman versus Ursuline Academy matches. The photos were not as good as was hoped. It was too sunny and then it was too shady. Players with dark complexions wore visors only when it was sunny.. Still though, tennis is at least having a season.. It was also nice to catch up with the parents and kids.
SATURDAY,
Sycamore Beats Bellbrook in State Team Tournament
It was a relatively quiet evening tennis-wise with much of the state affected by rain. It was not at all a quiet evening on football fields around the state. While restrictions make it difficult for football fans to attend games, the success of football is extremely important to all sports. Please consider buying a "ticket" to stream a game if your team offers it. (I will be doing this to help a team as well as to check out the technology behind it.)
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Reynoldsburg's Kareen Meoko - Click to enlarge |
In match play, Anderson defeated Loveland and Sycamore beat Bellbrook in State Team Tournament play. To view the graphic results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, Sycamore's Gabrielle Frischer defeated Bellbrook's Brink and Anderson's Daly beat Loveland's Hodar. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The timing of the State Team Tournament is always tough on players who compete at States. Some players are competing in six matches during those three days. When considering the rules that the OHSAA has imposed on baseball players with pitch counts, this might be a great year to try something different with tennis. High school tennis players serve about 100 times during a competitive match. Baseball players are restricted to 125 pitches per game and then they have to rest for three days. In fact, they have to rest for three days once they reach 76 pitches in one game. Some tennis players will serve 600 times during those three days plus there is wear and tear on their entire bodies. Everyone is happy that the high school tennis season is underway but it is unknown if tennis can make it to the end of the season. Could the State Team Tournament be moved up to another weekend? Could it be moved to the Sunday after Sectionals? For the best teams in the State, Sectional week is not as draining as States. Moving the tournament to a different date would not only be better for the health of the players but it may also allow the State Team Champions to be determined. Is this the year to try something new?
If the weather behaves, it appears that there will be numerous dual matches in Columbus today. OTZ will be at the Hathaway Brown versus Mason match at 10am.To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY,
Foto Friday | Magnificat Defeats Hathaway Brown
Weather conditions may be a bit dicey over the next two days as Hurricane Laura moves through Ohio. Conditions were windy yesterday. Matches featuring the state's top teams included: Magnificat defeated Hathaway Brown; Upper Arlington beat Olentangy Liberty; and Dublin Coffman defeated Olentangy Orange.
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Bexley's Stefani Leyman - Click to enlarge |
There were 28 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 11, Southwest - 12, Northeast - 4, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Hilliard Bradley defeated Hilliard Davidson; Worthington Christian beat Columbus School for Girls; and Big Walnut defeated Worthington Kilbourne. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, Mayfield's Hannah Kassaie defeated St. Joseph Academy's Amara Brahmbhatt; Mason's Shyla Aggarwal beat Oak Hills' Ziebro; Magnificat's Audrey Smitek defeated Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu; Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker beat Olentangy Liberty's Dani Schoenly; Laurel's Ellie Brotherton defeated Massillon Jackson's Paige Reese; Centerville's Caroline Hinshaw beat Springboro's Hulbert; and St. Joseph Academy's Tia Clemens defeated Mayfield's Katerina Ng. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today is Photo Friday and there were 36 photos uploaded from August 7 to August 26. Not only does it take a monster amount of time to travel to and take these photos, but it also takes a substantial amount of time to prepare and upload them. Having photos connected to a specific player and team is very difficult to do and that is why it is not seen elsewhere. All of the high school photos are available for sale. No OTZ photos can be used elsewhere unless they are purchased. Sign in first and then click for Most Recently Added Photos. Note that there is a "Next" link at the bottom of the page. Click to Buy an OTZ Photo.
Today's matches include: Centerville (A) versus Kettering Fairmont; Dublin Jerome (H) versus St. Ursula Academy; and Laurel (A) versus Canfield. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
Revised OTZ Top Players / Watch Lists | Mason Beats Ursuline Academy
This update includes the first major change in the OTZ Top Players and Watch List. Read on below for more.
There was just one match that included the top teams -- Mason defeated Ursuline Academy. There were 18 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 5, Southwest - 10, and Northeast - 3. The close, 3-2 matches included: Hudson defeated Hawken; Taylor beat Talawanda; Lake defeated Manchester; Reynoldsburg beat Delaware Hayes; and Loveland defeated Seton. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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OTZ Top Players Lists - Click to report |
Among the top players, Mason's Shyla Aggarwal defeated Ursuline Academy's Bridget Estes and Wilmington's Claire Burns beat Chaminade-Julienne's Patty Estrada-Sanchez. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
As for the OTZ Top Players and Watch Lists...All players start out on the Watch List. Why? Because it is the law.. Many will stay there and some will move up to the Top Players List. There is no limit to the number of players on the Watch List but the Top Players list will total about 25 players.
While there is certainly an awareness of how a player is ranked on the TennisRecruiting.net and UTR systems, this is a high school ranking. Some players perform better on high school teams than during non-HS matches because they have access to a good coach and because they benefit from team camaraderie.
There are numerous players with great records, but OTZ looks for a "signature win" (or close loss) against another player on the Top Players or Watch List to get on a list.
While it is always fine for a coach to contact OTZ on behalf of a player, no other feedback is necessary. Really.
The plan is to have a really solid group by the Sectional Draw date which is on September 27. If your daughter, niece, granddaughter, sister, neighbor, or friend is not currently on a list, do not have a cow. There is still plenty of time.
In some cases, there will be a really strong player who is on a team where the coach is not an OTZ member. There will be accommodations for player members (who can carefully follow directions, are detail-oriented, and who do their own taxes just for fun) to submit results directly to OTZ. Note: OTZ is not the UTR. There is no cherry-picking of good matches allowed. Sign-up quickly though. It is painful for OTZ to add matches after the fact.
Today's matches include: Hathaway Brown (A) versus Magnificat; Dublin Coffman (H) versus Olentangy Orange; Massillon Jackson (A) versus Laurel; and Upper Arlington (H) versus Olentangy Liberty. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
St. Joseph Academy Beats Massillon Jackson | Magnificat Defeats Solon
The season is firing on all cylinders now that all of the top teams have played at least one contest. The top teams that competed include: St. Joseph Academy defeated Massillon Jackson Magnificat beat Solon; and Notre Dame Academy defeated Toledo Central Catholic. There were 18 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 8, Southwest - 4, Northeast - 5, and Northwest - 1. The close, 3-2 matches included: Olentangy defeated Olentangy Berlin and Dublin Coffman beat Olentangy Liberty; To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Thomas Worthington - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Thomas Worthington. They are coached by Andrew Sinclair. They are led by Kate Haydel-Brown and Francesca Decker.
Today's matches include: Olentangy Orange (H) versus Columbus Academy; Delaware Hayes (A) versus Reynoldsburg; and Seven Hills (A) versus Turpin. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
Mason Beats Indian Hill | Ursuline Academy Defeats Sycamore
Stormy weather impacted the Central District, but a few matches were able to finish. Matches among Ohio top teams included: Mason defeated Indian Hill; Ursuline Academy beat Sycamore; Wellington defeated Olentangy Liberty; and Eaton beat Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (in a State Team Tournament match). There were 19 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 6, Southwest - 9, and Northeast - 4. The close, 3-2 matches included: Anderson defeated Lakota West; Marlington beat Manchester; Hamilton Township defeated Whitehall. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results. Click for the OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draw.
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DeSales' Molly Ballard - Click to enlarge |
Today's matches include: Magnificat (H) versus Solon; St. Joseph Academy (H) versus Massillon Jackson; Dublin Coffman (A) versus Olentangy Liberty; and Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (H) versus Seven Hills. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
Top Academic High Schools in Ohio | Wolf Loses in His W&S Open Battle with Richard Gasquet
Fans of this web site already know that the outdoor winter sport of platform tennis is the major OTZ interest. Obviously, tennis is also high on the list. Another big interest is high school education testing. Since there were no high school tennis matches on which to report today, this was an ideal day to discuss the education testing.
The interest in education started about 10 years ago when the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) was analyzed via the OTZ sister web site, Gerber Analytics, LLC, to identify the top academic high schools in the state. The analysis was picked up by the Cincinnati Enquirer and they wrote a nice summary of the analysis in November 2011. Some of you may remember it and some of you may have selected the school district in which you now living because of it.
This report is unique because it ranks schools based on how each school performs on each subject matter test. This makes it an ideal way to compare schools with each other and the departments within each school. For example, if your school is ranked substantially higher in math than the other subjects, there is a reason why and it should be investigated.
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GA's Top Academic HS Report - Click to enlarge |
Unlike the Gerber Analytics' reports published from 2007-2014, which used the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT), this report provides information from the ACT and SAT tests. The OGT provided a great, apples-to-apples comparison while this report had to make several accommodations to allow the ACT and SAT schools to be compared. Read the Top Academic Ohio High School report for more information.
It is probably no surprise but the top ACT / SAT schools are essentially the same as those that did well with the Ohio Graduation Test.
Unfortunately, some of the best schools in the state were not included in the Ohio Department of Education data sets. These schools include Seven Hills, Hathaway Brown, Columbus School for Girls, and Columbus Academy.
While all regions of the state have a great school or two, Cincinnati is the best area in the state for education. The Cincinnati-area has numerous private schools that have to compete against each other, and Cincinnati also has a terrific public school, Walnut Hills, which is part of Cincinnati Public School system.
There is some chatter about how Ohio students should not be tested this year because of interruptions caused COVID-19. That is absolutely ridiculous. This is the most important year *ever* to test the kids so that it is known how much the education process was disrupted.
It is also important to mention that while the numbers in this report are worthwhile, the numbers need to be supplemented with discussions with students, former students, and parents to fully understand how well a high school is performing.
Have questions about the report? Enter an OhioTennisZone.com Feedback.
In other tennis news, JJ Wolf had a great match at the Western & Southern Open with Richard Gasquet but got beat 6-4, 6-4.
Today's matches include: Mason (A) versus Indian Hill; Olentangy Liberty (A) versus Wellington; Seven Hills (A) versus Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy; and Thomas Worthington (H) versus DeSales. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY,
Magnificat, Watkins Memorial, Eaton Win Tournaments
Yesterday was a great tournament day. Magnificat won the Canfield Doubles Tournament with Upper Arlington coming in second. Eaton was the Schoeder Invite champ and Chaminade-Julienne was second. The winner of the Reynoldsburg Doubles tournament was Watkins Memorial and Big Walnut was the runner-up.
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CCD's JJ Wolf as a Freshman in 2014 - Click to enlarge |
To view dual match results from previous days, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Ohio State's and Cincinnati Country Day's JJ Wolf qualified for the Western & Southern Open. Wolf will be playing France's Richard Gasquet on Court 10 today. His match is "fourth on" and play begins at 11am. Other OSU players who have qualified for the main draw include Chase Buchanan and Blaz Rola. The W&S Open is being held at the US Open site this year.
Yesterday was to be catch-up day but it turned out to be a "get further behind day". Hopefully today will be better after I win in tennis this morning..
SATURDAY,
Notre Dame Academy Beats Wellington and Watterson
Since the 270 outer-belt surrounding Columbus does not contain a force field, it makes Columbus-area teams vulnerable to interlopers who come and take wins away from local teams. That was the case yesterday when Toledo's Notre Dame Academy swooped in and beat Wellington and Watterson and then disappeared into the night..
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NDA's Olivia Assenmacher - Click to enlarge |
The schedule was light yesterday with Magnificat, Mariemont, and Westerville Central also securing wins. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, Magnificat's Audrey Smitek defeated Hawken's Hayley Garber; Watterson's Sara Goodlive beat Notre Dame Academy's Olivia Assenmacher; and Notre Dame Academy's Olivia Assenmacher defeated Wellington's Alexis Burkhalter. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
There were a few tournaments scheduled for today, but COVID-19 has been eliminating numerous tournaments recently. It was confirmed that Reynoldsburg is holding its doubles tournament.
FRIDAY,
Mason Beats Columbus Academy | St. Joseph Academy Defeats Hathaway Brown | Foto Friday
Yesterday was the biggest night of the season in both the number of matches played and the quality of the match-ups. The biggest matches included: OTZ #10 St. Joseph Academy defeated OTZ #4 D2 Hathaway Brown; #1 D2 Columbus Academy beat #3 D2 Indian Hill; and #1 Mason defeated Columbus Academy.
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USC's Daniel Cukierman - Click to enlarge |
There were 31 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 11, Southwest - 14, Northeast - 5, and Northwest - 1. While there were 31 matches from yesterday, there were also quite a few matches from previous days included as some coaches got "caught up". The close, 3-2 matches included: Wyoming defeated Oak Hills; Centerville-B beat Kettering Fairmont; New Albany defeated Dublin Coffman; Delaware Hayes beat Westerville North; and Taylor defeated Harrison. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, Columbus Academy's Sydni Ratliff defeated Mason's Shyla Aggarwal; Indian Hill's Bella Kirby beat Columbus Academy's Carolyn Tsung; North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher defeated Canfield's Anna Kan; St. Joseph Academy's Amara Brahmbhatt beat Hathaway Brown's Summer Mu; Dublin Coffman's Dasha Chistyakova defeated New Albany's Paige Cornelius; Notre Dame Academy's Olivia Assenmacher beat Clay's McKenzie Arquette; Wyoming's Sydney Evans defeated Oak Hills' Morgan Lint; Columbus Academy's Carolyn Tsung beat Indian Hills' Brooke Arrington; and St. Joseph Academy's Tia Clemens defeated Hathaway Brown's Alice Lin. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
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Gabriela Talaba - Click to enlarge |
This is the first Foto Friday of the season. The photos are included under the Most Recently Added Photos link on the main menu. There are quite a few photos so use the "Next" link to see more. These photos are behind the OTZ paywall but the college and professional photos are typically "open" for everyone to see. The photos today are primarily from college and professional matches. The college matches would normally have been shown during the boys season but, of course, that did not happen. The professional matches are from the Kentucky Open (pre-COVID). Photos of high school players are available for sale to their parents or schools. Photos that are purchased are also "opened" for everyone to see.
Perhaps the best photo in the group is of University of Southern California's Daniel Cukierman when USC played Ohio State. (See above.) Cukierman ended the abbreviated season as the highest ranked player in the nation but he was beaten by OSU's Cannon Kingsley in this match. Gabriela Talaba competed in the Kentucky Open. This was a pre-COVID tournament. It was held outside of Lexington Kentucky. Most of the OTZ action photos include the tennis ball, but the Talaba photo is example of the "non-ball" photos that are now being taken. There are quite a few additional photos that will be added over the next few days. There were plans to get photos of the OSU Women's team but the season ended one weekend too soon for me to take photos..
Today's matches include: Magnificat (A) versus Hawken. Notre Dame Academy is coming to Columbus to play Wellington and Watterson. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
Indian Hill Beats Ursuline Academy | Laurel Defeats Brecksville
Perfect weather led to the most matches recorded thus far this season. The biggest matches of the night were: OTZ #3 D2 Indian Hill defeated OTZ #5 D1 Ursuline Academy and Laurel beat Brecksville. There were 27 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 8, Southwest - 11, Northeast - 6, and Northwest - 2. The close, 3-2 matches included: Archbishop Alter defeated Bellbrook; Reynoldsburg beat Bexley; Delaware Hayes defeated Mount Vernon; Hartley beat Thomas Worthington; Manchester defeated Copley; Worthington Christian beat Jonathan Alder; and Highland defeated Walsh Jesuit. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Reynoldsburg - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Reynoldsburg. They are coached by Les Somogyi. They are led by Olivia Cox and Kareen Meoko.
The Western & Southern Open kicks off today in New York City. Hopefully this is the last time that fans will ever read the above sentence..
Tomorrow is Photo Phriday. Really. I will say this every Thursday throughout the season, but it may actually happen this time.
Today's matches include: Mason (H) versus Columbus Academy; Massillon Jackson (H) versus Mayfield; St. Joseph Academy (A) versus Hathaway Brown; and Dublin Coffman (H) versus New Albany. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
St. Joseph Academy Beats Olentangy Orange | Magnificat Defeats Laurel
Weather impacted matches played in Central and Southwest Ohio, but there were still several good match-ups. OTZ Pre-Season #10 St. Joseph Academy defeated OTZ #7 Olentangy Orange and OTZ #2 Magnificat beat OTZ Honorable Mention Laurel. In a close match that included two 3-setters, OTZ #10 Hawken defeated Walsh Jesuit 3-2.
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SJA's Tia Clemens - Click to enlarge |
There were 15 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 6, Southwest - 4, and Northeast - 5. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, Laurel's Ellie Brotherton defeated Magnificat's Audrey Smitek; Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker beat Columbus School for Girls' Sophia Vershinin; North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher defeated Rocky River's Samantha Robertson; Walsh Jesuit's Emma Kealy beat Hawken's Hayley Garber; Massillon Jackson's Paige Reese defeated Lake's DeLuca; St. Joseph Academy's Amara Brahmbhatt beat Olentangy Orange's Caroline Sproule; and St. Joseph Academy's Tia Clemens defeated Olentangy Orange's Karol Korotkin. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Unsure why, but there have been numerous weird line breaks which readers may or may not be experiencing. It is being investigated.
Today's matches include: Laurel (H) versus Brecksville; Indian Hill (A) versus Ursuline Academy; St. Ursula Academy (H) versus Lakota West; Centerville (A) versus Beavercreek; and Dublin Coffman (A) versus Pickerington North.. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
Seven Hills Beats Mariemont | Springboro Defeats Kettering Fairmont
As Ohio's high school contact sports await the big decision on whether they can proceed. Girls tennis can be thankful that play is underway. It was a picture perfect day for tennis. There were 14 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 5, Southwest - 6, and Northeast - 3. Many of the matches were one-sided. The close, 3-2 matches included: Seven Hills defeated Mariemont; Grandview beat Central Crossing; and Springboro defeated Kettering Fairmont. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Columbus School For Girls - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is Columbus School for Girls. They are coached by Sean Delaney. They are Team Members. They are led by Sophia Vershinin, Lanie Klatt, and Lane Sharfin.
This was the first OTZ COVID-19 group photo taken. The steps were: 1) all of the players had masks on; 2) the players were arranged in reasonable order; 3) a few test photos were taken to insure the focus and exposure levels were good; 4) the players held their breaths and took off their masks; 5) photos were taken; and 6) the masks were put back on. The girls looked relatively happy because the photo was taken before they ran out of oxygen. (Pro Tip: Pleasant, cheerful smiles turn into grimaces as oxygen levels drop..) Click for the OTZ test photo. Click for OTZ Team Photo hints on how to take a good team photo. OTZ is relying on more school created team photos this year so contact OTZ to get your team photo online.
The State Team Tournament continues to move forward. Click for updated OTZ Enhanced State Team Tournament Draws.
Today's matches include: Olentangy Orange (H) versus St. Joseph Academy; Big Walnut (H) versus Delaware Hayes; and Indian Hill (H) versus Columbus Academy. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
Mason > Magnificat > Sycamore
There were more great matches yesterday as the best teams in the state faced off. Mason defeated Magnificat; Magnificat beat Sycamore; and Notre Dame Academy defeated St. Ursula Academy. To view the graphs from yesterday's play, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Notre Dame Academy - Click to team page |
Each year, Magnificat travels to Mason each August to play Mason and another team and to attend the Western & Southern Open. (See photo from 2015.) Even though there was no W&S Open (at least in Cincinnati anyway..), Magnificat still made the trip.
In tournament play on Saturday, Watkins Memorial won the Reynoldsburg Doubles Tournament. Marysville was second and Reynoldsburg was third.
Solon was the only OTZ Pre-Season Top Ten team in either division that was not playing fall sports due to COVID-19. That has changed. They will be having try-outs this week. Let's all do this and hope that the season continues..
Among the top players, St. Ursula Academy's Elizabeth Pendergast defeated Notre Dame Academy's Olivia Assenmacher; Mason's Shyla Aggarwal beat Magnificat's Audrey Smitek; Magnificat's Audrey Smitek defeated Sycamore's Gabrielle Frischer; Magnificat's Natalie Smitek beat Mason's Anna Tonkal; and Magnificat's Caroline Moritz defeated Sycamore's Marilene vandenBerg. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's featured team is Notre Dame Academy. They are coached by Kim Pacella. They are valued OTZ Team Members. They are led by Olivia Assenmacher, Ellie Assenmacher, and Emma Nofziger.
Today's matches include: Hawken (A) versus Chagrin Falls. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY,
Mason Beats Notre Dame Academy | NDA Defeats Ursuline Academy
More iffy weather led to cancellations yesterday. There were still some great matches though. In matches involving the OTZ State Top Ten, Mason defeated Notre Dame Academy and Notre Dame Academy beat Ursuline Academy. Oak Hills defeated Seton in a 3-2 match. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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NCH's Lilly Altman - Click to enlarge |
The Columbus Dispatch is not providing any high school results for any sport. If coaches (or parents) are interested in recognizing their players, please contact OhioTennisZone via email or Feedback. There are a number of parents who report their daughters' results directly to OTZ. Several college coaches have OTZ memberships so OTZ remains a great way to share results with these coaches.
Teams in the State Team Tournament are starting to compete against each other. Click for the updated State Team Tournament draws.
Among the top players, Mason’s Shyla Aggarwal defeated Notre Dame Academy's Olivia Assenmacher; Notre Dame Academy's Olivia Assenmacher beat Ursuline Academy's Nina Dhaliwal; Mason's Anna Tonkal defeated Notre Dame Academy's Ellie Assenmacher; and Notre Dame Academy's Olivia Assenmacher beat Ursuline Academy's Nina Dhaliwal. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
There are some great matches planned today. Magnificat (A) plays Mason and Sycamore. Mason(H) also plays Hathaway Brown, and it is St. Ursula Academy (H) versus Notre Dame Academy. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
SATURDAY,
Hawken Beats Laurel | Ursuline Academy Defeats Alter
The weather played havoc with matches in Central Ohio. Other areas of the state had a bit more luck. Matches involved several of the top teams in the state. Ursuline Academy defeated Archbishop Alter and Hawken beat Laurel; and North Canton Hoover defeated Lexington. There were just four matches recorded from state-wide play. To view the graphs from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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CSG's Sophia Vershinin- Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Archbishop Alter's Grace Lampman defeated Ursuline Academy's Nina Dhaliwal; Laurel's Ellie Brotherton beat Hawken's Hayley Garber; and North Canton Hoover's Tess Bucher defeated Lexington's Gracie Pfieffer. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
The photo of Columbus School For Girls' Sophia Vershinin was taken before the CSG versus North Canton Hoover match was rained out.Today's matches include: Mason (H) versus Notre Dame Academy. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY,
OTZ Personalized Report | Magnificat Beats St. Joseph Academy
It was a beautiful (and hot) day yesterday and there were numerous competitive matches. In matches that included the top teams in Ohio, Magnificat defeated St. Joseph Academy and Dublin Coffman beat Wellington. The close, 3-2 matches included: Anthony Wayne defeated Toledo Central Catholic; Avon beat Highland; Delaware Hayes defeated Marion Harding; Harrison beat Madeira; Anderson defeated Lakota East; Monroe beat Madison; Westerville Central defeated Big Walnut; and Greeneview beat Urbana. There were 21 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 5, Southwest - 12, Northeast - 3, and Northwest - 1. The Columbus Dispatch did not post any tennis scores in today's newspaper. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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OTZ Personalized Report - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Magnificat's Audrey Smitek defeated St. Joseph Academy’s Amara Brahmbhatt; Anthony Wayne’s Lilly Black beat Toledo Central Catholic’s Ellie Hire; Dublin Coffman's Dasha Chistyakova defeated Wellington's Alexis Burkhalter; Big Walnut’s Kina Ehlers beat Westerville Central’s Levi Burks; and Magnificat's Natalie Smitek defeated St. Joseph Academy's Tia Clemens. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
A valuable new report was added this year to help fans customized their experience on OhioTennisZone. It is the Personalized Report and it appears after members sign-in to the service. Members can save their favorite teams and players for quick and easy access to more information. The Favorite team information includes the new Average Court Winning %. It also includes the most commonly used OTZ tools for Coaches (coaches only see these tools) and "How-to" documents on how to use the various reports. It was added prior to the boys season but it never had an opportunity to be fully used. (Note: The list used by OTZ actually has far more teams and players (including your team and your player), but it had to be condensed for this example..)
Today's matches include: Upper Arlington (H) versus Canfield; Avon (A) versus Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin; Laurel (H) versus Hawken; North Canton Hoover (A) versus Lexington and Columbus School For Girls; and Seven Hills (H) versus Mariemont.. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
THURSDAY,
Archbishop Alter Beats Wyoming | Massillon Jackson Beats Revere
Now things are starting to click. There were 18 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 9, Southwest - 7, and Northeast - 2. In matches among the top teams in the state, Archbishop Alter defeated Wyoming; Massillon Jackson beat Revere; and Upper Arlington defeated Chaminade-Julienne. The close, 3-2 matches included: Lancaster defeated Hilliard Darby; DeSales beat Westerville North; and Olentangy Berlin defeated Worthington Christian. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Mason - Click to team page |
Among the top players, Upper Arlington's Ella Hazelbaker defeated Chaminade-Julienne's Patty Estrada-Sanchez; Massillon Jackson's Paige Reese beat Revere's Morgan Dobos; Olentangy Berlin's Ella Franz defeated Worthington Christian's Abby Mayotte; Archbishop Alter's Grace Lampman beat Wyoming's Sydney Evans; Magnificat’s Natalie Smitek defeated Avon Lakes’ Brooke Mangano; Wellington's Alexis Burkhalter beat Olentangy's Sydney Nickel; Wilmington's Claire Burns defeated Loveland's Hodar; Hilliard Bradley's Anh Thi Thai defeated Lancaster's Mallory Thomas; and Lancaster's Mallory Thomas defeated Hilliard Darby's Lexi Mincy. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
Today's featured team is Mason, the defending D1 State Team Champions. They are coached by Mike Reid. They are Team Members. They are led by Shyla Aggarwal, Annie Kruse, Anna Tonkal, and Raina Chada.
Today's matches include: Avon (A) versus Highland; Big Walnut (A) versus Westerville Central; Delaware Hayes (H) versus Marion Harding; Hawken (H) versus Rocky River; Magnificat (H) versus St. Joseph Academy; and Olentangy Liberty (H) versus Thomas Worthington. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
WEDNESDAY,
St. Joseph Academy Beats Westlake | Seven Hills Wins over Chaminade-Julienne
Much of this week looked like a rain-out but that has not materialized - yet. Several teams are quickly jumping into good competition. St. Joseph Academy defeated Westlake; Seven Hills beat Chaminade-Julienne; Olentangy Liberty defeated Big Walnut; and Oak Hills beat Kings;.
In state-wide play, there were 11 matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 5, Southwest - 4, and Northeast - 2. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
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Watterson's Sara Goodlive - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players, Olentangy Liberty's Dani Schoenly defeated Big Walnut's Kina Ehlers; Seven Hills' Shriya Sekar beat Chaminade-Julienne's Patty Estrada-Sanchez; St. Joseph Academy’s Amara Brahmbhatt defeated Westlake’s Neige DeAngelis; Pickerington Central’s Khandice Thomas beat Westerville Central’s Levi Burks; Lancaster's Mallory Thomas defeated Canal Winchester's Erin Duckworth; and Walsh Jesuit’s Emma Kealy beat Notre Dame-Academy’s Kate Harlan. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
There were no box scores in the Columbus Dispatch today for Monday's matches for the Central District. Without the box scores, there are no individual match scores. Coaches who would like to recognize their players can become Coach Members to report their scores into OhioTennisZone. If your coach is not interested in recognizing your team's players and more specifically, your daughter, that's ok. A parent may sign-up for a Parent/Player OTZ membership to report her daughter's results into OTZ. Please submit a Feedback with any questions. Click to Sign-up to OhioTennisZone.com.
Today's matches include: Hawken (H) versus Beachwood; Magnificat (H) versus Avon Lake; North Canton Hoover (A) versus Boardman; and Upper Arlington (A) versus Chaminade-Julienne. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
Watkins Memorial Beats Marysville
The season is s l o w l y coming up to speed. Having the scores delayed by one day in the Columbus Dispatch is going to cause no end of grief this season. It is still unclear whether the Dispatch will be posting the box scores. Box scores are the individual results for each singles player and doubles team.
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Caty McNally - Click to enlarge |
On the good news front, all but one of the teams (Solon) in the OTZ Pre-Season Top Ten for both D1 and D2 are playing. Hopefully Solon will be rolling soon.
There were nine matches recorded from state-wide play. The breakdown by District was: Central - 3, Southwest - 5, and Northeast - 1. To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Among the top players, Watkins Memorial's Lillia Walter defeated Marysville Mallory Huffman. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
There are more and more professional matches being played. In fact, there is a big WTA event, The Top Seed Open, taking place this week outside of Lexington, KY at Top Seed Tennis. Today's photo of Cincinnati's Caty McNally is from a July 4th tournament taken at that site. Top Seed hosted an exhibition of eight players and I was on the court taking photos (just as I do for high school matches). Attendance was very limited and social distancing guidelines were followed.
Today's matches include: St. Joseph Academy (H) versus Westlake; Walsh Jesuit (A) versus North Royalton; Big Walnut (H) versus Olentangy Liberty; and Delaware Hayes (H) versus Watkins Memorial. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
Average "By Court" Performance Graph
A new graph called the Average "By Court" Performance Graph was created in time for the boys season but it never got fully utilized. The purpose of the graph is to provide the average performance of each court throughout the season. The graph works best when coaches use a similar line-up but it still shows the strengths and weaknesses of each court over time. The graph is located on each team report.
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OTZ By Court Performance Report - Click to enlarge |
Wellington played Watterson on Friday. (See graph on right). Because Wellington has played just one match, the average is the same as their first match results.
This graph is especially useful for OTZ because it helps identify the strongest players for inclusion on the OTZ Top Players Lists.
This graph is also shown on the OTZ Personalized Report to allow users to quickly scan all of the teams that they follow. (The Personalized Report automatically appears for members when they sign-in to OTZ.)
Note that this is a premium graph and users must sign-in to use it.
The season will begin in earnest this week as almost all teams begin match play. There are still a few COVID-19 holdouts as the various county and city health departments debate health risks. It is believed that if health departments take a strong stance against opening schools then that increases the potential liability issues for the schools that open. Schools; however, are not immune to the pressures of the community. The Columbus suburb of Worthington made a quick "about face" to allow extracurricular activities last week as complaints surged from parents and students. There are no easy answers for any school and all schools will have to remain flexible to get through this. It will also be interesting to see if New York's sudden eagerness to open schools late last week will have any affect on other states.
Central District Coaches, please enter your results online on OhioTennisZone to recognize your players. The box scores might no longer be provided in the Columbus Dispatch.
To view all of the matches scheduled (and posted on OTZ), click List of Upcoming Matches.
SUNDAY,
Olentangy Wins Delaware Hayes Invite | Big Walnut Wins KVCTA
It was another perfect picture day. Several teams had tournaments yesterday. Olentangy won the Delaware Hayes Invitational. Marysville came in second. Marysville's Mallory Huffman won the singles A flight. Big Walnut won the KVCTA Invite.
Things normally start out slowly for the girls season as coaches and the newspapers get into gear. It is a bit worse this year because of the uncertainty of having a girls season. Hopefully things pick up next week.
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Ty Tucker Tennis Center - Click to enlarge |
The construction of the Ty Tucker Tennis Center on the Ohio State campus continues. It was expected to be finished in October but it may finish earlier. Thanks to the lack of traffic in Columbus, most construction jobs have progressed faster than normal.
Eagle eye photo viewers may notice an aberration or two in the photo because two photos were combined to make one. The image of the building was combined with an image of the sky. This technique is used to provide equal illumination levels.
The OTZ Top Ohio Players lists have been updated by removing the graduates. There were no "order changes" from last fall. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
SATURDAY,
First Day in the Books - Wellington Beats Watterson
Ok. Day One is in the books. Can we successfully finish Day Two? Is this how the opening paragraph will start every day of the season?
There were just two matches recorded from state-wide play. Wellington defeated Watterson by the score of 3-2 and Blanchester beat Colerain. Click on Previous Day's Match Results to view the graphs.
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Wellington's Alexis Burkhalter - Click to enlarge |
Among the top players in the state, Wellington's Alexis Burkhalter defeated Watterson's Sara Goodlive.
OTZ attended the Wellington / Watterson match and everyone behaved with the masks. I did not know who was behaving because I cannot tell who anyone is..
The Columbus Dispatch was the gold standard with high school scores. The results were timely, the player names were spelled correctly, and the formatting was impeccable. This may be about to change. As mentioned yesterday, the Dispatch now has an extremely early cutoff time (4:00pm). This means that Thursday results will not be posted until Saturday. It is not really anyone's fault -- that is just what they had to do to survive. The paper is now printed in Indianapolis so the shipping time is substantial to get the paper copies to Columbus. To get your scores into OTZ, please consider signing up for OhioTennisZone as a Coach or Team Member. Your players deserve to be recognized and the fans, college coaches, and parents like to follow the results.
This is the ugly duckling time of the season for OhioTennisZone. The scores from last year have been removed and all but two schools have results for the 2020-2021 season. The top players who have graduated also need to be removed.
Numerous teams have entered their schedules but always check first with a player or coach first. Many of these schedules were posted before everything was sorted out with COVID-19. To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches. Have a match today in the Central Ohio area? Send a Feedback to OTZ.
FRIDAY,
Matches Begin Today
It was unsure if the girls season would even get this far, but here we are. Girls tennis has even gotten a break from the hot temperatures this week, and the weather is expected to be nice this weekend.
There are still a few uncertainties on how teams will proceed when they encounter positive cases, but everything has been uncertain for months so everyone should be accustomed to that.
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Whetstone at Practice on 8/3 - Click to enlarge |
There are also uncertainties when it comes to the tennis data. OhioTennisZone provides about 60% of the Columbus Dispatch's tennis scores, and that is expected to continue. The issue is that the Dispatch also provided scores to OTZ, and because the Dispatch is now printed in Indianapolis, it goes to print in the afternoons prior to the completion of most matches. As a quick example, Governor Mike DeWine's "positive test result" is the lead in today's Dispatch even though his negative test result was known by early evening. OTZ needs fresh, not day-old data, so this may be a work-in-progress for a few days. The best way to insure that OTZ quickly gets the results from your team is to sign-up for an OTZ Coach Membership and submit your scores to OTZ.
Last year's graduates were removed from the rosters last night and more system-related changes will take place today.
OTZ plans to attend the Wellington versus Watterson match this afternoon.
Wear a mask, and be nicer to each other than you would normally be, and we will get through this..
Good luck this season.
FRIDAY, JULY 31
Columbus Academy Starts Season as #1 in Division II (beta release)
On Wednesday, the Top Teams in Division I were ranked by OTZ. Today, it is Division II's turn. First though... I think we will start the tennis season with most of the private schools participating and a few of the public schools. I think high school tennis will pick up more public schools as the season progresses, especially those schools with a tennis tradition (and vocal parents). Everyone needs to be careful, but those in high-risk-class situations need to take extra precautions.
D2 has numerous great teams and many of them are in the Southwest District. In previous years, it has been difficult to come up with ten teams to include in these rankings. That is not even close to the situation this year. There are numerous notable teams and many have solid players who are returning.
The rankings and the rational behind the rankings are listed below. They are all subject to tweaking if players decide not to play (or to play) Ohio high school tennis this fall.
Note that the Division II rankings are more difficult to do because D2 teams do not travel as well as Division I teams do. Why they do not travel is a complete mystery because the same school will allow teams of other sports to travel. Plus, tennis players and parents are accustomed to traveling frequently to participate in USTA tournaments so they expect to do so in high school. Please remember - Columbus remains a perfect location for teams throughout the state to meet for dual matches. Schedule a match for 11:00, another match at 3:00pm, Cane's Chicken at 5:30pm, and Graeters at 6:30pm. That said... COVID-19 will throw a wrench into many teams' travel plans this season.
OhioTennisZone.com |
| Division II |
1. Columbus Academy◄TEAM  |
| 2. Oakwood◄TEAM |
| 3. Indian Hill |
| 4. Hathaway Brown◄TEAM |
| 5. Eaton |
| 6. Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy |
| 7. Archbishop Alter◄TEAM |
| 8: Wellington◄TEAM |
| 9. Revere◄TEAM |
| 10. Hawken ◄TEAM |
| HM. Seven Hills◄TEAM |
| HM: Toledo Central Catholic |
| HM. Laurel◄TEAM |
◄TEAM - Denotes Team Membership so extensive OTZ information is available |
The TennisRecruiting.net rankings for incoming freshman players are listed below. Click on player names for their OTZ Player Profiles.
Division II
#1 Columbus Academy starts out at the number one position. They return a really good and deep team including state singles champion, Sydni Ratliff, plus Carolyn Tsung, Lauren Motta, and Emily Motta. They pick-up Arya Chabria, who is a TennisRecruiting.net 2-star.
#2 Oakwood returns most of their fourth ranked team from last year. Their top three singles players, Lily McCloskey, Sarah Hall, and Katie Ritschel, are returning as well as Natalie Connelly and Sophie Russell. Connelly and Russell reached the semi-finals at States in dubs last year. They lost Claudia Schnell and Sidney Purks to graduation.
#3 Indian Hill lost a great deal of talent from last year's team, including Hayley Hirsch and Morgan Coburn. Players returning include Bella Kirby, Jessica Budde, and Jessica August. They pick up a 3-star player, Brooke Arington.
#4 Hathaway Brown is not going to start out at #1 even though they always seem to find a way to get there at the end of the season. HB lost their 2x state singles champion, Nicole Gillinov. They also lost Melissa Kazazic. Players returning include: Alex Wolf, Olivia Gidlow, Ally Mills, Brigette Fuentes, and Ella Lynch. They pick-up Summer Mu who is a 4-star freshman. The parents on this team buy quite a few OTZ photos so they are liked by the entire OTZ staff more than your daughter's team..
#5 Eaton was new to the Top Ten last year and they retained their top players. Returning are Macy Hitchcock and a minivan full of Murphy's, including Tess Murphy, Sophia Murphy, and Grace Murphy.
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Columbus Academy - Click to enlarge |
#6 Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy is yet another strong Southwest District team. Returning players include: Lynn Kader, Kennedy Puryear, and Payton Puryear. They lost Sammie Nowitski and Gashy Kim to graduation.
#7 Archbishop Alter kept their top singles players but they also lost a few key contributors. Returning for Alter are: Grace Lampman, Emily Pojman, Soren Dinkins, and Elisebeth Collins. They also bring in some strong freshmen players. They lost Rachael Harker and Mary Stier to graduation.
#8 Wellington moves into the top ten with an experienced team. Returning are Alexis Burkhalter, Katie Zerbi, Lauren Okoye, and Olivia Vegas. Burkhalter and Zerbi finished fourth in dubs at States last season. They lost Camille Olmstead to graduation.
#9 Revere returns its entire starting lineup from last season including Morgan Dobos, Maddie Kavenagh, Nina Lazbin, Jenny Fan, and Katie Kinder. They lost Erica Price and Eda Sezer.
#10 Hawken retains their top three singles players (Eliana Yang, Molly Xiao, Tina Tewari) and three of their doubles players (Jamie Park, Ellie Faber and Cassidy Feng). They lost Sammi Fremont and Tess Namy to graduation.
HM: Seven Hills returns Shriya Sekar, Gabriella Khaskelis, Sohana Thompson, and Anika Parameswaran. They lost Annika Alper, Avital Isakov, and Anika Parameswaran.
HM: Toledo Central Catholic lost Ava McQuillin to graduation, but they still have Isabella and Lucia Spinazze as well as Ellie Hire.
HM: Laurel lost a substantial amount of talent to graduation. They were: Rachel Buchinsky, Abby Knetig, and Elizabeth Sims. Returning players include: Ellie Brotherton, Julia Bowman, and Nikhita Goel.
Most of the Division I Top Ten Teams are OTZ Team Members. It would be nice to have the same in Division II. Tennis fans and college coaches like the additional information about players. It is also a great way to engage your middle school players as they try and determine where they might fit in with your team in the future. Please consider adding a $99 OTZ Team Membership to your budget.
Feel free to submit a Feedback if any obvious schools are missing from the rankings.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 29
Mason Starts Season as #1 in Division I (beta release)
And away we go.. It is time for the OTZ Pre-Season Top Ten lists. Today, the Division I teams are named. The Division II Top Ten Teams will be listed tomorrow. When the Boys Pre-Season Rankings were released, the quip was that the rankings were so accurate that they would not have to be changed at all during the season. Well, that sadly turned out to be the case when the boys season was not played... Hopefully that will not be the case with the girls..
The rankings and the rational behind the rankings are listed below. They are all subject to tweaking if players decide not to play (or to play) Ohio high school tennis this fall. Some of this uncertainty has already been baked into the rankings. "OTZ thanks" go to several coaches who provided feedback for the list.
OhioTennisZone.com |
| Division I |
| 1. Mason◄TEAM |
| 2. Magnificat◄TEAM |
| 3. Upper Arlington◄TEAM |
| 4. Notre Dame Academy◄TEAM |
| 5. Ursuline Academy |
| 6. St. Ursula Academy◄TEAM |
| 7. Olentangy Orange |
| 8. North Canton Hoover◄TEAM |
| 9. Dublin Jerome◄TEAM |
| 10. St. Joseph Academy ◄TEAM |
| HM: Solon◄TEAM |
| HM: Olentangy Liberty◄TEAM |
| HM: Brecksville |
◄TEAM - Denotes Team Membership so extensive OTZ information is available |
The TennisRecruiting.net star rankings for incoming freshmen are included below for many.
Click on player names for their OhioTennisZone Player Profiles.
Division I
#1 Mason is the defending Division I champion and they start the season at #1. They return a great deal of depth but they lost key contributors to graduation. Returning players include: Shyla Aggarwal, Annie Kruse, Anna Tonkal, and Raina Chada. They lost Ananya Aggarwal, Sanjana Reddy, Emma Kruse, and Kelly Reid to graduation.
#2 Magnificat finished last season as #2 in the state. They return: Audrey Smitek, Alexis Ospelt, Kayra Koprulu, and Caroline Moritz. They pick up Natalie Smitek who is a 3-star player and who is probably somehow related to Audrey.. They lost Olivia Rondini to graduation.
#3 Upper Arlington represented the Central District in the Final Four last year and they return with another strong team. Their players include: Ella Hazelbaker, Megan Basil, Ava Richard, and Noah Mizer. They lost Wendy Shi and Sarah Marti to graduation.
#4 Notre Dame Academy returns a strong team. Their players include: Lilly Black, Ellie Assenmacher, and Olivia Assenmacher. They lost Tierney Sturgeon and Megan Ohlinger to graduation.
#5 Ursuline Academy returns Nina Dhaliwal, Bridget Estes, Brigid Lynch, and Jane Kronenberger. They did not lose any starters to graduation.
#6 St. Ursula Academy returns most of their players including Elizabeth Pendergast, Kathleen Davin, and Eugenia Campos. They lost Lucy Aberg, Kellie Hannan, and Devyn Stoddard to graduation. They also pick-up 3-star freshman Emily Jennewein.
#7 Olentangy Orange took some big hits from graduation but they return Caroline Sproule, Tyler Reed, and Karol Korotkin. They also pick-up Ellie Logan. Erin Storrer and Kortney Reed graduated.
#8 North Canton Hoover reportedly has a stronger team than last year, which finished 10th in the state. They return Lilly Altman, Izzy Warburton, and Claire Wood. They pick up Tess Bucher, a 4-star freshman. They remain Utterback neutral after losing Laurel Utterback to graduation but gaining Addyson Utterback. They also lost Abby Altman and Alexia Guira to graduation.
#9 Dublin Jerome has Lalasa Nagireddy, Arya Dudipala, and Ella Oleson returning. Jerome lost State dubs finalists, Katherine Wang and Reagan Resor, to graduation.
#10 St. Joseph Academy returns Tia Clemens, Delia Guzic, and Mary Kate Kahl. They pick up Amara Brahmbhatt who is a 4-star freshman. SJA grads were Melissa Martin and Kerrigan Ponsart.
Other teams on the radar include Solon (Niya Fried and Eliana Chelnick), Olentangy Liberty (Maddie Atway and Dani Schoenly), and Brecksville (Catherina Iltchev and Lakshmy Arakoni).
Feel free to submit a Feedback if you mistakingly believe that a team was overlooked.. Please provide specific reasons why.
TUESDAY,
OTZ Girls State Team Draws Now Available
The OTZ Enhanced State Team Draws are now online.
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State Team Tournament Draws - Click to go to draws |
The draws are available at the top of this page and they will remain there throughout the season. As with everything else on OTZ, the goal is to enable high school tennis fans to quickly obtain the information they need rather than to maximize OTZ clicks and page views. As indicated in the four features that are circled: 1) the most recent update date is included; 2) the navigation links allow users to quickly jump throughout the draw; 3) the Team designation means that a Team Membership was purchased and that all of the individual player information is available via their OTZ Player Profiles; and 4) the team links are "click-able" to enable fans to do more research. For the best experience, sign-in to OTZ first. The goal is to keep the draws promptly updated throughout the season. Please click on Feedback if you are aware of a result that is not yet posted.
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State Team Tournament Participation- Click to enlarge |
The number of girls teams that enter the tournament varies from year to year. This year, there is a decrease. In fact, this is the lowest number of teams in the last six years. There are 117 teams participating. The number of girls teams by year is: 2015 - 134, 2016 - 133, 2017 - 132, 2018 - 132, 2019 - 124, and 2020 - 117. As shown in the graph, Southwest has the most participants and Northwest has the least. Out of the 398 OHSAA girls tennis teams, 29% of the teams are competing this tournament. Please click on the graph to enlarge it for easier viewing.
FRIDAY,
In One More Week..
The OHSAA Girls Season begins in just one more week. We hope. Today's posting includes a variety of items. It provides: the key dates for the season; OTZ member information; OTZ Top 10 team update; why Top 10 teams are encouraged to be OTZ Team Members; and why graduates are still included on team rosters.
OhioTennisZone.com
|
| Aug. 1 (S): First Day of Coaching |
| Aug. 1 (S)-2: USTA MW Level 2's -- G14, G16, G18, B14, B16, B18 |
| Aug. 7 (F): High School Match Play Begins |
| Aug. 9 (U)-16: |
| Aug. 16 (U): |
| Aug. 29 (S): SAT Date |
| Sep. 8 (S)-9: USTA MW Level 3's -- G14, G16, G18, B14, B16, B18 |
| Sep. 8 (T): Non-Interscholastic Date |
| Sep. 12 (S): |
| Sep. 18 (F)-20: Rosh Hashanah |
| Sep. 20 (U): Waiver Extension Ends |
| Sep. 27 (U): Sectional Draw |
| Sep. 27 (U)-28: Yom Kippur |
| Oct. 5 (M)-Oct. 10: Sectional Tournament |
| Oct. 3 (S): SAT Date |
| Oct. 12 (M)-17: District Tournament |
| Oct. 23 (F)-24: State Tournament |
| Oct. 25 (U): State Team Tournament |
| Oct. 24 (S): ACT Date |
| Oct. 31 (S): HS Season Ends |
The key dates for the season are included in the table. It also includes the dates of several high level USTA tournaments, key testing dates, holidays, and, of course, the key OHSAA dates. This calendar will remain in the right-side navigation bar during the entire season.
There are two events that are included but crossed out (Western & Southern Open High School day and USTA National Championships) because it is worthwhile to keep them in mind for future years.
If you are currently an OTZ Member, there is no need to go through the sign-up process again for OhioTennisZone. Please just mail or PayPal your payment to OhioTennisZone.com.
OTZ will soon post its Pre-Season Top 10 Team lists after it is clear where players are going to attend school and which girls are playing high school tennis.
It is highly encouraged that the OTZ Top 10 teams become OTZ Team Members. OhioTennisZone provides the teams in the Top 10 with a great deal of recognition and coverage. This recognition is very helpful because many middle