Ohio High School Tennis
FRIDAY, MAY
Recognizing Findlay's Drew Swisher
The fourth OTZ interview of the season is with Northwest Ohio's and Findlay's Drew Swisher. In the "It's a Small World" [link] department, Swisher's home would almost be within view of my grandparent's home on the edge of Findlay (if my grandparent's home was still standing).
As with the other seniors, Swisher's tennis goals are transforming into other goals as he moves onto college this fall. Swisher will be attending Ohio State and he plans to major in a health or medical field. While he intends to be at the OSU Main Campus (in Columbus), he may temporarily switch to the OSU Lima campus for the first semester if OSU switches to digital-only classes. Other colleges that he considered included: Ohio Northern, University of Cincinnati, and the school that got beat by Appalachian State in football.
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Findlay's Drew Swisher at States - Click to enlarge |
He is an OTZ-approved math/science student. He took three AP's (Chem, Stats, and Calc) at Findlay. He enjoyed AP Chem the most. Swisher also loaded up his curriculum with other science courses.
His interest in the medical field may be influenced by his mother, Allison, who is a physical therapist. It is probably safe to say that every sports family would benefit from having a physical therapist in the household. Swisher's father is Sean and he is also the Findlay high school tennis coach. Sean's day job is the Findlay School District assistant treasurer. Swisher's siblings are Sam, who will be an eighth grader next year, and Sydney, who will be a junior. Sam may eventually find himself on the Findlay team.
Swisher benefited from playing other sports (soccer and baseball) early on. "I started playing tennis in the 5th grade after most of the other sports didn’t work out. I liked all the other sports but I never really fell in love with a sport. I found my sport in tennis. I would hit on my garage all the time and I took lessons whenever I could. My dad had played tennis for years and he helped me pursue the sport. My mom doesn’t really play but my siblings do."
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Swisher at the State Team Tournament - Click to enlarge |
Swisher had hoped to build on his tennis successes last year with another trip to States and the State Team Tournament. "Max's [Max Hosey] and my goal after States last year was to make it back and try to get to day two of State's. We had won a tight first round match [against Olentangy Liberty's Vishnu Bodavula / Marcelo Aguilar] and ran into the two buzzsaws that were the two freshmen from Mason [Vignesh Gogineni / Anish Gangavaram]. We worked from that point on to improve our doubles skills and chemistry." Swisher and Hosey's success against Liberty could be attributed to their underdog mentality, plus they executed the basics by returning and serving well.
Swisher's favorite tennis stroke is his forehand, but he can counter-punch effectively thanks to his speed. He stated that my "defensive game is stronger than my offensive game" When asked about what he enjoyed most about high school tennis, he replied, "I liked the team atmosphere the most. The best times were in the van on the way to matches and the feeling watching a deciding court when the match score was 2-2. I guess I’ll miss the bonds I made with my teammates."
In addition to liking tennis, Swisher also has a great interest and knowledge of the various brands and models of tennis racquets. He personally uses Babolot Pure Strike with Laserfibre Smooth (co-poly) string. Swisher also has a tennis stringer and that could come in handy if he decides to play for the OSU club team.
While OTZ usage is sparse in Northwest Ohio, Swisher does use OhioTennisZone. "I liked how OTZ covered the state tournament. The live draw was awesome and I liked how everyone had a picture by their name on the draw." (Click for the 2019 OTZ State draw.)
Swisher's service projects at Findlay included running their summer tennis camp. "I felt like this was the best way for me to pass on the love of tennis to my community."
He is a social media user. Snapchat is his favorite, followed by Twitter (@SwisherDrew), and Instagram.
Coach Swisher shared this about his son, " Drew is a player that played #1 singles since his freshman year. He loved the team aspect of the sport and being part of a team. Nothing got Drew more fired up than a team win even if his court didn’t go his way. He also loved the challenge of playing #1 no matter how tough the opponent was. While having the coach/dad/ player relationship was tough at times he will be certainly missed next year."
Best of luck to Drew at Ohio State next fall.
THURSDAY, MAY
Recognizing Wellington's Trevor Ball
The third OTZ interview of the year is with Wellington's Trevor Ball. Rather than talking about his tennis goals, he would have no doubt hoped to fulfill them this week at States. Ball's goals were to "win a third team state championship, and bring home Wellington's first singles state championship. I also wanted to have our doubles team win states as well." With all of its key players returning from last year's championship team, Wellington was in a great position to run the table.
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Wellington's Trevor Ball - Click to enlarge |
Ball got involved with tennis early. "I started playing tennis when I was about five years old. My father played college tennis and as soon as he put a racquet in my hand I didn’t want to put it down. We would be in the driveway and he would toss balls at me while I would launch them into the street."
His father, Dale, played D1 tennis at Edinboro, a college in Pennsylvania, where he had a big forehand. He is a sales executive at the Columbus Dispatch. His mother, Darla, is a human resource recruiter. Ball also has a brother, Princeton (LinkedIn link), who is a 2016 Wellington School grad and a recent grad at Fordham (in Bronx, NY). Ball also has an older sister named D’jovanna.
Ball has not yet made a college choice. "I’m still in process with my college decision due to COVID-19. The colleges I’m considering are Xavier University, University of Dayton, Marquette University and Southwestern University." Ball is ranked 213 in the nation in TennisRecruiting.net and he has a UTR of 10.76. These rankings/ratings would give him an opportunity to contribute on any of the above teams. Ball's interest in college is a degree in business and more specifically in marketing.
His favorite stroke is his backhand down the line. His weapon is his serve. "I've been working a lot on it and I am able to get some free points with it. There are so many different variations of the serve and I love to mix it up with topspin, slice, flat, etc." His first serve clocks in at the 105-110 mph range.
Ball was not a fan of distance learning during COVID-19 at Wellington. Wellington held classes at their regular times via Zoom. He would have preferred being with his friends. "I wouldn’t say I’m a math, science, or humanities student, my favorite/best subject in school is history. I've always had a fascination with history and it’s made me work harder in that subject." Wellington primarily has honors classes so it does not provide any AP's. A recent hobby that Ball has picked up because of the COVID-19 break is learning Morse code.
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GCTA Junior Players of the Year for 2019 - Click to enlarge |
Why play high school tennis? "I love the energy about high school tennis during a match and looking to your left and seeing everyone from your school coming out to watch you and cheer you on is a great feeling. It makes it even better with a winning team. It makes more and more people want to come, watch and cheer. I would say the thing I like best about high school tennis is storming the court after a big win."
As for the obligatory, "What do you use on OhioTennisZone" question which forces players to actually get on and use OhioTennisZone, Ball responded, "My favorite thing to read on OTZ is the daily reports. Especially after a big win from any team, it’s fascinating to see the results. I also visit the photos, read through the top Ohio boys and see the different teams in the four districts."
Thanks to Ball's performance last season at States and at the State Team Tournament, he earned the Greater Columbus Tennis Association's Male Junior Player of the Year Award.
As for social media, Ball maintains the team's Instagram account. Unlike many on his team, he is not a Twitter user.
For his high school service projects, Ball commented, "I have been involved with various service projects, including the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. I worked with Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated and we donated food to the food bank and also created packages for senior citizens. I worked with my Dad and his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, on their Annual Turkey Drive where we gave turkeys and side items to families in need in under-served communities". He has also worked in various activities with the residents at the Heinzerling Foundation, a foundation that supports and cares for the severely disabled.
Coach Tommy Haddow shared this about Ball, "I've been very fortunate to have coached such a special talent. Ever since I first met Trevor four years ago, he has brought energy and has always placed the team ahead of himself. As a two year captain, he has led by example with his work ethic and focus as well as vocally supporting his team. Last year he was injured and missed some early matches, and you could see the guys play for Trevor, their captain. When he returned, the whole team elevated their games due to Trevor being back, all the guys worked for each other, following Trevor's example. As an individual competitor, Trevor always gave 100% at all practices and I could always count on him working his hardest during matches. During the off season he works extremely hard and has really dedicated himself to getting better and better. He will have a very successful college career." Ball also worked part-time during the summer, coaching Wellington students in their summer school program.
Since he was injured during his second year in the 16's, Ball has not yet played at at the USTA Boys National Championships in Kalamazoo. Hopefully he will still have an opportunity to win a spot for The 'Zoo at this year's Midwest Closed (which, unfortunately, is still currently canceled).
WEDNESDAY, MAY
Time to Play Tennis Again
Yesterday marked the first day that players can technically play tennis in Ohio again. Even though it may have been "illegal" for players to hit, many continued to do so because they received permission to hit on private courts and/or they found obscure courts where nets remained up and/or the gates unlocked.
In normal times, this would have also been the start of States week. Of course, right on schedule, temperatures are soaring which could have made things difficult for Ohio players since many would not have been able to fully acclimate themselves to the heat.
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UA Courts Reopen - Click to enlarge |
Initially, tennis received permission to resume earlier than other sports because of its relatively safe social distancing aspects. Since then, essentially all Ohio high school sports have re-opened with social distancing rules in mind.
While players can now train in earnest again, they have nothing to train for. All of the USTA Ohio District tournaments were canceled early-on. Even the USTA Midwest Closed, which was scheduled for June 20, was canceled. Fortunately, conditions are changing so rapidly that these tournaments can still be rescheduled, but unfortunately, not all organizations (and/or the facilities in which they are played) are nimble enough to take advantage of the recent CDC changes and the better understanding of the health risks.
For administrators, missing a year may not be a huge deal but our juniors do not get to re-do this year. The Midwest Closed is critical for those in the 16-18 age brackets. For those who want to play in college, it provides players with great matches against strong competition and it gives the Midwest-area college coaches an opportunity to watch them play. If Michigan State is not available, a 16-18 Closed in Indianapolis would be far better than none at all.
Thankfully a few USTA Sections are allowing their players to compete in their versions of the Midwest Closed. Thus far, the Southern, Southern California, and Southwest Sections have rescheduled their tournaments.
Hopefully the USTA Midwest Closed tournament will be rescheduled soon for late June or July.
THURSDAY,
Photos for Mother's Day
Stumped on what to get for your mom for Mother's Day? Join everyone else. Stores are not open and Amazon is delayed. You cannot even take your mother out for lunch or dinner. And while you could prepare the Mother's Day lunch, no one really wants to go to the hospital for food poisoning, especially now.
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Liberty's Dani Schoenly |
Dani Schoenly - Click to enlarge |
OhioTennisZone is here to help. If you saw me sitting beside your player's court during the season, then there is a reasonable chance that I took a photo of your child.
How do you see the photos? Just sign-in and look for your player.
The prices start at $19.99/photo and decrease in price with quantity. Click for the entire price list. For a limited time only, OTZ will size a photo to work well on your mother's (and grandmother's) cell phone. (If your grandmother has a cell phone, then you are in charge of explaining how to use the photo of her (now) favorite grandchild to her phone's wallpaper.)
One other thing.. It is never (ever) ok to use an OhioTennisZone photo for any purposes of any kind at any time for any reason (OK. I think it is becoming clear..) unless the photo has been purchased from OhioTennisZone. This includes Tweets, Facebook posting, Instagram, etc. Stealing photos is simply the same as shoplifting or "dining and dashing". Camera gear and computer gear is extremely expensive and I also value the time in which I travel to matches and sit on a hard court to take these photos. Never take an OTZ photo. Ever. OTZ prices are extremely reasonable - especially when compared with getting a senior photo. These are professional level photos and are comparable to any in Sports Illustrated or Tennis Magazine.
Click for more insight from the Guardians of the Galaxy stars on pilfering photos.
Have any questions? Please submit a Feedback or send an email.
TUESDAY, MAY
Recognizing University School's Chas Norman
The boys season will not get played this year, but OTZ recognition of the state's top seniors will continue.
Chas Norman from University School had set high team and individual goals this season - winning both Team States and the State singles title. He will have an opportunity to continue tennis collegiately when he attends the United States Coast Guard this fall.
Norman comes from a tennis family. "I started playing when I was about five years old, and started playing tournaments when I was nine. I got started when my dad put a racquet in my four-year-old hand and we started hitting balloons over the couch. While that isn’t exactly tennis, I am told it was fun. My mom (Mary) plays on several USTA teams, my sister (Irene) plays for the US Naval Academy, and my dad (Chuck) plays whenever his knees allow him. My grandfather taught my father to play, and one of my favorite memories was when he came to watch my team win States freshman year." Irene (OTZ link and Navy link) is studying oceanography at the Naval Academy. His father works in Information Technology at JOANN Stores in the Cleveland area. His mother home-schooled Irene and Chas and she is a community volunteer. The Norman Family was also recognized as the Ralph W. Westcott USTA Family of the Year Award in 2017.
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University's Chas Norman at 2019 States - Click to enlarge |
Norman had considered a number of colleges. "I wanted to go to a military academy, and the Coast Guard tennis program had the plus of recruiting me to play tennis there. I was also considering the US Naval Academy, Denison, Xavier, and Sewanee, among others." He is an OTZ-approved math/science student. " I love working with computers (having built my own) and want to pursue a career in cybersecurity which, as you can imagine, will require a little bit of math."
Norman has taken home schooling in stride. "The most beneficial thing in my time at home has been my previous experience homeschooling [with his mother, Mary] (kindergarten through 8th grade). I already knew how to work from my house, so it’s been a kind of return to tradition for me." Norman then shifted to University School for high school.
Norman has taken five AP courses -- two last year (History and English) and three this year (BC Calc, Computer Science, and Satire in Fiction). His favorite AP was the satire course thanks to his teacher, Dr. Lee Fallon. As for how the students are getting through school-at-home, Norman replied, "They've given us more homework at home than when we were in school." The school uses Zoom to interact with its students and Norman also uses Khan Academy to help him with math concepts.
His on-court strategy is to use his big forehand to get his opponent on the defensive. As for his other shots, "My favorite shot is a backhand overhead. It’s always entertaining for me since I don’t actually see the court when I hit it so I could turn around to find I’ve hit a winner or hit it into the bottom of the net. My weapon is most likely my ability and comfort in playing anywhere on the court, but especially at the net." His approach was effective last year when he finished fourth at States. Norman had reached States twice before in doubles (with Charlie Joranko in 2018 and Danny Godes in 2017). The Coast Guard is a Division III school that competes in the New England Women's and Men's Athletics Conference. As a TennisRecruiting.net 3-star, Norman should have an opportunity to play in both singles and doubles as an underclassman. He can hit his first serve in the 100-110mph range.
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With his late grandfather, Charles, at New Albany - Click to enlarge |
Why did Norman play high school tennis? "I like the way it brings individual players together and forces them to work with each other toward a common goal. Beyond doubles partners that kind of team effort practically never happens outside of the high school season, and certainly never in USTA tournaments."
He normally plays in the Northeast Qualifier and Midwest Close but the Closed conflicts with boot camp. Norman will arrive at Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut on June 29 where he will be indoctrinated into the military over the next seven weeks.
As for the obligatory, "What do you use on OhioTennisZone" question which forces players to actually get on and use OhioTennisZone, Norman responded, " I have consistently used your site for the State tournament draws and opinions. I’ll admit that I haven’t perused your site often but the articles I’ve been sent by my parents from you never fail to amuse and inform me."
For his service projects, "I have run fundraisers for the Sean Karl Foundation for the past four years of high school. I chose this charity because it is a cause related to tennis that I appreciate. Additionally, as I think you already know, I volunteer as a ballboy for the Western & Southern Open (see photo) in Cincinnati, something I’ve also done for the past four years. It is a lot of fun and a plus is that it helps support children’s hospitals in Cincinnati."
Norman is not a big user of social media, but he was encouraged by the Coast Guard to participate with their Facebook page.
His coach, Adam Atwell, shared this about Norman. "As a sophomore he was elected captain and thrust into the role of leading a team that had just graduated five seniors. Chas has grown into that role over the past three years with his competitive spirit on the court and dedication in the weight room. He is disarmingly earnest and strives to give his very best in every practice session or drill. Though we all missed out on a great many new memories that would have come from this season, the coaches and younger players on our team will still hold on to the example he set over the last four years."
Best of luck to Chas Norman with his plans at the Coast Guard Academy.
THURSDAY, APRIL
High School ACT Performance Data Now Available
A few OTZ fans may recall this.. Before there was an OhioTennisZone.com, there was a GerberAnalytics.com web site that provided detailed high school performance information on public and private high schools. The site used the Ohio Graduation Test data for comparisons but those tests were largely eliminated about five years ago. Well..
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Ursuline Academy - Click to report |
The Ohio Graduation Test was replaced by the ACT and SAT, with the ACT making up approximately 80% of the schools. After searching for a source for this data, the Ohio Department of Education provided access to the ACT data and it is now included on the GerberAnalytics.com web site. While the 80% includes a large number of Ohio's public and Catholic high schools, there are many private schools and higher-end public schools that take the SAT.
The plan was to process this data after the boys high school tennis season, but there was unfortunately time to do it over the last few weeks...
Similar to the OGT data, the ACT results are the mean results from students who have taken the test during the same school year. For the OGT it was taken at the end of the students' sophomore year. The ACT is taken mid-year for juniors. It is especially important to emphasize that while many students take/re-take the ACT multiple times, these tests were administered during the same time period for those in the junior class.
More analysis capabilities will eventually be added to this web site but the current reports easily and quickly allow education enthusiasts to compare subject data within the same school and to easily compare the results of two schools.
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St. Charles Preparatory - Click to report |
Not surprisingly, the top OGT schools are at the top for the ACT rankings as well. For the 2019 tests, Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati) led the way with the highest composite mean score. They were followed by St. Charles Preparatory (Columbus). Other schools in the top five include: St. Xavier (Cincinnati), Ottawa Hills (Toledo), and Wyoming (Cincinnati).
While there are other good sources to evaluate schools using a number of sources (i.e. ODE Report Cards), this web site provides a "performance only" approach.
As parents select a school for their children, it is recommended that parents look beyond the numbers to view schools through a variety of lenses to identify the best school for their student. As our family evaluated high schools, we attended basketball games and tennis matches to watch the kids and their parents. We also talked with numerous graduates of the school and their parents to see how well the students were prepared for college.
To go to the Gerber Analytics, LLC home page for education, click GerberAnalytics.com/ogt/ogt.php. Select >> Find School By Name << to find your school.
For questions, please submit an OTZ Feedback.
TUESDAY, APRIL
Recognizing Ursuline's Greg Morgione
While the season is in (serious) doubt, there is little doubt that it is time to recognize several of Ohio’s best senior players. The first player to be recognized this spring is Ursuline’s Greg Morgione. Morgione finished second last year in singles at States in Division II, and Ursuline finished fourth in the final OTZ State Team Rankings.
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Ursuline's Greg Morgione at 2019 Districts - Click to enlarge |
Morgione is an OTZ-approved math-science guy. He has taken eight AP classes and he has enjoyed AP Statistics and AP Computer Science (with the Python programming language) more than the others.
Morgione plans to major in finance at nearby Youngstown State where his father, Greg, is an attorney. As a huge employee benefit, YSU provides its employees with free tuition for their children. Thanks to several academic scholarships, Morgione will also get most (if not all) of his room and board expenses covered. Morgione's mother, Kristin, is a Canfield middle school special education teacher. His sister, Anna, is a sophomore at Ursuline and she reached Districts in tennis last fall. His brother, William, is in seventh grade. William also plays tennis.
Morgione had planned to compete in a few USTA tournaments to prepare for the high school season, but those were canceled due to COVID-19. He primarily plays tennis during the high school season rather than year-round. He normally does play in the Northeast Qualifier and at the Midwest Closed but he does not plan to play in those tournaments this year. "I like competing for my school more than anything. I sense I am not as motivated for USTA events compared to school events and it results in me playing better for my school. I'm not sure if it's because I can get recognition for it, or that I love my school." Youngstown State does not have a club team so this season may be his last hurrah in competitive tennis.
Much of our conversation dealt with how Morgione was faring with "at home" school during the COVID-19 shutdown. He shared that "Most of my classmates do not like it at all and they find it almost impossible to learn online." Morgione, on the other hand, has adapted to it quite well. He intermixes studies with exercise and he added, "It leaves me with more time to do things I like it because I'm good with managing my time. I get a list of assignments and then I get the entire day to finish it. Some of my friends sleep in until 2:00pm, then mess around, and then they have to work until 11:00pm every night. I get up early and complete half of the homework and then work out and that refreshes my mind so that when I go back to it in an hour or so later, I'm more productive." Morgione felt that after experiencing online school he would be more apt to taking online classes in college, especially for the elective courses.
As for Morgione's tennis goals this year is, "My goals are/were to get my team back to the State Final Four over anything else. It was my fault last year that we were not at full strength on the last day of the season and that’s what I thought of most during the offseason. I never really took a huge leadership role before, but I was trying my best this year to get everyone locked in for what we could accomplish."
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Ursuline's Greg Morgione in 2018 at NE Districts - Click to enlarge |
After an extremely difficult Saturday at States, he is; however, a little hard on himself with the above comment. Both Morgione and Wellington's Trevor Ball ended up being heat casualties after their semi-final match. Morgione said that his match with Ball was one of his best. "Trevor was up 5-2 and I was serving love-40." Gaining confidence as the crowd grew, Morgione came back and won that set 7-6. Even though Ball won the second set, 5-7, he had no energy for the third and Morgione won it 6-0. Neither Ball nor Morgione could compete in their next match. Morgione spent the night in the hospital getting re-hydrated so that he could get back on the court on Sunday for the State Team Tournament.
Morgione plays an all-court game, but he stated that "I like my backhand more than any shot, especially on the run when I'm open stanced. It flows better for me compared to my forehand which sometimes is glitchy. I think too much on my forehand, so I actually prefer when someone tries to attack the backhand." Morgione is a TennisRecruiting.net two-star.
As for the obligatory, "What do you use on OhioTennisZone" question which forces players to actually get on and use OhioTennisZone, Morgione responded, "I always keep my eyes on the rankings on the right side of the page. I also do like seeing the scores of every match on a team's profile. I don't use it to scout for my own match, but I use it to get a better understanding of the team we are about to play."
As for his service projects, "Our tennis team has been volunteering with Buddy Up Tennis and did that periodically in the offseason. I am in various service clubs at Ursuline, but it's more about volunteering for single events throughout the year and rather than doing ongoing projects."
In addition to tennis, Morgione played basketball prior to incurring a knee injury during his sophomore year. Last season was his first tennis season at full-strength from the injury. He still plays some soccer. He prefers watching basketball over anything else including tennis. He also uses Twitter (@greg_morgione), TikTok, and Snapchat.
Ursuline Coach Kent Blacksher gets his team together once a week via Zoom. Through a shared contact, Coach Blacksher, even got Paul Anacone to talk with the boys to help keep them motivated. Coach Blacksher also shared this about Morgione, "Greg is the type of player every coach wishes they had. Not just because he's an elite athlete, but because of the way he handles his business. Hard worker, fantastic teammate, incredible intelligence".
Let's hope that we get to see him play this season.
MONDAY, APRIL
This Is Why We Need High School Tennis This Spring
What matters to everything is that football be played this fall. Ohio high school tennis could help pave the way to make this to happen.
Here are some ground rules as you read this document: 1) Do not mix POST-COVID-19 thinking with PRE-COVID-19 rules and thinking. There is now only POST-COVID-19 thinking. 2) What is done for this season does not necessarily create a precedence going forward for anything else. It may create some great new ideas but those ideas need to be tabled and reviewed later. 3) And finally, some schools, some players, and some coaches will be left behind because of their particular situations. That's ok.
Let's get the big one out of the way first.
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Time to open this up @ UA Courts - Click to enlarge |
1. The statement, "Buildings need to be open and students need to physically be in classrooms before sports can be played.", is a fallacy. This is pure PRE-COVID-19 thinking. COVID-19 is not a snow storm where conditions were too bad to attend school on Friday morning, but sports enthusiasts still wanted to play that night's basketball game. Students *are* in school. If they were not, then PRE-COVID-19 rules and thinking would prevent all of the students from advancing to the next grade level. In some communities it may be entirely appropriate to open a school building for students for learning, but this is probably not the case for most communities. Again, do not mix PRE- and POST-COVID-19 thinking.
2. The "building" does not need to be open, but it may be necessary to lease a porta john. Many facilities already have restrooms available without opening the entire school. Plus, tennis players can arrive at their practices and matches "ready to play" because no dressing room is necessary. Think about it -- how often is an entire school building open for any sporting event?
3. It may not be appropriate for *all* of the athletes to participate and that is ok. Do not shut down an entire sport because of a low percentage of players who cannot play. Some players may be cared for by their grandparents or by parents who are in high-risk categories. *Any* risk may be unacceptable for them. Families should do what is best for them.
4. The virus is fragile and cannot tolerate outdoor conditions such as ultra-violet light and wind. The social distancing requirements have not been reconsidered for outdoor activities even though it is common sense that they should be. Fair weather states are faring among the best. California, Florida, Arizona, and Hawaii have 1,180, 774, 184, and 10 deaths, respectively. States where people are cooped up and death totals are high include: New York (18,298) and New Jersey (4,362). (These numbers are as of April 20, 2020.) This may be the first and only time when Hilliard Davidson is a perfect location for the state tennis tournament. (Hilliard Davidson is a wind tunnel.)
5. The virus cannot infect via skin contact alone. It requires that people touch their faces with their hands. Using hand sanitizers and washing hands are the great ways to protect against the virus. To be extra safe, players could be assigned their own two balls and only handle and serve with those two balls. Many scheduled matches will not be played so there are an ample number of balls already in coaches' inventories.
6. Tennis matches are not packed with spectators. Who knew that this would ever be a benefit for high school tennis? Social distancing is not even a remote problem. Plus, fans and those players not competing could be asked to wear masks. In some cases, fans can watch matches from their vehicles.
7. Transportation will be an issue but it is not insurmountable. All players can walk, ride bikes, or drive cars to their school. For "away" matches, bus riders can open the windows and spread out. In some cases, several vehicles may need to be taken and older coaches may need to ride separate from the team. For some schools, parents are already responsible for getting their players to all events (for home and away matches) so this is not even an issue. Again, masks may be required for all riders.
8. Most players, fans, and coaches will want to start hitting balls on May 4. (OTZ is in this camp.) Understand that some players, parents, and coaches will have reasons not to play. Everyone needs to evaluate their own risk / reward ratio.
9. While all of the outdoor spring sports are infinitely better in social distancing than the indoor winter sports (i.e. wrestling), tennis carries the least amount of risk of any of the spring sports because it is ideal for social distancing. Likewise, some of the track and field events (i.e. shot put, long jump) are also well suited. Are the other spring sports sports "safe"? Is tennis "safe"? No one really knows. Tennis teams are small and there is no player contact. This also is not just about sports -- anything inside that can be moved outside (i.e. choir practice) should be considered for restarting.
OHSAA needs tennis to enable them to experiment with new rules and compliance issues associated with restarting sports. For example, will fans wear masks if asked? Will all players put a container of hand sanitizer in their pockets for frequent use? Should fans and competitors be "temperature checked" prior to any event? If so, how long will it take to obtain temperature readings and how should it be done?
It was a hard decision for Governor DeWine to say "no" and shut down the Arnold Classic but it was the right decision. It will be an equally difficult decision to say "yes", but outdoor spring tennis may offer the right level of risk to slowly crack open the door, especially since tennis is not played in all Ohio high schools. This is an opportunity for Ohio to innovatively lead the way and show the rest of the nation how sports can safely restart.
If you care about football, tennis is how we get to football this fall.
Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Gradually. Methodically. Carefully.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL
High School VR Table Tennis -- It's Time to Compete Again.
Players are bouncing off of the walls in boredom and there is no definitive time-frame on when (if) the boys high school tennis season will resume. But.. There is a way to compete again..
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COVID virus larger than actual size - Click to enlarge |
Thanks to virtual reality, players can compete against each other while maintaining miles of social distancing between competitors. COVID-19 will not have a chance to compete against this..
Unfortunately the physics and the movement involved with tennis make it almost impossible to have a life-like, skilled simulation, but it is very possible to do this with table tennis. For the past week, OTZ has been testing the Oculus Quest VR gaming system and a game called Eleven. This is *not* a traditional video game. The "physics" associated with this game (such as spins, angles, etc.) are life-like and reviewers have commented that it improves their actual table tennis skills.
OTZ has been playing with a friend in Worthington (a Columbus suburb) which is a few miles from the Columbus-based, OTZ headquarters. The matches are fun and competitive, and for the time being, OTZ has been victorious (but that will no doubt change very soon). It is also easy for me to talk with my friend while we play.
Yes, it is pretty expensive, but it is comparable with other gaming systems. It is also the future and it would be helpful for the entire family to be aware of this technology. This technology is going to be used absolutely everywhere. So in other words, this is not something that is only for the high school tennis player in the family.
A review of the program (by BMF) is provided in the video to the right. By comparison, OTZ normally wins about 80% of the time against the "medium" setting and 10% of the time against "hard". Other videos reviewing the game are: VR Essentials and Paradise Decay. Here are a few points against two strong players to show what game play can be like.
One consideration is that some tennis families have already saved far more than the amount for the Oculus system and the Eleven game (which total about $420) by not being able to compete in tournaments and participate in tennis lessons.
Make sure that you obtain your parents' permission before proceeding. They need to be involved.
The game requires about 6 1/2 by 6 1/2 feet of room.
OhioTennisZone will track at least some of the results (and maybe a large number of the key match-ups).
Depending on the interest, there may be a parent / fan and coach competition. There may even be a state tournament for the players.
For those interested in playing, please send a Feedback to OhioTennisZone.com. Before purchasing a unit, it may be worthwhile to get a "show of hands" on who might be interested in participating. It may be a somewhat easy decision to purchase the Eleven game for those who already have the Oculus Quest system, but not at all an easy decision for those who do not. For those on the fence, it would be best to wait and see what the interest level is.
Now please go wash your hands. Again.
Special Note: While this is being launched on an OTZ-Approved Holiday, this is actually a legit offering.. Really.
THURSDAY, MARCH
Ohio State Tennis | OHSAA Press Conference
Progress continues with Ohio State's Ty Tucker Tennis Center. This $22 million facility is expected to be finished in the fall of 2020 (unless construction is delayed because of the coronavirus). It will house six indoor courts and tennis fans will be especially pleased with the theater style seating provided behind each court.
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Ty Tucker Ctr - Click to enlarge |
Auer Tennis Complex |
These photos were taken at sunrise on March 16. It is best to click on the images to view them clearly.
Major contributors to this project are the Auer, Weiler, Shulman, and Nourse families, The entire indoor and outdoor complex is named the Auer Family Tennis Complex. Fellow platform tennis player, Dick Nourse, has a lethal backhand that you do not see coming until it is too la ..
Just as a point of comparison, OTZ recently attended and took photos at the Kentucky Bank $100K tournament in Nicholasville, KY (outside of Lexington). This tournament was held at Top Seed Tennis which is a two year old facility that includes 12 indoor and 11 outdoor courts. It is hard to make dollar comparisons because of the many factors involved (i.e. OSU will stadium seating), but Top Seed Tennis' building costs for the entire facility was $6.1 million. It will be very interesting to compare the two buildings after OSU's indoor courts are completed.
Ohio High School Athletic Association's Jerry Snodgrass will hold a press conference at noon today to provide updates on the winter tournaments and on the spring sports. Keep your fingers crossed (after you carefully wash them).
The coronavirus is being advised to not interfere with any building named after Coach Tucker..
MONDAY,
Us (or U.S.) vs. Coronavirus
Last week, Ohio Department of Health's Dr. Amy Acton shocked the Internet when she estimated that 1% of Ohio's residents already had the coronavirus. That equates to 110,000 (1% of 11,000,000). Much to my surprise, she did not back away from that number at the following day's news conference.
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Cumulative COVID-19 Cases - Click to enlarge |
Based on the 1% fatality rate, it is now time to wait to see if Ohio has 1,100 deaths in about 12 days. If not, the 1% fatality rate is too high or her estimate was too high.
Ten days ago, Italy had 3,858 cases and as of this morning, the U.S. has 3,774. The U.S. has 5.4 times the population that Italy has.
The U.S. number of new cases is expected to spike up as more testing comes online this week.
Now please go wash your hands. Again.
SATURDAY,
April 6th (Hopefully)
All (frequently washed) fingers and toes are crossed in hopes that the boys high school season will continue after students come back after the three week break. The big question is *if* the students come back after the three week break. Even though the risk of acquiring the virus has to be lower since the spring sports are outdoor sports, it is highly doubtful that sports will continue if school is canceled.
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Cumulative COVID-19 Cases - Click to enlarge |
Based on the information that is currently available, the key date for high school tennis is Monday, April 6. Practices may resume and matches may start on this date. For more detailed information, click on this OHSAA link. It is updated as of March 13.
Many coaches have already posted their schedules on OTZ, but it is likely that many of those schedules will be changed to insure that the "in conference" matches are played.
Since there is no new high school tennis data, the graph to the right is another way in which to visualize how the U.S. is doing against the coronavirus. These stats are from the John Hopkins web site and they are gathered each morning by OTZ at 8am. This data has been collected since March 6.
This graph is a bit different from others in that it is the cumulative number of cases reported thus far. So far, the upward slope of the curve for the U.S. is less than other countries but this may change as more testing occurs. The flatter the curve (i.e. South Korea), the better it is. The Excel trend lines are also included for the U.S. and for Italy.
Now please go wash your hands. Again.
TUESDAY,
First Day of Practice
Weather conditions were great for the first practice of the season. In central Ohio, players were provided with a nice breeze to help them acclimate to outdoor conditions. Temperatures were in the 60's. Practices will be hit or miss for the rest of the week as temperatures remain mild and showers move in and out of the forecast.
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Watterson's Nick Geelan - Click to enlarge |
The closest courts to the OTZ headquarters are the Whetstone Park of Roses courts and the Upper Arlington courts. These are the go-to courts when a quick picture is needed. Both Bishop Watterson and Whetstone practice at the Park of Roses.
Bishop Watterson returns four of their starters from last season. They are: Nick Geelan, Johnny DiOrio, Adam Pavliga, and Cole Petrilla.
Conditions for taking photos were absolutely ideal yesterday with largely overcast conditions and a hint of sun.
MONDAY,
Boys Season Starts Today | COVID-19
The boys season will start with great weather conditions today. As for the rest of the week, who knows?
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Weather Conditions - Click to enlarge |
Some college tennis teams are canceling their west coast spring break plans as COVID-19 fears rise. Even if no one on a team catches the virus, getting caught up in a quarantine or isolation situation after flying on a plane would have a similar effect. Plus, no one knows what will happen by the end of this week.. Teams affected include Denison, Case Western (women's team), and probably more to come..
Commonly referred to as the fifth grand slam, Indian Wells has been postponed. It was to start this week. Players with Ohio ties who were expected to compete in the main draws or qualifiers included Lauren Davis, Caty McNally, JJ Wolf, and Nicole Gibbs.
TUESDAY,
OTCA Award Winners
The Ohio Tennis Coaches Association (OTCA) Clinic / Conference was held this past weekend at the Dublin Marriott. The OTCA presented a number of awards to recognize deserving coaches and players. The award winners for this year were:
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Reagan Resor - Click to enlarge |
Niraj Komatineni - Click to enlarge |
Sportsmanship Award Winners: Dublin Jerome's Reagan Resor and Mason's Niraj Komatineni.
Coach of the Year: Hathaway Brown's Greg Aten (Girls) and Wellington's Thomas Haddow (Boys)
Hall of Fame: Cuyahoga Falls' Ray Montgomery and Lakeside's Robert Walters
Sportsmanship, Ethics, and Integrity: Columbus School for Girls' Sean Delaney and North Canton Hoover's Ryan Shaffer
Scholarship Winners: Bowling Green's Mitchell Drumm, Mason's Kelly Reid, and Findlay's Drew Swisher.
Congratulations to all of the award winners.
MONDAY,
OTZ Boys State Team Draws Now Available
The State Team Draws were determined yesterday (Sunday) at the Ohio Tennis Coaches' Association Meeting. The top four teams in each district were seeded by the coaches.
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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. 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 nice increase. This season, there are 128 teams participating. The number of boys teams participating by year is: 2015 - 148; 2016 - 128; 2017 - 126; 2018 - 125; 2019 - 119; 2020 - 128. As is shown in the graph, the Southwest District has the largest increase in the number of teams participating. Out of the 386 OHSAA boys tennis teams, 33% of the teams compete in this tournament. Please click on the graph to enlarge it for easier viewing.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY
OTZ Pre-Season Top Ten Teams (beta release)
The boys season will be here soon. It is time for another edition of the OTZ Pre-Season Top Ten Teams lists. 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. The OTCA meetings which are being held on Sunday and Monday (March 1-2) normally reveal some surprises.
OhioTennisZone.com Pre-Season State Top Ten Boys Tennis Teams February 28, 2020 |
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| Division I | Division II |
| 1. St. Xavier◄TEAM | Wellington◄TEAM |
| 2. Mason◄TEAM | Cincinnati Country Day◄TEAM |
| 3. University◄TEAM | Columbus Academy◄TEAM |
| 4. New Albany◄TEAM | Chagrin Falls |
| 5. Dublin Jerome◄TEAM | Indian Hill◄TEAM |
| 6. Olentangy◄TEAM | Seven Hills◄TEAM |
| 7. Upper Arlington◄TEAM | Lexington◄TEAM |
| 8. Solon◄TEAM | Ursuline◄TEAM |
| 9. Findlay | Ottawa Hills |
| 10. St. Ignatius | Orange◄TEAM |
◄TEAM - Denotes OTZ Team Membership. Click on School Name for Extensive Information. |
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In D1, St. Xavier, Mason, and University School will be the teams to beat. Other teams will need to rely on their depth or freshman to win.
Division I
St. Xavier starts at the #1 position. They return Ronit Hiryur (State Singles Finalist), Charlie Temming (State Doubles Champion), as well as Alex Brandt and Kyle Powers. They pick up 4-star Drew Evans and Vincent Knott. They lost Max DeCurtins and Nicholas Aronoff to graduation. Preston Stearns is not playing high school tennis this year.
#2 The defending State Team champion, Mason, lost State Singles Champion, Niraj Komatineni, to graduation as well as Pranav Viswanathan and Aneesh Zutshi. Mason returns Vignesh Gogineni, Anish Gangavaram, Akshay Joshi, and Sam King.#3 University School returns its top three players. Chas Norman, Charlie Joranko, and Ben Martin, plus Nathan Mu. They lost Max Borsch to graduation.
#4 New Albany returns experienced States competitors, Devin Boyer and Ryan Mudre. Also returning is Alek Jacoby. They lost State Singles Champion, Robert Cash, and Joel Jose.
#5 Dublin Jerome returns a solid team, including: Max Fickas, Anish Patel, Christopher Knight, and Andrew Dvorkin. They lost just one player to graduation, Dylan Cai.
#6 Olentangy returns its top singles players: Sam Routzahn, Omar Khayat, and Ayush Sunkad. They lost Tucker Strawser to graduation.
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St. Xavier's 2019 Boys Team - Click to enlarge |
#7 Upper Arlington returns Will Reynolds, Emerson Dean, and Nathan Yu. They lost Paige Kompa and Lance Li to graduation.
#8 Solon returns Andy Lebowitz, Aaron Lee, and Scott Zhao. They gain freshman, Nikolas Romanov. They lost Thomas Liu to graduation.
#9 Findlay returns their top three players: Drew Swisher, Max Hosey, and Carson Dale.
#10 St. Ignatius returns Nathaniel Day, Arjun Brahmbhatt, and Kai Vesikallio. They lost John McNally to graduation.
Teams that lost numerous players to graduation include Sycamore and Massillon Jackson. There is inadequate information to rank Perrysburg, Canfield, and North Canton Hoover.
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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Wellington 2019 Boys Team - Click to enlarge |
#2 Cincinnati Country Day returns much of its line-up from last year. Players returning include: Sai Nalagatla, Neil Badlani, and Ashutosh Annapantula. They lost Manav Midha and Herschel Albert to graduation.
#3 Columbus Academy returns the State Finalists in Doubles, Arie Tuckerman and Jack Madison, and State Doubles Champion, Rhian Seneviratne, returns. They lost Seneviratne's partner, Suriya Sundaram, and Drew Haffer to graduation.
#4 Chagrin Falls returns State Singles Champion, Andrew Zimcosky, as well as Jackson Quinn and Ellis Clark.
#5 Indian Hill returns Tejas Pisati, Anay Gautham, and Coleman Warstler. They lost Mack Ellis to graduation.
#6 Seven Hills returns Ajay Gupta, Kevin Wang, and Naail Sajjad. They lost Max Yuan to graduation.
#7 Lexington lost no players to graduation. They return Benton Drake, Blake Webster, Brent Webster.
#8 Ursuline returns State Finalist Greg Morgione, Josh Khavari, and Gavin Blacksher. They lost Austin Arfaras, Luke Tsudis, and Sean O'Connor to graduation.
#9 Ottawa Hills returns Matthew McGee, Henry Harders, and Jack Burke. They lost James Schwann to graduation. They pick up Libbey Rhegness who is a senior this year.
#10 Orange returns Jake Goldstein and Rohit Kashyap. They gain 5-star Benjamin Pomeranets. They lost Ilon Goldberg to graduation.
D2 teams who lost a significant number of players to graduation include Wyoming, Bexley, 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 a better team, that's your fault - not mine.
MONDAY,
OHSAA Boys Season Calendar / Upcoming USTA Tournaments
The OHSAA Boys Season Calendar is listed below. The boys season calendar is normally chaotic because of the weather and due to the timing of spring breaks. With the high school season starting later than previous years (March 27 in 2020 versus March 22 in 2019), most schools will thankfully be finished with their breaks prior to the season starting.
OhioTennisZone.com |
| Feb. 15-17: USTA MW Lev 2's - - B14, B16, B18 |
| Feb. 22-23: USTA MW Lev 3's - - B14, B16, B18 |
| Mar. 1-2: OTCA Coach Clinic |
| Mar. 9: 1st Day of Coaching |
| Mar. 7-8: USTA MW Lev 3's - - B14, B16, B18 |
| Mar. 14: SAT Test Date |
| Mar. 27: HS Season Begins |
| Mar. 28 - Apr. 5: Easter Bowl |
| Apr. 4-7: USTA MW Lev 3's - - B14, B16, B18 |
| Apr. 4: ACT Test Date |
| Apr. 12: Easter |
| Apr. 13: Non-Interscholas. Date |
| Apr. 25: Waiver Ext. Ends |
| May 2: SAT Test Date |
| May 3: Sectional Tourn. Draw |
| May 11-16: Sectional Tourn. |
| May 18-23: District Tourn. |
| May 29-30: State Tournament |
| May 31: State Team Tourn. |
| June 6: Season Ends |
The OTZ calendar includes a few additional dates that are important to tennis players, such as the dates of several major USTA tournaments and 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.
This will be the second 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.
There will be no shortage of great matches and high school tune-up opportunities for players competing in USTA tournaments. There are three, high level tournaments coming up this weekend as well as during the weekends of February 22-23 and March 7-8. There is also a Level 3 tournament just a week after the season begins. Click on the links for more information.
OhioTennisZone will remove last year's graduates from the rosters. This will happen near the beginning of the season. Coaches, please do not remove graduated players from your roster. This will be done by OTZ.
THURSDAY,
New OTZ Personalized Report
Now you can make your time even more productive on OhioTennisZone. Members now receive a report that can be personalized to quickly show information about their favorite teams and players. This report is expected to be especially beneficial to college coaches who like to watch the progress of players who compete on a variety of teams. This report has been in the works for years but there was finally time to create it this winter.
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Favorite Teams - Click to enlarge |
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Favorite Players - Click to enlarge |
This report will automatically appear after OTZ members sign-in to the web site. It is also available via the Tennis Statistics / Info menu drop down.
The personalized team portion of the report includes team and coach photos, the teams' records, and the Average Court Winning % graph.
The Average Court Winning % is new this year and it provides the average "by court" performance of teams throughout the season. This graph will enable enthusiasts to quickly identify teams' strengths and weaknesses. This new graph will also be included on team reports for member viewing.
The personalized player chart includes player photos and records. It also provides easy access to players' OTZ Player Profiles and TennisRecruiting.net information. The Boys list will automatically be shown during the boys season, but there is an option at the top of the report to view the girls information.
Included on both the team and player personalized reports is the ability to quickly jot down comments about teams and players.
In addition to the favorite teams and players lists, members can also easily access OTZ information and tools that will enhance their use of OhioTennisZone.
Users will be presented with their payment status and most recent access time. Please contact OTZ if your payment information was not updated.
Sign up to OhioTennisZone to get your own OTZ Personalized Report and to obtain an OTZ Player Profile. In fact, give your sweetheart an OTZ membership for Valentine's Day and it will be the last present that you will ever need to buy her (him).. Really. (But don't make the same mistake with your next sweetheart.)
Any comments about the new report? Please submit a Feedback.
THURSDAY,
Top Freshman Boys
Using TennisRecruiting.net (TRN), OTZ has identified the Ohio freshmen who are in the Top 800 in the nation. Many of these players will contribute immediately on varsity squads. Of course, it is also important to know which school these players are attending. I will need your help 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) | Incoming School |
| Alvin Altman - 3 | Canton (NE) | Mas. Jackson |
| Brandon Carpico - 3 | Columbus (C) | Gahanna |
| Drew Evans - 4 | West Chester (SW) | St. Xavier |
| Elijah Hadler - 3 | Medina (NE) | Highland |
| Shreyas Kode - 2 | Springboro (SW) | Springboro |
| Reece Page - 2 | Dublin (C) | Dublin Scioto |
| Benjamin Pomeranets - 5 | Chagrin Falls (NE) | Orange |
| Nikolas Romanov - 3 | Solon (NE) | Solon |
| Anthony Shalakov - 4 | West Chester (SW) | Lakota West |
| Pavan Uppu - 4 | Pickerington (C) | Pickerington North |
| Merit Wagstaff - 2 | Akron (NE) | Revere |
Some of the schools listed are educated guesses based on players of the same last name who attended the school.
The TennisRecruiting.net star ratings are included beside each of the players. The player links go to TennisRecruiting.net.
There are likely a player or two who are not playing high school tennis.
There may also be players who are freshmen but are not included in the TRN freshman class info.
Of the 13 players on the list, the Central District has three, Northeast - 7, Northwest - 0, and Southwest - 3.
Are there other changes? If you are aware of non-graduate players who played high school tennis last year, but are not returning to play this year, please let OTZ know by submitting a Feedback form. This information could be helpful for the pre-season OTZ Top Ten Team Rankings.
Now is the perfect time to update contact information on TRN. TRN is commonly the way in which college coaches reach out to prospective recruits. Setting up a profile is free.
SATURDAY,
Top OTZ Photos for 2019
The last major OTZ project for the girls' season was to create the Top Photo Video / Slideshow for 2019. This year's video is loosely separated into four portions: the photos of professionals, college players, platform tennis players (including a magazine cover photo), and of course, 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.
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Click for OTZ Top Photos Video - Click for video |
Eagle eye viewers will see that OTZ thanks its sponsors at the end of the video. 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 that 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. 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. To look for familiar faces, click to view photos from the 2019 season and awards banquet. OhioTennisZone also provides the web site for the GCTA. Contact the GCTA now to inquire about playing during the 2020 season.
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 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.
YouTube has essentially eliminated the ability of using music from the top artists in any new videos. This is the first OTZ video using Youtube's "in-house" artists. It worked out well.
Contact OhioTennisZone via Feedback with any questions.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17,
College Tennis Commitments
The number of Ohio high school tennis players who have committed to colleges is starting to grow. The list below will continue to be updated to reflect this.
OhioTennisZone.com |
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| Player - Girls | High School / College |
| Ananya Aggarwal | Mason / Williams |
| Cassie Alcala | Pickerington North / Toledo |
| Annika Alper | Seven Hills / Dickinson |
| Rachel Buchinsky | Laurel / Lehigh |
| Morgan Coburn | Indian Hill / Georgetown |
| Carly Cohen | Gil. Acad. / Univ of Richmond |
| Sydney Khosla | Centerville / Wittenberg |
| Ava McQuillin | Tol. Central Catholic / Toledo |
| Blessing Nwaozuzu | Orange / Xavier |
| Sanjana Reddy | Mason / University of Cincinnati |
| Kortney Reed | Olentangy Orange / Ashland |
| Reagan Resor | Dublin Jerome / Findlay |
| Olivia Rondini | Magnificat / Bryant |
| Laurel Utterback | North Canton Hoover / Bucknell |
| Katherine Wang | Dublin Jerome / Case Western |
| Player - Boys | High School / College |
| Kyle Fout | Gahanna / Wittenberg |
| Milan Gonela | Wellington / Denison |
| Ronit Hiryur | St. Xavier / Dayton |
| Ben Marshall | Wellington / Denison |
Last year, there were at least 34 players who committed. So far this year, there are 20.
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 include: Julia Bays, Sylvia Gray, Hayley Hirsch, and Angelia Ross.
To see the complete list of Ohio players competing in college, 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.
SATURDAY,
Top Incoming Freshman Girls
Fans and coaches like to see who the strong players are on the horizon. Using TennisRecruiting.net, OTZ identifies the current eighth graders who are in the Top 600 in the nation. 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. I will need your help with this. If you have inside knowledge of which school a player plans to attend, please submit a Feedback.
OhioTennisZone.com |
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| Player - TRN Stars | City (District) | Incoming School |
| Elizabeth Alderman - 2 | Columbus (C) | Worth. Kilbourne |
| Brooke Arington - 3 | Cincinnati (SW) | Indian Hill |
| Amara Brahmbhatt - 4 | Westlake (NE) | St. Joseph Acad. |
| Tess Bucher - 4 | N. Canton (NE) | N. Can. Hoover |
| Arya Chabria - 2 | Powell (C) | Columbus Academy |
| Sarah Clark - 4 | Cincinnati (SW) | |
| Pritika Choudhuri - 3 | Dublin (C) | Dublin Coffman |
| Paige Cornelius - 2 | New Albany (C) | |
| Shradha Grover - 3 | Cincinnati (SW) | Sycamore |
| Emily Jennewein - 3 | Cincinnati (SW) | St. Ursula Academy |
| Summer Mu - 4 | Solon (NE) | Hath. Brown |
| Clara Owen - 3 | Dayton (SW) | Centerville |
| Maria Poon - 2 | Cincinnati (SW) | |
| Catherine Rhegness - 2 | Ottawa Hills (NW) | Ottawa Hills |
| Natalie Smitek - 3 | Avon (NE) | Magnificat |
| Lily Walker - 2 | Perry (NE) | Perry |
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.
Based on where some of these players are competing in tournaments, some are likely no longer living in Ohio.
Of the 16 players on the list, the Central District has four, Northeast - 5, Northwest - 1, and Southwest - 6.
Speaking of Tennis Recruiting.net, now is the perfect time for upper class men to insure that their player contact information is up-to-date on TRN. This is a common way for college coaches to reach out to prospective recruits.
OTZ has provided daily updates since August 9th. That is 79 straight days without taking a day off. There will still be an update or two next week, but OTZ is now in " intermittent mode". Feel free to check back in from time to time.
FRIDAY,
Final OTZ State Team Rankings - Mason and Hathaway Brown #1
The final OTZ State Team Rankings are posted. Mason began the season at #1 and ended the season at #1. Hathaway Brown began the season at #3 but finished in the #1 spot after their wins over Indian Hill and Toledo Central Catholic in the State Team Tournament.
State Top Ten Girls Tennis Teams Final 2019 Rankings October 25, 2019 |
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| Division I | Division II |
| 1. Mason◄TEAM State Spots 3 Final 4 | Hathaway Brown◄TEAM 3 4 |
| 2. Magnificat◄TEAM 2 4 | Indian Hill 3 4 |
| 3. Upper Arlington◄TEAM 1 4 | Col. Academy◄TEAM 1 4 |
| 4. Dublin Jerome◄TEAM 2 | Oakwood◄TEAM 2 |
| 5. Pickerington North 1 | Cinc. Hills Christian Acad. 1 |
| 6. Notre Dame Acad. ◄TEAM 2 4 | Orange◄TEAM 2 |
| 7. Olentangy Orange 1 | Laurel◄TEAM 1 |
| 8. Sycamore◄TEAM 1 | Toledo Central Catholic 3 4 |
| 9. Brecksville 1 | Eaton 1 |
| 10. N. Canton Hoover◄TEAM 1 | Wellington◄TEAM 1 |
| HM: St. Ursula Acad. ◄TEAM 1 | Archbishop Alter◄TEAM |
| HM: Massillon Jackson 2 | Seven Hills◄TEAM |
| HM: Olentangy Liberty◄TEAM 2 | Mariemont |
◄TEAM - Denotes OTZ Team Membership. Click on School Name for Extensive Information. | |
There were tweaks after the results from States and the State Team Tournament were considered, but the rankings are very similar to the October 17 rankings.
Interested in getting on this ranking list next year? Then it is important to play other highly ranked teams especially when both teams are at full-strength. Check next year's OTZ Girls tennis calendar to identify conflicts with big ACT / SAT test dates and major USTA tournaments.
Congratulations to these teams.
MONDAY,
OhioTennisZone.com's All-Ohio Girls Tennis Team
Congratulations to the players selected for the OhioTennisZone's All-Ohio Girls Tennis Team for 2019.
OhioTennisZone's All-Ohio |
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Division I - Singles |
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 Abby Nugent Springboro |
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 Anna Kan Canfield |
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Division II - Singles |
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 Rylie Hanford West Geauga |
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 Macy Hitchcock Eaton |
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Division I - Doubles |
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Division II - Doubles |
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 Hayley Hirsch Indian Hill |
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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. As per TennisRecruiting.net's analysis, this year's players are very talented. In previous years, the number of D1 players on the OTZ All-Ohio team has been: 2018 - 7, 2017 - 7, and 2016 - 6. The D2 teams have totaled: 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.
WEDNESDAY,
OhioTennisZone.com Usage Activity Edition
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 21.
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OTZ Team Pages - Click to enlarge |
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Usage by Metro Area - Click to enlarge |
The Hathaway Brown team page drew the most interest during the season. The other teams in the top five were: Dublin Jerome, Upper Arlington, Columbus Academy, and Magnificat. All of the top five teams are OTZ Team Members. Note that bars on the chart are percentages based on that team's pageviews divided by Hathaway Brown's usage. So for example, Olentangy Liberty had approximately one-half (48%) of the usage that Hathaway Brown's page generated. 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 Metro Areas that access OTZ may surprise a few people. While Ohio's metro areas dominate, Nashville, Detroit, Washington DC, NYC, and Chicago make up a significant percentage of the pageviews. All of the numbers were divided by Columbus' usage. For example, Cincinnati and Cleveland-Akron had approximately half of Columbus' usage while Dayton had 14% and Toledo had 12%.
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Mason's Aggarwal - Click to enlarge |
Pick. North's Alcala |
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Liberty's Atway |
NDA's Black - Click to enlarge |
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HB's Gillinov - Click to enlarge |
Olentangy's Khayat |
The six players who had the most views of their OTZ Player Profiles during the girls season are (in alphabetical order): Mason's Ananya Aggarwal, Pickerington North's Cassie Alcala, Olentangy Liberty's Maddie Atway, Notre Dame Academy's Lilly Black, Hathaway Brown's Nicole Gillinov, and Olentangy's Nour Khayat. 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.
The top pages accessed on OhioTennisZone (outside of this main page) are:
- Central Ohio Team Lookup
- Girls State Draws-2019
- Southwest Ohio Team Lookup
- Northeast Ohio Team Lookup
- OTCA Girls State Team Draws
Even though the OTZ wife may say that too much time is wasted on Twitter (and the OTZ wife would be correct with this assessment), Twitter remains another way to reach the high school tennis audience and to draw users back to the OhioTennisZone web site. To the right are the top OTZ tweets sorted by impressions.
OTZ appreciates its sponsors and advertisers and it can always use more. Please contact OTZ for more information. Online activity continues to grow. The number of OTZ users increased 22.7% versus last year and the number of pageviews increased 24.0%. For more information about advertising, please submit a Feedback.
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. The order of finish was D1 Singles, D2 Singles, D2 Doubles, and then finally, D1 Doubles.
For best results, use full screen mode and increase the resolution to HD.
Some videos include more than just the final point.
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Division I Singles: Springboro's Abby Nugent defeated Mason's Ananya Aggarwal. |
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Division I Doubles: Dublin Jerome's Arya Dudipala - Lalasa Nagireddy beat their teammates, Reagan Resor - Katherine Wang. |
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Division II Singles: Columbus Academy's Sydni Ratliff |
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Division II Doubles: Indian Hill's Morgan Coburn - Hayley Hirsch beat Laurel's Rachel Buchinsky - Laurel's Ellie Brotherton. |
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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.
MONDAY,
State Team Champions: Mason - Division I and Hathaway Brown - Division II
Congratulations to Mason and Hathaway Brown as repeat State Team Champions in Division I and Division II, respectively. This is Mason's third in a row and HB's fifth in a row. Click for Mason's from 2018 and 2017 and HB's championship photos for 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015.
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Mason - Click to Enlarge |
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Hathaway Brown - Click to Enlarge |
The order of finish in the State Team Tournament for Division I was: Mason, Magnificat, Upper Arlington, and Notre Dame Academy.
For Division II, it was: Hathaway Brown, Indian Hill, Columbus Academy, and Toledo Central Catholic.
Click on Previous Day Match Results to see the OTZ team performance graphs.
The weather deserved a gold star for the weekend. Having three terrific weather days was great for the fans and for the players.
The tradition for the State Team Tournament is to end matches after teams get to three wins so many of the top court players did not finish. For those that did, Columbus Academy's Sydni Ratliff defeated Indian Hill's Morgan Coburn; Hathaway Brown's Nicole Gillinov beat Toledo Central Catholic's Ava McQuillin and Indian Hill's Hayley Hirsch; and Notre Dame Academy's Lilly Black defeated Magnificat's Olivia Rondini. Click to view the Top Ohio Players for Central, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest.
This (almost) wraps up a great tennis season. OTZ has done 74 consecutive daily updates, but there will be a few more updates before OTZ switches to the PTZ (PlatformTennisZone.com) web site.. The plan for tomorrow is to post the OHSAA championship points.
SUNDAY,
Congrats to State Champions | State Team Tournament
Great tennis matched the great weather yesterday. States may have benefited from the best weather conditions ever. The weather today is expected to be equally good at Reynoldsburg.
The tournament finished at 3:30pm yesterday on Court 10 with the D1 doubles finals.
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Springboro's Nugent - Click to enlarge |
Jerome's Dudipala - Nagireddy |
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Academy's Ratliff |
IH's Hirsch - Coburn |
The State champions and the finalists are:
Division I Singles: Springboro's Abby Nugent defeated Mason's Ananya Aggarwal
Division I Doubles: Dublin Jerome's Arya Dudipala - Lalasa Nagireddy beat their teammates, Reagan Resor - Katherine Wang
Division II Singles: Columbus Academy's Sydni Ratliff defeated Gilmour Academy's Carly Cohen
Division II Doubles: Indian Hill's Morgan Coburn - Hayley Hirsch beat Laurel's Rachel Buchinsky - Ellie Brotherton
As soon as the tournament finished, I zoomed back to Columbus for the CompuServe 50th Anniversary / Reunion. (We were just a half hour late.) Mrs. OTZ and I originally met at CompuServe and we both worked there for many years. This also explains why there were no OTZ tweets following the tournament. Oh yeah, a GIF file is pronounced JIF-- like the peanut butter. CompuServe invented this format which is widely in use today, so yes, we know how to pronounce it..
OTZ will be processing photos like crazy now. 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 (with your favorite sweetener on top) tell me if you need to get the photos by a certain date (i.e. your daughter's wedding). 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 in Reynoldsburg.. Mason plays Upper Arlington and Notre Dame Academy plays Magnificat first. Division II follows with Indian Hill versus Columbus Academy and Toledo Central Catholic versus Hathaway Brown.
