TOM HARRIS
There is no girls tennis match to determine the Ashtabula County champion. Had there been such a match during the 2009 season, it would have been the one played at Geneva on Sept. 2.
The Eagles hosted Jefferson that day and defeated the Falcons, 3-2. The other three Ashtabula County schools — Lakeside, Edgewood and Conneaut — were game opponents all season long but unable to put together winning efforts against either Geneva or Jefferson.
The 2009 Star Beacon All-Ashtabula County girls tennis team reflects those results. The Eagles and Falcons have claimed all the spaces, save one, on this year’s team.
Geneva coach Scott Torok guided the Eagles to the Premier Athletic Conference championship. His team didn’t take long to adapt to its new conference, posting a 12-0 record in the PAC and going 18-3 overall. It was Geneva’s fourth straight league title, the previous three coming in the Northeastern Conference, and the ninth conference championship in Torok’s 12 years as coach. Torok is the 2009 Star Beacon Ashtabula County Coach of the Year.
Courtney Thompson, the Eagles’ No. 1 also compiled an 18-3 record. The senior was 15-2 in singles play, 3-1 while playing doubles, and 10-1 in the PAC. Thompson finished her high school career with a 78-18 record. The 78 career wins are the third most in Geneva history; only Courtney Brenkus (86-13) and Colleen Hall (82-15) have more. For the third straight year, Thompson is the Star Beacon Ashtabula County Player of the Year.
The All-Ashtabula County first-team selections are led by senior Jessica Coggins, who played second singles for the Eagles. Two of Jefferson coach Lou Murphy’s singles players earned spots on the first team: senior Chelsea Jarrel, who played first singles for the Falcons, and Kelly Tisch, another senior, was Jefferson’s No. 2.
The two points Jefferson got in its loss to Geneva both came from its doubles teams, and those tandems are this year’s first-team doubles selection. Jefferson’s Courtney Painter and Emily Jeppson, both seniors, played first doubles, and senior Shawni DeyErmand and sophomore Jackie Piscsalko played second doubles for Jefferson.
The All-Ashtabula County second-team selections are also largely drawn from the senior class. Lakeside Erika Ginn, who played first singles for the Dragons, is the only girl on the team not from Geneva or Jefferson and she is a junior. The Eagles’ Megan Cowling, who finished her freshman year with an impressive 18-6 record, playing mostly at third singles, and Jefferson senior Jenny Piscsalko, the Falcons’ No. 3, are the other second-team singles selections.
A quartet of Geneva seniors, its first- and second-doubles teams, complete the second-team selections. Brittany Kelly and Sarah Smith were the Eagles’ first-doubles team most of the year, and Kaylee Perala and Courtney Raymond were usually paired at second doubles.
Harris is a freelance writer from Ashtabula Township.
