TOM HARRIS
By Tom Harris...
The more things change, they have said, the more things stay the same. When they said it, they might have been discussing the Geneva girls tennis team’s move from the late, lamented Northeastern Conference to the Premier Athletic Conference. The Eagles, the NEC champions in eight of league’s final nine seasons, capped their PAC debut with yet another conference championship.
Coach Scott Torok’s Eagles were every bit as dominating in the new league as they had been in the old. On the way to an 18-3 season record, Geneva won all 12 of its PAC matches, 10 of them by the score of 5-0. And it should be noted, in their 3-2 win over Chardon on Oct. 5, the Eagles shuffled their lineup, moving CourtneyThompson and Jessica Coggins, normally their first and second
singles players, respectively, to first doubles in order to prepare for the tournament.
For guiding the Eagles to yet another conference crown, their fourth straight and the ninth in his 12 years as head coach, Torok has been named the Star Beacon Ashtabula County Coach of the Year.
“Going undefeated in the PAC was the highlight of the season,” Torok said. “We wanted to storm
the party. We wanted to show them who we are. We had ‘undefeated’ on our blackboard.”
Beyond hoping to do well, the Eagles expected an outstanding season. Geneva’s roster this year included six returning senior letterwinners.
“All six had been part of the lineup, and all had contributed,” Torok said. “They’re good girls. I’ll be sad to see them leave.”
The six — Thompson, Coggins, Brittany Kelly, Kaylee Perala, Courtney Raymond and Sarah Smith — gave Geneva both experience and depth. Thompson, Coggins and Kelly finished their careers with four letters in tennis, Smith earned three and Raymond and Perala each received two
letters.
“That group compiled a pretty good resume during their time here,” Torok said, pointing to the Eagles’ 68-16 record over the last four seasons.
Not everything remained the same. It never does. The familiar faces had to be blended with some new faces. The process wasn’t as daunting, however, as it might have been.
“I kind of knew how the six seniors would fit in,” Torok said. “But I was kind of surprised at how quickly everything came together.”
Freshman Megan Cowling made the process much easier. She stepped into the third-singles slot when Kelly, who was the Eagles’ No. 3 last year, asked to play doubles. Cowling finished the year with an 18-6 record in singles play. Meanwhile, Kelly, teamed primarily with Smith at first doubles, was 12-4 in doubles play and undefeated in the PAC.
“The key, I think, was that we had girls ready to fill in,” Torok said. “We played the same seven almost all year, but when we needed to have someone ready, we had enough experience to have people fill in. We were able to get it done.”
The Eagles had one other change to contend with. They dropped from Division I to Division II, causing a rise in the level of competition they faced at the sectional tournament. In 2008, five Geneva girls advanced to the Division I district tournament. This year, no Eagle was able to advance from the Brush Division II sectional.
“Our only disappointment is how the season ended,” Torok said. “Because there are so many private schools — Gilmour, Hawken and Laurel, for instance — the competition is so much stronger in Division II. It’s a meat grinder.
“We didn’t have anyone make it out. But, because of the competition, you can’t take anything away from the girls and their effort. We can’t be too disappointed.”
With its great tennis tradition, Geneva always has high expectations for its tennis teams. Maintaining the expected level of performance takes effort from a lot of people. Many of Torok’s players take lessons and play during the offseason to hone their skills.
“Once the season starts, we have one week of conditioning, a week of playoffs and then we start playing,” Torok said. “When the girls are able to play during the offseason, it really helps.”
The job of a coach is also made easier when his players combine their knowledge of the sport with a desire to play well and get better.
“I get a lot of cooperation from the girls,” Torok said. “A lot of the time I didn’t have to do much coaching. The girls knew what they had to do, and they did it.”
Torok was a basketball player at Ashtabula, not a tennis player. He took the recreational, rather than the competitive, route to tennis. There is no doubt, however, about the competitiveness of the teams he has coached. Over his 12 seasons at Geneva, the Eagles have had a 178-66-1 record and been conference champions nine times.
When it comes to serving up credit for the Eagles’ success, Torok generously ladles it out to those who have been part of the Geneva program for years, for decades.
“I’ve been able to surround myself with good people,” Torok said. “Sometimes I feel more like a general manager. (Geneva boys coach) Phil Dubsky helps out. This year, Arnie Bradshaw, who started Geneva’s tennis program, was back and worked some with the girls — that was a real treat.
“Bruce Smallwood was the junior high coach for years, and when he stepped down, Alex Stuetzer stepped in. And Dave Yost is the varsity assistant.
“Geneva tennis is like a family, and everybody is willing to lend a hand.”
With another season in the book, Torok is now looking forward to the 2010 season.
“We’ll wrap things up with our banquet,” Torok said. “Once the weather breaks, the girls will be able to get outside. Then, before you know it, we’ll be back at it.”
Harris is a freelance writer from Ashtabula Township. Reach him at tharris508@yahoo.com.
