published: Thursday, February 07, 2013

Lady Streaks downed,

Dragons start strong

By DAN HOEHNE

daniel.hoehne@newssun.com

That hot start by the Lady Blue Streak tennis team got a cold dose Tuesday against a tough Lakeland squad, getting one match win and dropping the other six.

That win came at No. 2 Singles, where Joy Donglasan got a bit of revenge against Sarah Coleman, who had beaten her in the District finals a season ago.

Donglasan took a 6-2, first-set win before Coleman stormed back to even it up with a 6-0 second-set win.

Donglasan prevailed, though, with a 10-4 edge in the tie-breaker for the victory.

And though that marked the lone win of the day, head coach Jean Hollinger saw the benefit of playing such strong competition early in the season.

"The girls played exceptional tennis and the scores do not reflect their level of play," she said. "They played great and fought hard for every point."

Over in Lake Placid, the Lady Dragons have gotten themselves off to a 2-0 start with a Monday win over Clewiston and a Tuesday sweep of Avon Park.

Hannah Waller fell in the No. 1 Singles match to Clewiston's Anessa Leyva Monday, but was picked up by big wins in the rest of the singles matches.

At No. 2, Stephanie Rodriguez went 6-0, 6-0, at No. 3, Claire LeBlanc won by 6-1, 6-0 scores and Jenna Blount was only slightly less generous with a 6-2, 6-0 win.

Rachel Shattler then put an exclamation point on the singles matches with a 6-0, 6-0 rout at No. 5.

Waller and Rodriguez then teamed up for an 8-4 win at No. 1 Doubles, while LeBlanc and Blount shared the court for an 8-2 win at No. 2.

At Avon Park Tuesday, with an abbreviated match, Lake Placid got wins in singles from Shattler at No. 1, Nelida Torres at No. 2 and Jillian Gadsden at No. 3.

Shattler and Torres then got an 8-2 win in the lone doubles match of the day.

"This year, the girls are working together to, as we call it, 'GWIT,'" head coach Jennifer Giguere said. "Give what it takes. They already have this determination and drive for the season to be at the top of their game.

"We lost one senior, Deta Waller, but gained three new players with Torres, Gadsden and Sophia Hernandez," she continued. "They've picked up the game very well and make the most of practice. The returning players are very consistent and strong at the net. They are playing with a lot of enthusiasm and having a lot of fun in the process."

The season continued Thursday for both Sebring and Lake Placid as the two teams squared off with the Streaks looking to get back on the winning track and the Dragons hoping to continue on theirs.

See Sunday's News-Sun for a recap of the contest.