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Boys Tennis: Terrier boys lead after Day 1

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A Tribune staff report

Published: April 13, 2009

TAMPA - Hillsborough's boys tennis team is making it difficult for Wharton, the defending Class 3A state champion, to defend its district title.

After the first day of district play at Hunter's Green Country Club, the Terriers hold a slight lead over the Wildcats in the 3A-District 9 team standings. Aided by Karim Saad's three-set upset of Wharton's Robert Bastain at No. 5 singles, Hillsborough will have players in each of today's championship singles finals.

Wharton advanced three of its players - Michael Alford (No. 1 singles), Benjamin Hwang (No. 2) and Rohit Navelkar (No. 3).

The Plant girls advanced all five singles players to today's finals. Chamberlain, the defending district champion, advanced four. Plant's Amber Li and Chamberlain's Jennifer Miller face off in the No. 1 match. Li defeated Miller during the regular season.

The top two teams and No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles winners advance to next week's regionals.

Katherine Smith

2A-10: TC girls send 3 to singles finals

Tampa Catholic's Kelly and Meghan Sullivan and Taylor Neal, along with Academy of the Holy Names' Nos. 4 and 5 players Christina Socias and Alexa Parisey, won semifinal matches at Hillsborough Community College. All five players will meet opponents from St. Petersburg Catholic in today's finals.

Last season, Meghan Sullivan (now a senior) took the No. 1 district title. This year, Kelly, a sophomore, looks to follow in her sister's footsteps. Kelly will play today against Julia Jones, while Meghan faces Alexa Bellini.

Both Sullivans, who are active in USTA play outside of high school, said they were excited to again have an opportunity to bring a district title home for their team.

"It's a nice feeling to be out there as a part of a team," Kelly Sullivan said. "I like the feeling of going out there for us as a group and not just for yourself."

On the boys side, St. Pete Catholic looked strong with the team's Nos. 1-4 advancing to the finals. Jesuit's Chase Merlin, T.R. Bopp and Chris Salup advanced along with Robinson's Omar Salup and Tampa Catholic's Kevin Ly and Max Schumacher.

Jarrett Guthrie

1A-9: Tampa Prep boys advance 5

LAKELAND - The Tampa Prep boys team advanced a player to the finals in all five singles brackets at the Kelly Recreational Complex.

Berkeley Prep will send three to the finals.

Tampa Prep's Alex Hallenbeck will face Berkeley Prep's Brian Shim in No. 1 singles.

In No. 2 singles, Tampa Prep's Nate Palombo will meet Berkeley Prep's Zach Bandes.

In No. 3 singles, Berkeley's Erik Fitz-Randolph will play Tampa Prep's Danny Heidenberg.

The other two singles brackets will feature Tampa Prep against Lakeland Santa Fe Catholic players.

In No. 4 singles, Tampa Prep's Ralph Grover will face Thomas Stanford; and in No. 5, Luke Davies of Tampa Prep will square off against Alex Marshall.

In doubles action, Tampa Prep's Hallenbeck and Palombo and Berkeley's teams of Fitz-Randolph and R.J. Campbell and Shim and Bandes advanced to the semifinals.

It's a tight race on the girls side, with three teams within a point of each other heading into today's finals. Berkeley Prep and Tampa Prep are tied for the team lead with 15 points, while Winter Haven All Saints has 14.

Blake Hasenzahl

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