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Solon netters take game to next level
(by Steve Novak - May 26, 2010)
Solon netters take game to next level
By STEVE NOVAK
Back in March, members of the Solon tennis team had a feeling that the squad had enough talent to send someone to the state finals at the end of May.
Flash forward to the third week of May, when the state qualifiers for Division I finals were announced. Solon was well represented on the list.
"We always thought we had a chance, but to have both doubles teams qualify to state, well, we never expected that," Zach Singerman, a junior, said.
Singerman and his partner Evan Schrode qualified for this weekend's state tournament at the Stickney Tennis Center on the campus of the Ohio State University in Columbus. So did Solon's other doubles team of Liam O'Brien and Andrew Branstetter.
During the regular season, the Comets won 10 matches and only lost one dual match against Hawken School.
Singerman said the talent of the team began to show from the beginning of the season.
"It's been just a great year. We have a nice team," he said. "With the exception of three new players, we have the same team that we had last year."
The high number of returning players was one of the reasons that all of the team members had a good feeling about the 2010 season. Singerman said the talent on the team had matured this season, and they all knew there was a lot of potential to improve.
"Last season, we didn't have anyone qualify for state," Singerman said. "But even at the beginning of this season, we always felt that we had a chance."
Throughout most of the regular season, Solon was ranked in the top 20 of Division I schools in the weekly coaches poll. In the final poll at the end of the regular season, Solon was ranked eighth.
Branstetter, a sophomore in his first year of varsity competition, said the reality of qualifying for state came as a big shock.
"It is a little bit of a surprise. At the first part of the season, it was a little up on the air about who was going to be on the team," he said. "It was always a dream to qualify for state. But now that it happened, it's a little bit surreal."
Evan Schrode and his twin brother, Jason ,both entered the season with high expectations. Evan, a junior, spent most of this season in doubles competition, and Jason played mostly singles. Evan said he is looking forward to the advanced level of competition he expects at the state tournament.
"The level of play is higher than we've seen all season," he said. "But we don't want to be intimidated even before we get started."
David Shankman, another member of the Solon team, nearly qualified for state as a singles player. Shankman is only a freshman, but he made it all the way to the final round of District matches before he had to take himself out of the final match because of a leg cramp.
"I was down 4-5 in the second set. I was serving, and I had a bad cramp in my upper left thigh," he said. "It kept affecting my serve, and I lost that match 6-4. The cramp kept up in the third set, so I had to take myself out.
"I was disappointed, but I was still happy that I got that far," Shankman said. "Hopefully, next season, I can advance all the way to the state finals."
Shankman said he still is going to the state tournament this year. He will be cheering for his teammates in each of their matches.
Also advancing to the state tournament is Nolan Marks, of Kenston, in Division I singles.
In Division II, Sam Ubersax, of Orange, is alive in singles, and the doubles teams of David Gerson and Charlie Marks, of Hawken, and Nick Smedira and Billy Lennon, of University School.
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