Sixteen Former Players Named High School Tennis All Americans

Each spring the top 40 boys and top 40 girls in the country are honored as National High School Tennis All Americans by the National High School Tennis All-American Foundation. In 2014 a tournament record sixteen former participants received this honor. Eight players who participated in the 2014 tournament were among this year's honorees including Co-Most Valuable Players Martin Joyce and Michael Lorenzini. Former girls all tournament team selections Olivia Thaler and Cassie Mercer were selected for the second straight season. Five of the boys' selections, including Martin Joyce, Robert Kelly, Baker Newman, Chase Perez-Blanco and Walker Sims, were selected for the second straight year.

To be eligible to receive consideration as an All-American tennis player a student/athlete must maintain an above average academic and citizenship record, compete on a high school tennis team, and garner an individual national ranking. Among the elite group of student/athletes honored in the past as tennis All-Americans are many current and former professional tennis players, including Pete Sampras, Todd Martin, Kimberly Po, Aaron Krickstein, Jeff Tarango, Taylor Dent and Sam Querrey. All decisions for All-American honors are researched and authorized by a panel of eight (8) National District Chairmen who are highly respected high school coaches. For more information of the NHSTAAF click here.

GIRLS

Samantha Caswell • Baylor School • Chattanooga, TN

Anna Feaster • Webb School of Knoxville • Knoxville, TN

Allegra Hanlon • Ransom Everglades • Miami, FL

Cassie Mercer • Huntington • Huntington, WV

Olivia Thaler • Gulliver Prep • Pinecrest, FL

BOYS

Martin Joyce • Hinsdale Central • Hinsdale, IL

Robert Kelly • Cardinal Gibbons • Raleigh, NC

Brandon Lancaster • Saint Xavier • Louisville, KY

Michael Lorenzini • Hinsdale Central • Hinsdale, IL

Ryan Massinople • George Washington • Charleston, WV

Baker Newman • Gulliver Prep • Pinecrest, FL

Chase Perez-Blanco • Gulliver Prep • Pinecrest, FL

Oliver Sec • Beacon • New York, NY

Walker Sims • Memphis University School • Memphis, TN

Hunter Tubert • Huntington • Huntington, WV

Ziqi Wang • Vestavia Hills • Vestavia Hills, AL

Spartanburg Wins South Carolina Class 4A State Championship

Spartanburg, who finished seventh at the 2015 DecoTurf High School Tennis Team Championship, claimed their first state title in school history over the weekend. Despite a lineup that included a sophomore, four freshmen, an eighth grader and a seventh grader the Vikings outscored their opponents 29-1 in route to the South Carolina Class 4A State Championship. The state title capped a perfect 21-0 season against in-state competition.

Spartanburg's championship victory was a landslide with the Vikings rolling 6-0. The Vikings got a key win by Spencer Brown at No. 1 singles. Following his victory Brown said “Coming down here I felt really good about playing them even though they were the defending state champions from last year, we felt really good coming out here. The team was just pumped.” Freshman Chambers Easterling clinched the title with his 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles. The Vikings also got wins by Noah Nawabi, Omar Williams and Bryce Keim. Arpit Maini and Phillip Jordan earned an 8-3 victory in No. 2 doubles for Spartanburg.

The Vikings who appear to have started a dynasty with every member of their state championship squad returning next year. Coach Todd Seagle said "“It’s just the luck of the draw I guess, I’ve got at least two more seventh graders next year that could possibly put a dent in the lineup as well. We’ve got a lot of talent, a lot of youth. It could be several years in a row is what we’re hoping.”

Spartanburg added to the hardware with freshman Spencer Brown advancing to the championship match of South Carolina Class AAAA/AAA Singles State Championship before falling 6-0, 6-1. 

Saint Xavier Sweeps Kentucky State Championships

The Saint Xavier Tigers success in high school tennis in Kentucky is unmatched, but the Tigers completed a rare feat when they captured their sixth consecutive and 23rd overall state team championship this year. For just the fifth time in state history Saint Xavier won the team championship, singles championship and doubles championship in the same year. 

"That's something we've been shooting for the last couple of years, and unfortunately we didn't get it last year," Lancaster said. "It was pretty nice to get it this year."

The Tigers, who finished as runner-up at the 2014 DecoTurf High School Tennis Team Championships, outscored their opponents 12-0 in team state tournament play. Saint X opened their State Championship match against McCracken County with a 1-0 behind freshman Drew Singerman's win at No. 2 singles. Tiger seniors Coleman Cox and Nick Quinones gave the team a 2-0 lead with their 6-3, 6-0 victory and junior Nick Waldeck's 6-2, 6-1 win clinched the state title for Saint Xavier. 

"I've closed out a lot of matches but not one for the state championship, so it was a little bit extra meaning," Waldeck said. "I enjoyed that. It's been a long day, so it's good to put an end to it."

The Tigers overall sweep came one day later as the Tigers top player, junior Brandon Lancaster, won the Kentucky Singles State Championship avenging a loss from the 2013 state finals. Lancaster said "I just started going for more of my shots and decided that if I'm going to lose it's going to be on my terms, shots went in." The Kentucky Doubles State Championship featured a matchup of Saint Xavier Doubles teams with seniors Coleman Cox and Nick Quinones taking on Matt Graft and Nick Waldeck. The battle was especially tough for coach Kerry Lancaster who watched the doubles final from the grandstand, not wanting to choose sides on the court during the match. The duo of Graft and Waldeck eventually prevailed with an emotional 6-4, 4-6, 10-8 win. 

Cardinal Gibbons Wins North Carolina Class 3A State Championship

Cardinal Gibbons capped off their season over the weekend with a 25-4 record and a fourth consecutive North Carolina Class 3A State Championship. The Crusaders, who finished the 2014 DecoTurf High School Tennis Team Championships in 13th place, also captured individual singles and doubles state championships. Cardinal Gibbons, who outscored their opponents 39-0 in state tournament play, also completed the sweep of state titles in 2013.

Cardinal Gibbons was led by University of North Carolina signee, Robert Kelly, who was named Most Valuable Player of the Championship match after his 6-2, 6-4 victory at No.1 singles. Kelly was one of six Crusaders that swept their singles matches in straight sets to clinch the title with a 6-0 win. The doubles matches were not played because the outcome of the match was already decided. Cardinal Gibbons also got wins from Matt Galush, Jim Mantyh, Brody Chapman, Kyler Zadell and Kyle Fitzgerald.

Earlier in the week Cardinal Gibbons Robert Kelly captured his second straight North Carolina Class 3A Singles State Championships with a 6-3, 6-2 victory. Kelly who had to finish the match with a teammates racket after breaking strings on both of his rackets said “It’s always fun to represent your school like this, there’s pressure to repeat, so it feels good to come out here and close it out the way I did.” The Crusaders also took home hardware in doubles as Matt Galush and Noah Constantine defended their Doubles State Championship in an all-Cardinal Gibbons finale against Jim Mantyh and Kyle Fitzgerald.

Walton Wins Georgia Class 6A State Championship

The Walton High School Girls Tennis Team claimed their 10th State Championship in the past 11 years over the weekend. The Raiders outscored their opponents 16-1 in route to their second straight state title. 

Walton, who finished in third place at the 2014 DecoTurf High School Tennis Team Championships, did not drop a single match until the championship of the Class 6A State Tournament against Alpharetta. Junior Bella Kuse lost a heartbreaking 3-6, 6-4, 1-6 match at No. 1 Singles but the Raiders rolled from their sweeping the remaining matches. Walton's wins came at No. 3 singles by Johanna Keeline and at No. 2 doubles by Emily Gaskins and Grace Gaskins. Walton's Suzanne Zenoni clinched the match with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 victory at at No. 2 singles.

“I like to play under pressure,” Zenoni said. “When she got tired it picked me up and made me want to compete even more.”

“They really grew as a team, they came together and supported each other and played solid tennis.”” said Walton coach Christy Page.

Walton, who returns five of the seven players off the squad that claimed the state title, has committed to return to the 2015 DecoTurf High School Tennis Team Championships. 

Barron Collier & Wiregrass Ranch Split Florida Class 3A State Championship

DecoTurf High School Tennis Team Championships participants Barron Collier & Wiregrass Ranch finished in a two-way tie to be named Co-Champions of Florida's Class 3A State Championships.

The championships gave Barron Collier, 3rd place at the 2014 DecoTurf High School Tennis Team Championships, their fifth straight State Championship and ninth overall. The Cougars claimed the No. 3 & No. 5 Singles divisions with wins over co-champion Wiregrass Ranch by Paul Johnson and Michael Raymond. The doubles duo of Alan Sweet & Paul Johnson clinched the No. 1 Doubles division and teammates Michael Raymond and Doug Small claimed the No. 2 Doubles division. Cougars' Sweet & Johnson went on to claim the Florida Class 3A Doubles State Championship. 

Wiregrass Ranch finished 14th place at the DecoTurf High School Tennis Team Championships without their top two singles players Agustin Morena and Pedro Fernandez del Valle. The Bulls got key wins from the pair as they won the No. 1 and No. 2 Singles divisions and Alejandro Feliciano claimed the title at No. 4 singles. The duo of Alejandro Feliciano and Foresight Okungbowa had a chance to give Wiregrass Ranch the title outright but fell 7-6 (6-2), 3-6, 10-5 to Barron Collier at No. 2 Doubles. Wiregrass Ranch's Morena also went on to win the Florida Class 3A Singles State Championship. The team championship marked the first in school history for Wiregrass Ranch.

Barron Collier loses four seniors off their squad including SIU-Edwardsville commit Michael Raymond, Doug Small, Paul Johnson and Alejandro Vargas. Wiregrass Ranch Dave Wilson was excited about the future of his program saying ""We're getting better and better, and the good thing is there are no seniors."

Ransom Everglades Wins Florida Class A State Championship

The 2014 DecoTurf High School Tennis Team Championships Girls A Division Champion Ransom Everglades added another accomplishment as they cruised to the Florida Class A State Championship. The championship was the Raiders second in the last three seasons. Ransom Everglades didn't achieve perfection at the state tournament, but they weren't far from it. The Raiders captured four of five singles divisions with wins by Allegra Hanlon, Claudia Mackenzie, Daniela Lopez and Heather Boehm. The pair of Hanlon & Lopez also went on to claim the No. 1 Doubles division.

“We came out extremely focused,” coach Peter Lehmann said. “We knew what the number was to clinch this thing, and the girls didn’t waste any time. They got it done in a hurry.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/04/18/4066361/ransom-girls-capture-second-state.html#storylink=cpy

Ransom Everglades finished with a total of 19 points, just two points from a perfect 21 point sweep of the state tournament. The next closest opponent was American Heritage in a distant second place with 10 points. 

The Raiders will now send their three seniors Allegra Hanlon (Cornell), Claudia Mackenzie (Navy) and Lindsey Mendelson (Columbia) and off to play NCAA Division I tennis. Coach Lehman said "I can tell you that this is the best girls’ team I’ve ever coached."

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/04/18/4066361/ransom-girls-capture-second-state.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/04/18/4066361/ransom-girls-capture-second-state.html#storylink=cpy

Photos Now Available -- Boys DecoTurf High School Tennis Team Championships

Photos from the 2014 Boys DecoTurf High School Tennis Team Championships presented by Subway are now available from Louisville Sharp Photography. 

The photos include a variety of shots from throughout both days of tournament play with a variety of shots from the A & B Divisions. The galleries are split into Day 1 and Day 2. Prints are available for purchase online with prices starting at just $3.00. For more information please contact Max Sharp at louisvillesharpphotography@gmail.com. 

Click here to view the Day 1 Gallery

Click here to view the Day 2 Gallery

HINSDALE CENTRAL DOMINATES TO WIN SECOND STRAIGHT TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP

With one of the strongest fields in DecoTurf High School Tennis Team Championships history the Hinsdale Central Red Devils clinched their second straight Boys A Division Championship in dominant fashion. The two-time tournament champion outscored their opponents 33-3 in 2014 proving to be even more dominant than their 31-5 record in route to their first tournament title last year. 

After a rain delay pushed the start of the tournament back 3 hours of Friday the tournament produced one of the most competitive opening rounds of play in recent memory. The first round had only two shutouts with eventual Champion Hinsdale Central shutting out Jenks and Spartanburg blanked Edwardsville. The 2011 & 2013 tournament champion New Trier had to win four of their six singles matches to narrowly advance past RJ Reynolds in the most competitive first round match up. Barron Collier, MICDS Rockhurst and Winter Park also to the quarterfinals with opening round wins. 

The quarterfinals produced a pair of phenomenal matches as Saint Xavier defeated New Trier 5-4, in a battle of two of the tournaments past three team champions, and Winter Park slipped past Spartanburg 5-4 to advance to the semi-finals. Hindale Central and Barron Collier rolled past their opponents to set up a rematch of the 2013 tournament championship.

In the semi-finals Saint Xavier and Winter Park were knotted at 3-3 after splitting the six singles matches. Saint Xavier took control of the match quickly winning all three doubles points to advance to the championship for the first time since their title in 2010. Hinsdale Central clinched their spot in the finals with a dominant 8-1 victory of back-to-back tournament finalist Barron Collier. 

Despite rainy condititions that pushed all final round matches indoors most matches produced some very competitive results. Cardinal Gibbons finished the tournament 2-2 after a 7-2 victory over Wiregrass Ranch for 13th Place. Webb School of Knoxville clinched an 11th place finish, their best finished in tournament history, after Edwardsville defaulted their final match. RJ Reynolds finished the tournament in 9th Place as the Consolation Winner after defeating Baylor by a narrow margin of 5-4. Spartanburg claimed 7th Place over MICDS with a 6-1 victory. New Trier needed only 5 singles matches to finish to clinch a 5th Place finish over Rockhurst. In a battle of Florida schools Barron Collier won all three doubles points and claimed 3rd Place with a 7-2 victory over Winter Park.

The tournament championship started off in favor of defending champion Hinsdale Central with Michael Lorenzini & Martin Joyce and Eddie Grabill & Chase Hamilton claiming wins at the top two doubles positions. Saint Xavier got their lone point of the match from Matt Graft & Nick Waldeck at No. 3 Doubles. Hinsdale Central went on to win all six singles positions and claim their second straight championship. The Red Devils top two players Martin Joyce and Michael Lorenzini were named Co-Most Valuable Players after their undefeated record in tournament play.

2014 Boys A Division All-Tournament Team

The following players were selected to the 2014 DecoTurf High School Tennis Team Championships Boys A Division All-Tournament Team for their outstanding performance during tournament play.

CO-MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS

MARTIN JOYCE & MICHAEL LORENZINI

JUNIORS • HINSDALE CENTRAL

SINGLES

CHAMBERS EASTERLING

FRESHMAN • SPARTANBURG

ALEX GOLOUSTIAN

SENIOR • NEW TRIER

ROBERT KELLY

SENIOR • CARDINAL GIBBONS

BRANDON LANCASTER

JUNIOR • SAINT XAVIER

LORENZO ROLLHAUSER

JUNIOR • WEBB SCHOOL OF KNOXVILLE

ALAN SWEET

JUNIOR • BARRON COLLIER

ARTHUR VIALLANEIX

SENIOR • WINTER PARK

DOUBLES

MARTIN JOYCE & MICHAEL LORENZINI

JUNIORS • HINSDALE CENTRAL

BRANDON LANCASTER & DREW SINGERMAN

JUNIOR & FRESHMAN • SAINT XAVIER

PAUL JOHNSON & ALAN SWEET

SENIOR & JUNIOR • BARRON COLLIER

BENNETT CRANE & JACK RIAZZI

SOPHOMORE & SENIOR • RJ REYNOLDS

PRESENTED BY

2014 Boys B Division All-Tournament Team

The following players were selected to the 2014 DecoTurf High School Tennis Team Championships Boys B Division All-Tournament Team for their outstanding performance during tournament play.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

RYAN MASSINOPLE

SENIOR • GEORGE WASHINGTON

SINGLES

GUS BENSON
SENIOR • MODEL LAB

CHASE BRILL

SOPHOMORE • EDMOND MEMORIAL

HUNTER TUBERT
JUNIOR • HUNTINGTON


JORDAN PITTS
SOPHOMORE • SOUTH OLDHAM

DOUBLES

ZACK KOENIG & RYAN MASSINOPLE

SENIORS • GEORGE WASHINGTON

MUSTAFA GARDEZI & WES TOLSDORF

JUNIOR & SENIOR • TRINITY

PRESENTED BY

GEORGE WASHINGTON CLAIMS BOYS B DIVISION TITLE IN FIRST APPEARENCE

In their first appearence in tournament history the George Washington High School Patriots made a big impact. The defending West Virginia Class AAA State Champion added another accomplishment to their recent run of success claiming their first DecoTurf High School Tennis Team Championship in the Boys B Division. A slow start and rainy conditions throughout the weekend certainly didn't dampen the spirit of the Charleston natives as they fought through adverse conditions to defeat opponents from three different states.

An overnight shower on Thursday night delayed the start of the 2014 DecoTurf High School Tennis Team Championships presented by Subway. The rain may have slowed eventual champion George Washington in their opener but the top 4 teams all rolled easily with no opening round match was closer than 6-3. George Washington battled Ensworth to an eventual 7-2 victory, their closest result of the tournament. 

In other first round action Trinity High School, in their fifth tournament appearance, guaranteed themselves of their best finish in tournament history with a 6-3 victory of Model. Baltimore's Mount Saint Joseph defeated South Oldham 6-3 and Edmond North defeated West Virginia Class AAA state runner-up Huntington 6-3. 

In the semi-finals George Washington made quick work of Trinity defeating the Shamrocks 8-1 with the only loss a 9-8 defeat at No. 2 Singles. Edmond Memorial used strength at the bottom of the lineup to cruise past Mount Saint Joseph in their semi-final with wins at No. 3-6 Singles and No. 2 & 3 Doubles.

George Washington put on their most impressive performance of the event in the Championship as Tournament Most Valuable Player Ryan Massinople won his third straight singles and doubles matches to lead the Patriots to an 8-1 win to clinch the first tournament championship for a West Virginia team. The lone win for Edmond North came at No. 4 Singles behind Singles All-Tournament Team Selection Chase Brill.

In other tournament action Mount Saint Joseph defeated Trinity in a 5-4 nail biter to claim 3rd Place in the event. Huntington's Hunter Tubert picked up his sixth win of the event but that wasn't enough for his Highlanders to overcome Model who won 5th Place with a 6-2 victory. South Oldham got big wins at the top of the lineup by Jordan Pitts and Cameron Mount to push the Dragons to a 5-4 victory and 7th Place finish.