Lakewood Ranch tennis makes a grand slam

PUNTA GORDA — Braden River High junior Marie Babayan had spent all season preparing to defend her district title.

But even with a trip to the state tennis tournament on the line, the defending Class 3A-District 12 No. 1 singles champion didn’t seem the least bit phased. She appeared calm and reserved when she took the court for the No. 1 girls singles final of the 3A-12 tournament April 4, at Charlotte High.

In some ways, that’s almost to be expected when you’re playing your best friend and training partner.

Babayan got the upper hand for the second straight season, defeating Lakewood Ranch’s Cari Berry 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) to capture her second consecutive district title and earn a spot in the Class 3A state tournament April 17-20, in Altamonte Springs.

“I’m just glad to be going to states for another chance to win the title,” said Babayan, who finished third in the state last season. “I like playing Cari, because it’s a lot more relaxed. We never argue, and we talk on the changeovers.

“No matter what happens, I don’t feel like I need to win, but I still have to try really hard, because I want to win,” Babayan said. “I know her game, and she knows mine, as well. We talk about it all of the time — how we knew the other one was going to hit that shot, and then, we just laugh it off.”

Although Babayan won the No. 1 girls singles district title, Berry also will advance to the state tournament after teaming up with Ashley Bongart to capture the No. 1 girls doubles title.

Berry and Bongart also began competing in the Class 3A-Region 6 tournament April 9, after helping the Lady Mustangs capture the team district title. Lakewood scored 19 points to top runner-up Venice with 13 points.

“We’re playing really well, and I’m proud of every one of them,” Lakewood girls coach Ed Bongart said. “Districts are one of those first steps. We took care of business (the first day). It was important for us to take care of business, get off of the court and get ready for final matches.”

Bongart also won the No. 2 singles title, while Veronica Sampalik (No. 3) and Sammi Aiezza (No.4) won individual titles before teaming up to win the No. 2 doubles title. Aiezza avenged a regular-season loss to Venice’s Sophia Gasca to win the No. 4 singles title after winning the No. 2 singles title last year.

“Winning a district title is always the best feeling,” Aiezza said. “I believed in myself. During the season, we played a close match, so I knew I could pull it out.”

“Sammi played really well,” Bongart said. “She’s a fighter. She was upset by the loss the last time, and I think that really motivated her. She wanted to play well and she did.”

Across the court, the Lakewood boys tennis team finished as the district runner-up behind Venice.

After falling to Bayshore’s Pedro Garcia in a nearly three-hour No. 1 boys singles final, Arnav Mohanty teamed up with his brother, Arsav, to win the No. 1 doubles title. Arsav Mohanty also won the No. 2 singles title.

Arnav Mohanty beat Garcia three years ago as a freshman to win the district title, and the two hadn’t played each other since. Arnav Mohanty won the first set, before the heat and fatigue eventually got the best of him, as Garcia came back to win 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

“We had a long day (the first day),” Arnav Mohanty said. “I thought I played well the first set, but at the beginning of the second set, my mind began to wander. I’m discouraged, because I wasn’t playing better. He played well, but I could have played better.”

With only 30 minutes to rest in between his singles final and the No. 1 doubles semifinal, Arnav Mohanty relied on his brother to help carry them through to the finals.

“My brother is going to have to play two times better,” Arnav Mohanty said before the match. “I’m going to rely on him not just a little bit more but a whole lot more.”

The strategy paid off in the end, as the brothers defeated Venice’s Michael Leonard and James Rock 6-3, 6-2.

As a result of their first- and second-place finishes, the Lakewood girls and boys tennis teams both advanced to the Class 3A-Region 6 tournament. The Lady Mustangs played host to Largo April 9, while the Mustangs traveled to Seminole Osceola April 10. The winners of the two regional semifinals will square off in the regional finals April 12.

THE OUT-OF-DOOR ACADEMY
Seventh-grader Maria Ross and eighth-grader M’Balia Bangoura teamed up to help lead The Out-of-Door Academy girls tennis team to the Class 1A-Dsitrcit 9 tournament title April 2-3.

Ross and Bangoura defeated St. Stephen’s Episcopal School’s Jennifer Sunstrom and Nicole Johnston 6-3, 6-2 to win the No. 1 doubles title and secure the team title for ODA, which finished with 24 points to edge past St. Stephen’s with 21 points.

Ross also captured the No. 1 girls singles title with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Cardinal Mooney’s Taylor Lederman, while Bangoura won the No. 2 singles title with a 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-2 victory over Johnston.
Cheyenne Kerekes and Savannah Sleight won the No. 2 doubles title.

ODA played host to Fort Myers Canterbury in the Class 1A-Region 5 semifinals April 10, with the winner advancing to the regional finals April 12.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].