Special to The Laker/Lutz News

 

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

The 2011-12 campaign was one of the best in the history of Wharton boys basketball — during the regular season.

The Wildcats (17-2) went 24-4 last season en route to their third straight district championship to make the playoffs for the 10th time in the program’s 16-year history, but fell 64-63 at home to East Lake in the first round of the postseason. Wharton had a layup attempt hang on the rim before rolling off as time expired, which only added to the pain.

“It was disappointing to lose like we did, but we had a great season,” said 14-year Wildcats coach Tommy Tonelli. “Certainly don’t want that regional loss to diminish what we accomplished throughout the season. There was a lot to be proud of. Just ran into a good East Lake team. They played well, and we probably didn’t play our best that night.”

Junior forward Chase Litton said that early exit has spurred the squad to its fast start.

“The players who are back, we don’t want to go out like that again,” Litton said. “That’s not us. We’re not a first round and out team. We want to go to states, and this team has more chemistry and togetherness and willingness to do what it takes. There’re no individuals. We just play well together.”

Wharton lost a pair of starters from last year. Guard Troy Holston left the school and center Patrik Hauri graduated, but the Wildcats got an infusion of talent in 6-foot-7 small forward Drew Vanderbrook, who transferred from Freedom.

“He’s a 6-7 player with good skill level,” Tonelli said. “He shoots the ball very well for his size and brings some good elements for our team.”

Wharton also gets back a fully healthy CJ McGill. The senior point guard was on varsity as a freshman, but a torn ACL in his right knee robbed him of his sophomore campaign. He returned to the court last season, but was still getting back to top form.

“This time last year I was always in pain after games and in practice, but now I don’t even have to ice it,” McGill said. “It’s 110 percent better. … This year I try not to think about it. Last year I thought about it all the time. Now I’m totally confident.”

Senior forward/guard Sir Patrick Reynolds said McGill has returned to pre-injury level.

“I’ve known CJ since fifth grade, so I can tell he is completely back,” Reynolds said. He added, “He can hit shots when nobody thinks he can. Like NBA-range shots.”

Litton added, “CJ plays outside of his mind. When he’s on he doesn’t miss. When he’s off he doesn’t give up. He just keeps fighting.”

Tonelli said McGill’s quickness gives the opposition fits, as does the versatility of Reynolds.

“Sir Patrick can play basically any position on the floor, and he has this season,” Tonelli said. “He’s a tough matchup. He can shoot the ball, he can post up, he can drive the ball. He’s got a lot of versatility as a player and makes things difficult. There’s times when he’s a little undersized against the guys he’s going against, but he’s such a tough, hard-playing kid that what he lacks in height he makes up for in his ability and intelligence as a player.”

Reynolds said it was an adjustment learning to play every position.

“My first year I wasn’t that kind of player, but once I started getting a feel for all the positions and matchups I started liking it,” Reynolds said. “I naturally play more like a guard than a big man, but I’m more like a big man than a guard with my height. It’s very in-between, but I really love being able to do it.”

Reynolds added that the combination of Litton and himself in the post is something most squads don’t have answers for.

“Me and Chase, I think that’s the best big man combo in Hillsborough County,” Reynolds said. “No body can touch him. When he’s in the high post, and I’m in the low post, no body can stop that.”

The Wildcats are riding high now, but they know firsthand how quickly that can change after last year.

“We’ve just got to continue to improve every practice and every game,” Tonelli said. “When we play as a team on both ends of the floor the way I know we’re capable off we’re as tough as any team we’ll have to play, but if we don’t play that way our margin for error is very slim.”

If they play together, Wharton may do something never accomplished in program history — earn a final four berth.

“I think this team can do that, especially if we stay together and play together,” Litton said. “We can’t have the type of team where one guy is trying to get his and just wants his points. We haven’t had that, and if we keep playing together there’re not a lot of teams that can play with us.”

The Wildcats play in the Class 8A-District 7 tournament at Bloomingdale Feb. 5 to 8, with the final Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. They travel to district rival Newsome Jan. 18 at 8 p.m.

 

Andrea Mauger strives for more basketball success

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

Winning is never too far from Andrea Mauger.

She helped Wesley Chapel make the regional finals as a freshman in 2010. She transferred to Academy at the Lakes the following season, where she was the leader of squads that won district championships during her sophomore and junior seasons.

The Wildcats (16-1) took another step last year, when they won the first regional championship in academy history for any sport.

Andrea has accomplished a lot during her time in high school, but her greatest challenge is in front of her this season.

The academy graduated five seniors from that regional championship and final four squad, leaving the senior forward as the lone returning starter.

To prepare for the rigors of her senior season, Andrea said she played basketball at a much more intense level. She even hit the hard court every day during July because of tournaments and camps.

“I just wanted to absorb everything,” Andrea said. “I went to point guard college and prepared myself to potentially run the point or do anything because we didn’t know who was coming in.”

The Wildcats found four new starters in spots that allowed Andrea to stay at forward, but coach Karim Nohra said her willingness to play at any position shows the kind of leader she is.

“I told her at the end of last year I have no idea who we’re going to have,” Nohra said. “She actually said to me she’d play any spot. She’s been like that since the first day I started coaching her.”

***

Andrea picked up the game in third grade. She was a competitive dancer and cheerleader at the time, but gave up those activities in sixth grade to focus on basketball.

“My parents threw me in every activity, and eventually I had to make a choice,” Andrea said. “I just loved basketball.”

Her younger brother Mikey, a sophomore forward at the academy, also has a passion for the basketball, making the family ties to the hard court strong.

“We’re really close-knit,” Mikey said. “After my games she’ll talk to me about how I played and what she saw. I’ll give her some pointers, and she’ll give me some pointers. We’ll go out and shoot when we’re stressed.”

Andrea made her first AAU team while in sixth grade in New Hampshire, but was cut during tryouts for her middle school team a few weeks later.

It was the only time Andrea hasn’t made a team she went out for, and it taught her a lesson.

“It showed me that everyone isn’t going to view you the same way,” Andrea said. “The AAU coaches saw potential in me, and the other didn’t. I’m thankful for those two coaches (Lori Putnam and Dave Connors) because they taught me the basics. The other thing it taught me is you might miss one opportunity, but another will come. You just have to keep pushing if you want something.”

Her family moved to Pasco County for her seventh-grade year at John Long, which is where Nohra first saw her play.

“I saw her as a person who could be a thousand-point scorer,” Nohra said. “I saw that she was a real gym rat, and you need those gym rats on your team.”

His first reaction was proven right when Andrea went to Wesley Chapel, where Nohra was coaching.

***

Andrea said her first practice with the vociferous and demonstrative Nohra was something she’ll never forget.

“The first practice I went to I was very intimidated,” Andrea said. “He was very in your face.”

She was also a bit taken aback by the other girls’ talent.

“I wasn’t used to being around players that good,” Andrea said. “It showed me that I had to work a lot to get my game to that level. Just used them all as role models, like Hannah Noble and Shantel Houston. Those were my two main role models, and they’re still there for me today.”

She took what she learned when she transferred to the academy as a sophomore. Nohra had just been named the Wildcats coach, and he leaned on Andrea’s experience with his system of high-tempo offense and trapping defense.

“When I transferred here I was put in more of a leadership role,” Andrea said. “Being a part of his system already for a year made me kind of like the new Hannah Noble and Shantel Houston. People had to look up to me, and it put, I don’t want to say pressure, but it did force me to be better. I had to take the lead scorer role and leader on the court, where at Wesley Chapel I was just the supporter.”

The academy went 19-5 during Andrea’s first season a year after going 0-15 the season before. Nohra said her leadership was a big part of the turnaround.

“She’s the teacher on the court for us, and that’s huge for us in my system,” Nohra said. “She’ll direct traffic during the games and talk with the players, especially the freshmen, about what they need to do and where they need to go.”

The Wildcats finished 23-6 on the way to the Class 2A final four last year. Andrea averaged 15.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a junior and was named The Laker/Lutz News Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Senior point guard Timecia Cohen has been on teams with Andrea the last three years, including the previous two at the academy, and said she is the “glue” that keeps them together.

“We’ve bumped heads before, but we honestly know each other,” Cohen said. “She knows what I’m going to do next, and I know what she’s going to do. She’s a great player and she’s a role model for me.”

 

Andrea made more school history last spring when she became the first track and field athlete from the academy to make the state meet. She competed in the 1A final in the shot put, where she finished 14th with a toss of 31 feet, 8.5 inches after claiming a district title.

“Track is a lot of fun, but basketball is what I love,” Andrea said.

***

Andrea is within striking distance of a major milestone.

She has 1,386 career points for her career and is averaging 18.5 per game this season, meaning she has a legitimate chance to become the first in academy basketball history to reach 1,500, but she isn’t worried about career milestones.

For Andrea, it’s all about making it back to the final four.

“In my mind, we are going to get there again,” Andrea said. “If I have to take us there I will. If Timecia (Cohen) and Tatiana (Manuel) have to do it, we will. At this point, whatever I have to do to get there I will do. Defeat is not in my mind right now at all.”

 

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

Ask anyone on the Sunlake boys soccer team why Connor Gilboy leads Pasco County with 50 goals this season and the answer will be the same — his effort.

The senior forward is always running on the field, even between play. Seahawks (22-0) coach Sam Koleduk said that not only puts him in position for goals, but also wears out the competition.

“He’s huge, and you can clearly see it’s because of his work rate,” Koleduk said. “If we could get everybody to play like that, we’d be unstoppable. His work rate is awesome.”

Soccer was the first sport Gilboy started playing, picking it up around age 7. He has run cross country and played tennis since his freshman year and was the kicker/punter for the Seahawks football team this year, an effort that earned him first-team The Laker/Lutz News and Sunshine Athletic Conference honors.

“I started playing all these other sports just to keep in shape,” Gilboy said. “I ended up being pretty good at football, first team this year. I just did that because they asked me to. I didn’t expect to do much. It was really fun, but I love soccer.”

Gilboy, who has 22 assists this year, has compiled 101 goals in his career. He is two goals away from breaking Jordan Landry’s single-season program record, and 16 off his career mark, but Gilboy’s drive is for more than individual stats.

For the fourth-year varsity player, his work has been to make Sunlake a premiere soccer program, and the effort has paid off this year.

Sunlake defeated cross-town rival and annual powerhouse Land O’ Lakes 2-1 Jan. 10 to sweep the two regular season meetings with the Gators (9-4) and clinch the top seed in the Class 3A-District 7 tournament.

“Coming into the game we had people promising pizza parties if we win,” Gilboy said. “The administrators promised us cookies and stuff if we beat Land O’ Lakes. Honestly, we just wanted to finally install ourselves as the dominant team in Pasco.”

Gilboy was looking for some way to inspire his teammates before the showdown with the Gators.

“I was reading an old article, because I’ve saved everything since I’ve been a freshman, and I’m looking at what can I get to pump these guys up,” Gilboy said. “I came across something, don’t remember if it was in The Laker or the Tribune, but I grabbed it, and the headline was ‘Sunlake pleased to hang with LOL.’ If you look at things now that’s completely reversed.

“It’s been a really, really long journey,” Gilboy continued. “Before districts last year we’d never beaten Land O’ Lakes ever; so to beat them twice in a row is unbelievable.”

Sunlake played at Hudson Jan. 14, but results were not available by press time. The Seahawks host Wiregrass Ranch Jan. 16 at 7 p.m.

 

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

The Steinbrenner boys soccer team shook off its first loss of the season with a 7-1 win at Wharton Jan. 9.

The Warriors (13-1-3) fell 2-1 to Fort Myers Bishop Verot in the Berkley Prep Invitational during the winter break. Steinbrenner senior midfielder Enrique Barboto said they wanted to re-establish themselves against the Wildcats (3-6-4).

“We usually peak early, but this win is a good sign,” Barboto said. “We need to be as strong as we can be for districts.”

The Warriors were also forced to play their senior night contest on the road because a malfunctioning sprinkler system opened a hole in their field, making it unplayable.

Steinbrenner shook off the venue change and scored in the first minute, buried home by senior defender Derek Gebhard. The Warriors followed with four more goals before halftime, the final two from junior forward Austin Labban.

Steinbrenner found the back of the net twice more after halftime. Barboto closed the scoring in the 57th minute for his second tally of the contest.

Five players posted goals for the Warriors, giving them confidence in their offense.

“We’ve got some very talented players up top with Austin Labban and Jason Collister, and Enrique Barboto had a couple goals tonight at midfield,” said Steinbrenner coach Chad Ebright. “We really have some good offensive players.”

Senior midfielder Logan Siben added to the offensive onslaught with four assists.

The lone blemish for the Warriors came in the 10th minute when senior forward Evans Blanc fired home a loose ball. Wharton senior goalkeeper Keenan Kushner had 11 saves in the contest.

It wasn’t a perfect game, but Siben was encouraged by what he saw as districts approach.

“I feel like we’re almost to our full potential and that we’re going to peak at districts and into regionals,” Siben said. “We’ll have our full squad back for districts, so we’ll be ready.”

Steinbrenner is tied with Sickles for the top seed in the Class 4A-District 8 tournament, which is at Gaither Jan. 23 to 26. The squads had not done the tie-breaking coin flip by press time.

The Warriors play at Tampa Bay Tech Jan. 18 at 8 p.m.

 

//Warriors’ goal maker

Steinbrenner senior Logan Siben racked up 17 goals last season, making him one of the area’s top scorers.

This year goals have followed Siben, but now they are coming off his team-leading 14 assists.

“I’ve always played outside my whole life in club, but coach wanted me up top last year for speed,” said Siben, who started playing at age 4. “Austin Labban got a lot better this year as a junior, so that let me go out wide and get those assists. I just find someone’s feet or head so they can finish.”

Siben has gladly taken to his role.

“He’s a goal maker,” said Steinbrenner coach Chad Ebright. “He doesn’t score them, but he sets them up for everyone else to score. He’s very happy with that role, and it’s very hard to find a kid who is happy not putting them in the net but setting them up.”

Siben has the team lead in assists despite missing several weeks with a badly pulled left hamstring suffered at Wiregrass Ranch Nov. 16.

“Hamstring feels good,” Siben said. “I played in the Disney Showcase during the Winter Break. I played four days on it there, and I feel like it got back in shape for me. I can finally get back to a full sprint out here.”

He showed just how healthy he is by racking up a single-game program record four assists at Wharton Jan. 9.

Senior midfielder Enrique Barboto said having Siben in the lineup has been a boost to the offense.

“Having him back, the flow is just a lot better,” Barboto said. “We’re able to finish a lot more with him.”

 

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

The Steinbrenner girls soccer team continued its run of dominating play by winning 3-0 at Wharton Jan. 9.

The Warriors (13-4) have won their last 10 games after starting the season 3-4, the first time the fourth-year program has ever been below .500. It was the Wildcats (13-4-4) who started Steinbrenner on its downward spiral with a 2-1 win in penalty kicks in the final of the Wharton Invitational on Nov. 3.

The Warriors were scheduled to host the contest as their senior night, but a malfunctioning sprinkler system created a hole in the field, rendering the surface unplayable.

“Yesterday night at about 8 they told us the game was moving,” said senior forward Alexis Bredeau. She added, “A lot of us were really mad that we couldn’t have our senior night on our home field, but we had to deal with it. … What really fueled us was them wanting to beat us on our senior night on their field. It was just like, ‘No, you can’t do that.’”

Steinbrenner has outscored its opponents 58-2 during the winning streak, which started Nov. 30 against Robinson. The date also coincides with the Warriors going to a 4-3-3 formation and getting back junior defender Miranda Gonzalez from a torn hamstring.

“We’ve been focusing on our top three putting pressure on them for all 80 minutes,” said Steinbrenner coach Angela Gillisse. “In the second half of the season they’ve been just so consistent with it. With our three center mids supporting them, and then Miranda in the back, means Alexis doesn’t feel like she has to drop back.”

Bredeau has 21 goals and eight assists during the winning streak. She has a team-high 30 tallies this season, 85 in her career.

Junior forward Jessica Taylor started the scoring against Wharton in the 16th minute. Steinbrenner dominated play, forcing five corner kicks, had five shots on goal and hit the left goal post in the opening period, but Gillisse was not pleased with being ahead 1-0 entering the second half.

“I told them at halftime it should be 5-0 and they should have no opportunities,” Gillisse said. “Told them they get no shots on goal in the second because it was ridiculous that they got the shot they had, and it only happened because our center midfield fell apart. … That’s what happens with every goal that comes against us the last few games, and we have to eliminate that.”

The Warriors came out of halftime quickly, with Bredeau heading in a cross from Taylor in the 45th minute and junior defender Megan Haraschak lobbing a shot from 25 yards out over Wharton goalkeeper Courtney Bodamer’s head three minutes later.

“It was more looking for Alexis in the corner,” said Haraschak about her first goal of the season. “She makes that run in to the back post all the time. … When I hit it with my laces I thought that might go in. It just worked out that I lofted it in with my left foot.”

Gillisse is pleased with her team’s play as districts approach.

“The second half of the season we’ve been out to prove something to everyone,” Gillisse said. “I talked to the girls about sending a message as we go into districts. … I was listening to Alabama coach Nick Saban, and in his postgame interview he said he demands for his team to play better every single game than they did the previous game. That’s what we need to do going into districts. We have to want to be a better team every single time we step out on that field.”

The Wildcats were battling several injuries. Allison Etheridge and Taylor Hubbard didn’t compete, leading scorer Ashni Deschenes played about 17 minutes and Lexi Oeth and Leah Chisolm appeared very limited with what they could do.

Wharton coach Denis Vurkorep said he wasn’t going to risk further injury in the contest.

“It’s a nondistrict game right before districts,” Vurkorep said. “I didn’t want someone to go all out and hurt themselves and not have them for districts. I saw Ashni go tentative at a ball, and when I saw that I pulled her out. That’s all I needed to see. … If this was that district game they’d have all played.”

The Wildcats play Alonso Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. in the Class 5A-District 7 tournament at Plant as the No. 2 seed. They would play the winner of the Newsome-Riverview matchup Jan. 17 at 5 p.m. if they get by their quarterfinals game. The final is Jan. 19 at 6 p.m.

Steinbrenner is still set to host the Class 4A-District 8 tournament. The No. 2 seeded Warriors receive a bye into the semifinals and will play the winner of the Gaither-Chamberlain quarterfinal Jan. 16 at 8 p.m. The final is Jan. 18 at 7 p.m.

 

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

The roles were reversed when cross-town rivals Sunlake and Land O’ Lakes faced off Jan. 10.

The top seed in the Class 3A-District 7 boys soccer tournament was on the line, but for the first time it was the Seahawks (22-0, 8-0) in the driver seat. They rose to the challenge with a come-from-behind victory 2-1 against the Gators (9-4, 6-2) to stay perfect on the season.

Sunlake only needed a tie to secure the No. 1 district seed, but the host Seahawks wanted nothing to do with a draw.

“I told the guys going into the game, ‘I know most of you haven’t been here the last four years, but the last three years we’ve been the ones who’ve had nothing to lose,’” said Sunlake senior forward Connor Gilboy. “I told these guys, ‘This time we have everything to lose.’ We have perfect season, national ranking, place in districts and pride. … A tie, in our opinion, screws up the undefeated season.”

The Seahawks came out of the gate fast, peppering Land O’ Lakes goalkeeper Tommy Koen with two shots in the first two minutes.

The Gators withstood the initial onslaught and capitalized on their first shot on goal in the eighth minute when Stephen Garcia buried home a deflection off a corner kick by Mike Moran, the first time Sunlake has trailed all season.

The Seahawks got back on the attack with five shots on goal in the final 32 minutes of the half.

Garcia, a senior defender, kept Land O’ Lakes on top by blocking a shot in the 34th minute to preserve the lead, but only for three minutes.

Sunlake got on the board when junior midfielder Austin Goble fed a pass to Gilboy along the right sideline. He pushed the ball forward, lined up his shot and fired a rocket past Koen from 30 yards out.

“That’s one of those shots that you take if you have it,” Gilboy said. “You know it’s going to change the game if it goes in.”

Seahawks coach Sam Koleduk said the tying tally just before halftime was critical.

“I told them to try and keep their composure, and for the most part we did,” Koleduk said. “We gave up the loose ball goal to them. It was a nice shot, but even up until then I think we were clearly dominating the play. I think Gilboy’s goal right before half was huge. Second half would have been much more difficult being down.”

The Gators picked up their play in the second half, forcing five corner kicks while limiting Sunlake’s chances offensively until Gilboy again rose up for his squad with a shot from outside and right of the box.

The attempt was partially deflected by Garcia into the net to put the home team ahead 2-1 in the 67th minute. Gilboy was awarded the goal by the officials, giving him 100 for his career.

“I don’t want to say we’re desperate, but we just needed something,” Gilboy said. “Even if it’s not right on target we needed something, so it was absolutely a shot.”

The Seahawks had several chances to add to the lead, including a header by Chris Wilkerson in the 72nd minute that sailed just over the cross bar. Koleduk said he would have liked them to have converted more opportunities, but was happy with the effort.

“I thought we were clearly the better team, but we didn’t put our easy chances in,” Koleduk said. “We missed two or three chances in the second half that should have been goals, but they’re tough. They battle hard and keep their shape well. I thought our attitude was good. I thought we tried hard and played very aggressive. … I think we deserved to win overall, but I think it was a really good game.”

Land O’ Lakes assistant Mike Pearson, who was coaching for his son Mark because of a two-game suspension after receiving a double yellow card the night before against Anclote, said the late goal stung because of how they evened up the play after halftime.

“We controlled a lot of the game in the second half,” Mike said. “We were a little bit guilty of leaving too much room in the first half in the midfield, which gave them the opportunity to run at us. … I’m disappointed because I don’t think we deserved to lose this game. It’s disappointing, but I’m encouraged because we’re starting to play more to our potential, so hopefully we get a chance to have another go at these guys.”

The Gators still earned the No. 2 seed in 3A-7 and will play tournament host Pasco in the semifinals, while Sunlake will match up with the winner of the contest between Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills.

The Seahawks won their first district title last year by defeating Land O’ Lakes in the finals, ending the Gators’ seven-year string of league crowns. Gilboy said it won’t be easy to go two in a row but said they have the ability make it happen.

“We have to keep our cool,” Gilboy said. “It’s not a fluke. It’s not a fluke, and everyone has to understand that.”

Sunlake and Land O’ Lakes played at Hudson and at Gulf Jan. 14, respectively, but results were not available by press time. The Seahawks host Wiregrass Ranch Jan. 16 at 7 p.m., the same day the Gators host River Ridge at 7:30 p.m.

 

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

Wiregrass Ranch has become a dominating tennis program the last few years, and the players responsible for starting that tradition are still winning at the next level.

Elizabeth and Sarah Means played only one season for the Bulls, 2010, the sisters’ sophomore and junior years, respectively. Not only did they help Wiregrass Ranch make states for the first time in program history, but they also captured the first state championship for the school in any sport.

The Meanses, who are studying business, captured the Class 3A doubles state crown, which capped off a perfect season as a duo. Now, the sisters are back together on the same team — Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU).

Sarah, a sophomore, signed with the Division I program in the Atlantic Sun Conference during her senior season, and Elizabeth followed a year later. The sisters played doubles together for the first time on a team since winning the state title during FGCU’s fall season.

“It was fun to play with her again,” said Elizabeth, a freshman. “We went out the first time at Central Florida and were undefeated, so that was fun going out there and working together. She had some new things that she’d learned at college, and we got to work that in together.”

***

Sarah, who was FGCU’s No. 1 player as a freshman, started playing around age 4.

“I went out because someone recommended it to my mom because I had good eye-hand coordination,” Sarah said. “It really translated; I learned I had a gift for it, and I wanted to work hard and get better.”

Elizabeth followed her older sister’s lead when she turned 7.

“Sarah started first,” Elizabeth said. “She would hit and I’d pick up the balls. One day I picked up a racket and started hitting them back.”

It wasn’t just the sisters who committed to tennis.

“We’re from Washington D.C., and we played every day,” Sarah said. “We wanted to get better, so we made the decision to move down to Florida to get better training. We’ve trained year round in these types of conditions the last five years, and that’s really helped us. … It’s a family thing. My mom took on a lot of the responsibility with travel for us to go to tournaments, and our two oldest sisters played in high school too. We took the sport up as a family.”

Picking up the same sport has also allowed Sarah and Elizabeth to easily push each other.

“It’s awesome having your sister out there every step of the way, understanding what you’re going through when you’re prevailing or not,” Sarah said.

They are also very different players.

Elizabeth describes herself as an “aggressive baseliner.” Sarah said she is most confident using her serve and moving forward to the net.

The opposite mentalities on the court allow them to be a deadly doubles team.

“I know that if I’m at the net and miss it, then she’s going to be behind me at the baseline to get it back in,” Sarah said. “It helps knowing that she’s a very consistent player, so that lets me be aggressive at the net.”

The sisters began playing high-level tournaments when they came to Florida, which pitted them against the best young tennis players in the region and nation. However, a new challenge arose when they started competing for Wiregrass Ranch — the team aspect.

The rules and nature of play proved to be very different when they took to high school tennis. They were used to playing against tough competition in high-level tournaments, but team tennis has a different element.

To win in high school and college, teams must win four of seven points, which come from winning five individual and two doubles matches.

“Tennis is such an individual sport, but it’s been nice having other players who know what you’re going through,” Sarah said. “They’re cheering you on during your matches, and then you have the team that you’re playing for. You still want to win your match, and you know if you do then it’s going to help the team.”

Elizabeth went undefeated as the Bulls No. 2 player in 2010, while Sarah dropped just two matches as the squad’s ace.

“It was a lot of pressure actually,” Elizabeth said. “You wanted to always hold your line for the team. By the end I’d developed a bond with the other girls and there was less pressure, but it was tough to start.”

***

Sarah continued her winning ways at FGCU last year, where she took over as the Eagles’ No. 1 player as a freshman. The squad finished third in the Atlantic Sun in 2012, the best finish in program history.

“Going last year I wanted to help the team, and I was able to do that,” Sarah said. “We finished third in the conference, and that was the work of the entire team.”

Elizabeth played No. 3 or 4 while also doubling with Sarah during the fall season a few months ago. She said the higher level of play tested her body and mind.

“The level of competition in college is much higher,” Elizabeth said. “The girls hit a heavier ball. They’re bigger and stronger. You have to be a lot more mentally tough to beat those girls.”

A normal practice day for FGCU starts at 6:45 a.m. and runs for about 3.5 hours. The Meanses get back on the courts each afternoon for another two hours.

“Four to five hours a day, six days a week,” Elizabeth said. She added, “The coaches are very adamant about fitness, so we’ve done that in the fall and during the summer. Over the winter break we’ve been doing even more so we can do whatever coach needs from us.”

The sisters said the goal is to win the conference championship this season.

“We also want to make it to the NCAA tournament and do some damage while we’re there,” Elizabeth said.

 

FGCU’s season starts during its Spring Invitational Jan. 19 to 21.