Sebring Girls Move On

SARASOTA - Sebring girls tennis coach Jane Hollinger paced from court to court and checked on her team while the sun beat down Thursday on the Class 2A-District 9 tennis tournament.

"This is nerve-wracking," Hollinger said. "I know I'm going to get gray hairs from this tournament.

"The waiting is the hardest part. I want so much for this team to win."

The patience paid off, however, as the Sebring girls tennis team earned a trip to regionals with a second-place finish at districts behind individual champion Leeza Freeland and the No. 1 doubles team of Mary Midence and Kelsey Johnson, who also earned an automatic berth to the state tournament.

Kyle Komisar, a freshman, also won a district title for the Sebring boys and remained undefeated on the season with three victories over the two-day tourney.

Out of both Sebring and Avon Park tennis teams, the Sebring girls are the only team to move on to regionals: They'll travel to Treasure Island Tennis and Yacht Club to face St. Pete Catholic at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Midence and Johnson, who defeated the Lake Placid team of Sydney Stewart and Jessica Landers in the semifinals, used that win to springboard to the finals against Hardee's Kaitlin Justice and Natalie Green, where they won in three sets (6-4, 3-6, 6-4) to earn a free ride to the Class 2A state finals.

"The girls are so excited to be advancing to regionals. They worked hard all season for this opportunity," Hollinger said. "We'll greatly miss Ashley JJ Jimenez, who became ill the day of district competition. The girls pulled together and worked as a team for this win."

The Streaks finished with 10 team points - two behind district champion Palmetto.

Senior Leeza Freeland barely broke a sweat in her dominating 6-1, 6-1 victory over Palmetto's Nina Hlinka to win the No. 5 singles district title.

"I was really amped up for districts," Freeland said. "I really wish I'd played my whole four years, but I'm happy to do well at districts."

Freeland's straight-set win was a rarity, as four of the six matches involving local girls went three sets.

Johnson started flat against top-seeded Kristen Walley of Braden River and dropped the first set, but her teammates cheered her on to give her the boost she needed to force a three-set tiebreaker, before falling 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7-4) in the No. 3 singles final.

The Sebring sophomore looked dominant in the second set, dictating the action and being aggressive at the net -- a tactic her father Kenny says is one of her strengths.

"Kelsey has to stay aggressive," Kenny Walley said. "When she comes to the net, that really gets into the mind of a lot of players."

Johnson adjusted her strategy in the second set to gain the advantage.

"I kept hitting to her backhand, which is a weakness of hers," said the SHS sophomore. "I was really exhausted in that first set but I didn't want to show it. I'm really glad my teammates were cheering and yelling. I really fed on their energy, and I couldn't have done it without them."

Walley was able to find her second wind and both players looked physically worn out near the end, but Walley found enough in her reserve to win.

"I've made it to finals two years in a row," Johnson said. "I'm going to work even harder this summer and prepare to win districts next season."

Avon Park's Bailey Barben, the top seed in No. 2 singles, was physically ready for her marathon match against Palmetto's Audrey Platt, but her shots stopped falling in a 3-6, 6-4, 4-6 loss in the finals.

"[Audrey] pounded the ball in that last set," Barben said. "I came in fresh and knew I had to combat her strong serve, and we fought to deuce in almost every game in the final set.

"I just couldn't find a hole in her defense in the end."

In boys action, Sebring's Kyle Komisar won Sebring's lone district title, as he defeated Braden River's Matt Boles 6-0, 3-6, 6-2 in the No. 4 singles final.

"This was by far my toughest match of the year," Komisar said. "My cross-court shot was working early, but he switched to playing defense in the second set and that threw me off.

"I just picked my spots and was able to keep him off balance for the win."

Komisar, a freshman, finished the season undefeated.

In the No. 3 singles final, Sebring's Michael Reed won the first set, but seemed to lose his focus and was beaten by Braden River's Mike Estaban 6-3, 2-6, 1-6 in disheartening fashion.

"I played like crap today," Reed said. "I won that first set and then everything fell apart. I couldn't get back on track and his defense took control of the match.

"I tried to work my way back in the final set, but he turned into a brick wall and returned everything I sent over the net."

Reed, along with senior Jake Broen, lost 2-6, 2-6 in the No. 1 doubles semifinals and dropped the Streaks from contention for a spot in regionals.

Sebring head coach Jack Holt knows all too well about the lessons of dealing with a tough loss.

"You have to learn to take a loss and let it go," Holt said. "This game is just as much mental as it is physical. If you go out on the court and your not in the right frame of mind, it's only going to hurt you."