By David Shelton
•
03 Oct, 2023
Goose Creek – With only three seniors and a bevy of first-year players, Goose Creek girls tennis coach Paula Spagnolia is focusing on development in the 2023 season. Team victories may be hard to come by this fall but Spagnolia hopes to give her team a good experience and a desire to continued improvement for future success. “For the most part, my team has girls that have played for three years or less,” Spagnolia says. “I would say for about half the team, this was their first experience with playing tennis. So, I had to start with the basics - how to hit, serve, where to stand, scoring, tennis etiquette, etc. This made it challenging as there are so many levels on my team.” Leadership and a willingness for the more experienced players to serve as mentors and coaches for the younger players has been a strength, according to Spagnolia. “These girls are very hungry to learn,” she said. “They attend all matches, whether they are playing or not, to watch their teammates and learn about the game of tennis. The more experienced members are the leaders on my team and they all play various roles, from helping with tennis strokes, motivational, and just being there to help me and our team in any way possible. “ Lyric Cureton is one of the more experienced players on the roster and plays the No.1 singles position this season. Sara Welch plays No. 2 singles. The duo also plays together as the No. 1 doubles team. Malea Bongbonga plays No. 3 singles and April Welch is playing No. 4 singles. Rounding out the singles ladder at No. 5 is Payton Souder. Wynter Holley and Chelsea Rouse play No. 2 doubles. Rounding out the 2023 roster are Faye Hocutt, Melinda Guo, Alessandra Lejarde, Gracie Reid and Kenley Burrow. “My girls always give it their all, regardless of the opponent's tennis skill level. They play fair and want to keep improving. They are kind but have grit,” Spagnolia said. The coach says while improving and developing a love for the sport is important, she hopes her team learns the value of competing and will continue to grow in the sport, even after high school. The season overall, she says has been a positive experience, despite the record. “The season is going as well as to be expected with not much experience and with a fairly small team,” she reports. “I have girls that always give their all and want to improve, which is so vital to their learning. Tennis does not seem to be as popular in Berkeley County as it is in Charleston County, but I think some of that is due to lack of public courts. And, there does not seem to be tennis development in the younger ages. “Of course, my expectations were to win more than we lose, build relationships, and most importantly, have fun. A couple of weeks in, my expectations shifted somewhat to making sure they know how to play the game while being competitive and having fun. Tennis is a lifelong sport, so hopefully they will take these skills and experiences to continue to play the game after high school.”