THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 3, 1995 TAG: 9509010164
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBIN BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 146 lines
IT TAKES FIVE VICTORIES to win a tennis match and First Colonial will start every match with two wins seemingly guaranteed.
Call it the Kannarkat edge.
Mily Kannarkat swept to a 26-0 record and the state championship last fall in singles. She also combined with Anne Crenshaw to win the Beach District and Eastern Region crowns in doubles.
Kannarkat and Crenshaw are among five starters back from a team that went 15-1 and reached the state team semifinals. Those players were a combined a 83-12 in singles.
``Our goal is to get back to the final four,'' said coach Sharon Conyers, starting her 21st season. ``The championship would be great, but it's hard to predict because you never know what the competition is going to be like.''
The competition at the Beach should come from Cox. The Falcons return three starters from a team that went 12-2 and have added two key transfers.
If the Falcons have a weakness it's inexperience. Four of the top six are sophomores, including No. 1 Shannon Cox and No. 2 Ashby Moran.
``I think this team is stronger than last year's,'' coach Liane Long said. ``The girls have played in a lot of tournaments and attended a lot of camps over the summer. We're working hard on doubles because I think that will decide the match when we play First Colonial.''
All four singles semifinalists are back. Of that group only Kempsville's Amy Austin is a senior.
Tallwood's Leslie Beach, a two-time district runnerup, is a junior. Cox and Kannarkat are sophomores.
A team by team look at the district:
FIRST COLONIAL
Coach: Sharon Conyers
Last year's record: 9-0 district, 15-1 overall; district and region champion.
Returning starters: Mily Kannarkat, Sr.; Laura Bridges, Sr.; Katie Walters, Sr.; Anne Crenshaw, Sr.; Holly Cooper, Sr.
Top newcomers: Susie Birdsong, Fr.
Outlook: With five seniors in the lineup - Jennifer Chung will play No. 6 - it's now or never for the Patriots.
COX
Coach: Liane Long
Last year's record: 8-1 district, 12-2 overall
Returning starters: Shannon Cox, So.; Ashby Moran, So.; Nikki Stroud, Sr.; Andrea Charton, Sr.
Top newcomers: Adrienne Byrne, So.; Elizabeth Hamlet, So.; Andrea Bussey, Jr.gfl3]
Outlook: Bussey played No. 1 two years before moving to Brazil. She is out until mid-September with a hip injury. Byrne, a transfer from Canada will play No. 3.
TALLWOOD
Coach: David Weiss
Last year's record: 7-2 district, 8-3 overall
Returning starters: Leslie Beach, Jr.; Cindy Lopez, Jr.; Maria Terry, So.; Sara Loyd, Sr.
Top newcomers: Emily Zimmerman, Fr.; Cookie Miranda, Fr.
Outlook: The Lions again will chase First Colonial and Cox, the only teams to beat them last fall. Lopez, who has been active this summer, moves up to No. 2 from No. 3. Zimmerman and Miranda each have siblings who played at Tallwood.
KEMPSVILLE
Coach: Kara Kinley
Last year's record: 6-3 district, 6-3 overall
Returning starters: Kelly Austin, Sr.; Dana Parker, So.; Stephanie Muskovac, So.
Top newcomers: Leslie Taber, Jr.
Outlook: The Chiefs will battle Tallwood for third place.
KELLAM
Coach: Shearin Anderson
Last year's record: 5-4 district, 7-5 overall
Returning starters: Beth Spreder, Sr.; Justine Monte, So.; Susan Salabio, Sr.; Erin Icenbice, Sr.
Top newcomers: Alli Todd, So.; Rachel Dionisio, So.
Outlook: Spreder was the team MVP in 1994 after going 9-3 in singles and combining with Salibio to go 9-3 in doubles. Monte was 4-6 as a freshman. Todd debuts at No. 4.
SALEM
Coach: Kari Hill
Last year's record: 4-5 district, overall
Returning starters: Debbie Camana, Sr.; Maureen Marcelo, Sr.; Nessa Manalang, Sr.; Kathy Espiritu, So.; Cecil Pattalunan, Sr.
Top newcomers: Jonora Redd, So.
Outlook: The Sun Devils could be the most improved team with four returning seniors who played 2-5.
GREEN RUN
Coach: Alton Hill
Last year's record: 3-6 district, 5-6 overall
Returning starters: Justine Herrera, Sr.; Charlene Advincula, Jr.
Top newcomers: Christine Neri, Sr.; Janice Dionisio, So.; Dara Mauri, So.; Shari Henderson, Jr.
Outlook: Herrera moves up to No. 1 from No. 3 and Advincula advances to No. 2 from No. 5. The newcomers aren't ready to win consistently. Matching last year's record will be tough.
OCEAN LAKES
Coach: David Hales
Last year's record: 1-8 district, 1-9 overall
Returning starters: Bernadette Stanford, So.; Chavon Schweichler, So.; Mary Clifford, So.; Erin Bondy, So.; Aasta Pedersen, Jr.; Ronda Hunt, So.
Top newcomers: Ashley Morris, Fr.; Daya Bill, So.; Mary Tallmadge, So.
Outlook: The top six players won only six matches combined last season, but if they stick it out the Dolphins could be a factor by next season.
PRINCESS ANNE
Coach: Jason Roberts
Last year's record: 1-8 district, 4-9 overall
Returning starters: Erin Vitz, Sr.; Ana Ponce, Jr.; Leanna Konowicz, Jr.
Top newcomers: Courtney Sove, Fr.; Jessica Terrana, So.
Outlook: Vitz, Ponce and Konowicz played at the top of the ladder last year, but still figure to be outclassed against the better teams. Sove only took up tennis this summer, but Roberts predicts she'll win more than half of her matches.
BAYSIDE
Coach: Katie Wilson
Last year's record: 0-9 district, 0-9 overall
Returning starters: Kara Wagner, Sr.; Sarah Hess, Jr.; Megan Conniff, So.
Top newcomers: Jessica Carlton, Sr.; Melissa Carlton, Fr.; Deborah Grabowski, Sr.
Outlook: Wilson, entering his second season as coach, is confident the Marlins will improve on their record. Hess and Wagner, who played Nos. 1 and 2 respectively last season, have been active this summer and could flip flop on the ladder. ILLUSTRATION: BEACH DISTRICT GIRLS TENNIS PREVIEW
Staff file photo by MOTOYA NAKAMURA
Tallwood's Leslie Beach, a two-time district runner-up, is back as a
junior to challenge First Colonial's Mily Kannarkat.
Mily Kannarkat
by CNB