ROCKY RIVER — While it wasn’t the perfect ending to a dream district tournament for three area boys tennis players, they all seemed happy to have earned a trip to the Division I state tournament.
Even better, they were all able to learn something from their district losses Saturday that just might help them in Columbus next weekend.
Avon Lake senior Alex Trzeciak finished with a No. 3 seed in singles after splitting his two matches Saturday morning, and the North Olmsted senior team of Kevin Bus and Alex Kearney finished fourth after a pair of losses at Tri-City Park.
“It’s a great feeling to be going to state,” Bus said. “This is what you work for all those months on the court … hitting during winter and throughout the year.”
The Eagles lost 6-3, 6-3 to the Hudson team of Matt McErlean and Alex Hughes in the semifinals, then fell 6-4, 6-2 to the Shaker Heights team of Aaron Robbins and Greg Woyczynski in the third-place match.
“The competition just moves up a notch when you reach the semifinals,” Kearney said. “Hudson was the toughest team we’ve faced. Shaker Heights was close to them, but maybe just a step down.”
Since the Oberlin district will seed six doubles teams and singles players, the Eagles have a good shot of not having to face a district champion in their opening round at state. The Nos. 5 and 6 seeds will face two of the district champs, and Bus and Kearney won’t be bracketed against their own district champ — leaving just one possible district champion they might have to face.
“There’s a shot we’ll face a No. 2, so that made winning those first two matches more important,” Bus said. “But down at state everyone’s going to be good, so I’m not too worried about who’s going to be playing who. I just want to go down there and play my best tennis.”
The North Olmsted team plans on working on volleys this week and said that part of their game may have hurt them on Day 2 of the district tournament.
“If we get the opportunity, both of us are going to have to come into the net,” Kearney said. “Against teams on this level, if you’re not together — either at the baseline or at the net — they will kill you.”
Trzeciak suffered a 6-2, 6-0 semifinal loss to Brush’s Tommy Marx, then rebounded for a 6-0, 6-4 win over Wooster’s Seth Duffy in the third-place match.
“With a three (seed) I don’t have to take on a No. 1 in the first round,” Trzeciak said. “I felt I played well against Marx, but he was expected to win the whole thing. He never allowed me to get into the net and only made two unforced errors the whole match.”
The Shoreman said his strengths are keeping the ball deep and using his serve effectively, and plans on keeping his game sharp by practicing with coach Rich Mostardi during the upcoming week. For now, he plans on enjoying the realization of a dream come true.
“A lot of the players I know who are in college now made it to state,” Trzeciak said. “It feels good to join that group and know that I can say I made it there, too.”
Contact Shaun Bennett at 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com.

Division I singles

SEMIFINALS: Tommy Marx (Shaker Heights) def. Alex Trzeciak (Avon Lake) 6-2, 6-0; Dylan Schrode (Solon) def. Seth Duffy (Wooster), 6-2, 6-1. FIFTH-PLACE: Nolan Marks (Solon) def. David Gabriel (Shaker Heights), 6-1, 6-2. THIRD-PLACE: Trzeciak def. Duffy, 6-0, 6-4. CHAMPIONSHIP: Marx def. Schrode, 6-3, 6-2.

Division I Doubles

SEMIFINALS: Matt McErlean-Alex Hughes (Hudson) def. Alex Kearney-Kevin Bus (North Olmsted), 6-3, 6-3; Scott Warden-Robert Salcedo (Boardman) def. Aaron Robbins-Greg Woyczynski (Shaker Heights), 6-2, 6-4. FIFTH-PLACE: Ryan Mellion-Matt Sloan (Jackson) def. Billy Smith-Matt Dunmead (Solon), 6-3, 6-3. THIRD-PLACE: Robbins-Woyczynski def. Kearney-Bus, 6-4, 6-2. CHAMPIONSHIP: McErlean-Hughes def. Warden-Salcedo, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3). 

Lions pair falls short

CANTON — Lake Ridge’s Sammy Droubi and Leo Park lost to Canton Central Catholic’s Seth Laubacher and Eduardo Romany 6-2, 6-4 at the Division II district tournament at Weis Park on Saturday.
With the loss, Droubi and Park’s hopes of advancing to next week’s state tournament were dashed.
The top five singles players and the top five doubles teams advanced to the state tournament.

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