OCEAN CITY – The Mainland Regional and Ocean City High School girls tennis teams have new coaches at the helm this year, one blessed with a roster of six returning starters and the other with freshmen at three starting spots.
The two teams faced each other Friday afternoon on the OCHS courts, with the Mustangs coming away with a 4-1 victory in its first contest of the season. It was the second match for the Red Raiders, who opened their season with a win over Egg Harbor Township.
After two years as the assistant coach, Tom Ballezzi moved into the head coaching position at Ocean City. After a long time away from coaching tennis, Eileen Fortis has taken over for longtime Mainland coach Kathy Yohe.
Along with having rosters with vastly different levels of experience, the coaches have different backgrounds as well.
Ballezzi is a 2011 graduate of OCHS, where he played basketball and baseball before heading off to Stockton University. He was the assistant coach to Samantha DiMatteo the past two seasons. DiMatteo coached the girls team for 14 years before the reins were turned over to Ballezzi so she could spend more time with her young children. In his eighth year teaching math at OCHS, Ballezzi has coached the OCHS freshman boys basketball team the last four years while helping out with the varsity team. He’ll be back with the freshman team in the winter season.
Fortis has taught psychology and AP psychology at Mainland for the past 15 years. She coached “years and years ago” at both Sacred Heart and Oakcrest, but the mother of four said coaching went onto the back burner as she raised her children.
“It’s been a couple decades since I’ve been out on the tennis courts so it has been a joyous thing for me to return. It’s a little nerve-racking after so long,” she added, laughing. “I am definitely rusty but it’s awesome to be back.”
“I’m fortunate that my first year I have six returners, so that is very helpful and reassuring,” Fortis said. “The girls look good. They worked hard and continue to work hard to improve anf add dimensions to their game so I’m really proud of them at this point.”
The new coach gave a rundown of her starters.
Christina Htay, a junior, returns at first singles after “a terrific season” in 2022. “She’s effortless. Her footwork is terrific, her strokes are beautiful, especially from the baseline,” Fortis said. “She moves very well and recovers really well so she’s able to get really good shots off against her opponents wherever they are. She also impressed me in our scrimmages with her mental game. She is very calm and poised. I think she has matured a lot from previous years.”
Returning at second singles is Maddie Dennis, a senior. “She is fiery. Man, she can rip the ball. I just love to watch her play, beautiful inside-out forehand,” the coach said. “She is strong and powerful and tough and she is feisty, so she is a lot of fun to watch.”
Samantha Goldberg, a senior, is back at third singles. “Sam is a wall. Everything just comes back somehow,” Fortis said. “She gets these passing shots, a little flick of the wrist, and she’s won the point. She is very consistent, she keeps it coming, and she manages to put together a combination of shots that ends up with her hitting a winner. It’s beautiful.”
A great duo is back at first doubles – senior Elizabeth Ong and junior Marlee Campbell. “They were extremely successful last year. They had several accolades,” Fortis said. “I think they were the top doubles team in South Jersey. They’re terrific together. They have a great time together, they communicate really well. Elizabeth has gorgeous strokes and her service toss is probably my favorite on the whole team. I love to watch her serve. They both have become really aggressive at the net. They’re going for it. It’s such a great thing to see, especially in women’s tennis. Marlee anticipates really well.”
Sophomore Lily Turner played some varsity last year and is teaming up with freshman Hana Saloum at second doubles. Turner is “quiet, she is precise. She has terrific cross-court shots. She’s a smart player. She sees the court well and just knows what to do with it. She worked hard in the offseason.” Saloum has “powerful ground strokes and a terrific serve. She doesn’t have a lot of doubles experience but she is a terrific player. She and Lily have been working well together. I’m looking forward to seeing how they do as the season goes.”
In spite of the lack of experience for some of his players, Ballezzi likes what he sees in his Red Raider team.
“Overall we’re looking pretty good. It’s a real nice group of girls. Every day they show up wiling to work hard and get better,” he said. “We had our first match the other day against Egg Harbor Township and we got the first win of the season, winning 4-1.”
“We have Catherine Stempin at our number one, followed by Alexis Allegretto at number two and Annabelle Terruso, a freshman, at number three. As our doubles we have Chloe Howard and Daphne Brozyna (at first) followed by Cecelia Mirsky and Anna Wisnefski at second doubles.” Mirsky and Wisnefski are freshmen.
The returning tennis players are Stempin, a junior, and Allegretto, a senior. “Both of them are great leaders for us on the team,” Ballezzi said. The other returners are Howard, another senior, and Brozyna, a junior.
“We have three freshmen on varsity now,” he said, filling spots lost to graduation last year.
“We definitely have some great young talent,” Ballezzi said. He added they and the returning players have great attitudes. “That’s exactly what we want.”
The coach said with the young players, it is difficult to assess how the team with stack up against the competition in the Cape-Atlantic League. “We’ll see how it goes. Our goal is to just get better each and every day by working hard at practice. With the first win of the season against EHT, that’s always a good start.”
Ballezzi was expecting a battle against the more seasoned Mustangs.
The coach said improving every day is the goal for his team. “The only way to success is by working hard,” Ballezzi said.
In Monday’s match, Ocean City’s Stempin won against Ong due to player retirement.
At second singles, Dennis defeated Allegretto 6-3, 6-4; at third, Goldberg beat Terruso 6-1,6-0; at first doubles, Ong and Campbell won 6-1, 6-1 over Howard and Brozyna; and at second doubles, Turner and Saloum beat Wisnefski and Mirsky 6-4, 6-2.
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
