State tennis success motivates Alcala, Ratliff
Although they lost their respective championship matches in the girls tennis state tournament last year, Cassie Alcala of Pickerington North and Sydni Ratliff of Columbus Academy did not leave the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason with a bad taste in their mouths.
“Except for losing the final, I was super happy with the way things went,” said Alcala, a junior who made a strong run through the Division I singles bracket before losing 6-0, 6-0 to Anna Roggenburk of Rocky River Magnificant in the title match.
“You have to keep in perspective how hard it is just to get the state tournament. The competition is really rough. I’m really excited to be back again this year. I’m not really thinking about anything past the first match. I just want to play the best I can and see what happens.”
Alcala, the Central District champion, takes a 24-1 record into her third state appearance Friday and Saturday. She may be on another collision course with Roggenburk (20-0), a senior who has signed with Xavier.
Pickerington North coach Brian Hoff said Alcala has made significant strides each season.
“Cassie doesn’t talk about it, but I’m sure used her special run last year and the way it ended as motivation,” he said. “She’s improved in all aspects. The thing about her is she has such a high tennis IQ. She does an exceptional job adapting to the flow of the Alcala Columbus Academy’s Sydni Ratliff, who lost in the Division II state final in 2017, enters her second state tournament 17-0.
match and her opponent’s style, and she always seems to pick the right shot.”
Ratliff capped her freshman season with a run to the Division II title match, where she lost to Nicole Gillinov of Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown 6-2, 6-4.
She enters her second
state tournament 17-0.
“I was really nervous there last year,” Ratliff said. “I had never experienced an environment like that with the big crowd and all the cheering. I’ve played a lot tougher competition this year to prepare myself for the challenge. I’m going in a lot more
familiar with the environment and with a lot more confidence.”
Like Alcala, Ratliff may get a chance for a rematch against Gillinov (10-3), who suffered regular-season losses to Alcala and Roggenburk. Ratliff beat Gillinov in a junior event in Orlando, Florida, last winter.
Columbus Academy coach Tom Haddow likes Ratliff’s chances to again advance deep.
“She’s fine-tuned her game a lot since last year,” he said. “She’s always had a lot of talent, but strategywise she’s choosing her shots better. The experience on the big stage should help her a lot.”
In Division I doubles, Olentangy Liberty sophomores Danielle Schoenly and Maddie Atway will return to defend their title.
“They’re very good on the court together,” Liberty coach Will Thieman said, adding the fact that Schoenly is right-handed and Atway is left-handed offers an edge because they can rely more on forehands.
“Dani and Maddie played together some in juniors and have built a nice chemistry. The thing is they really love the team aspect of doubles. Both of them are among the top four players in central Ohio and they could have qualified to state in singles. This is the route they’ve wanted to take all along.”
Central Ohio has produced a big-school doubles champion six of the past seven years.