Girls' Tennis Gets A Gift

Berlin girls' tennis coach Diane Cleary thought she would have a solid team this season. She has 13 letter winners back from a team that went 10-4 last season and finished second in the CCC South behind Bristol Central. 

The Redcoats lost ace Alyssa Hayes, who is playing now at Bentley, but the depth and experience should be enough to keep Berlin near the top.

Then Cleary got a gift. Late last school year Eva Rybka moved to Berlin from Atlanta. Rybka, a junior, will play No. 1 singles for the Redcoats and is expected to be one of the top players in the area.

"She moved here last year and her mother got in touch with me to ask where the indoor tennis courts were in the area," Cleary said. "In the winter I play on the same night as Eva does and was able to see her play a few times. She hits a very nice ball."

This spring, Cleary had a round robin to see who would play singles and who would play doubles and Rybka beat everyone.

The team has so many players back that the line-up could be a mix and match of whoever is playing well at that time.

After Rybka, senior captain April Regan will play No. 2. Senior Jen Flannery will play No. 3 singles and junior Shawna Rosol will play No. 4 singles.

The doubles teams will start like this: Senior captain Kristen Cavalere and junior Kelly Josephson at No. 1, senior Sam Cooper and junior Kelly Byrnes at second doubles and juniors Emma Johnson and Megan Pitkin at No. 3 doubles.

"I'm very excited to have 13 girls back from last year," Cleary said. "Of the 13 back, seven played in the line-up consistently last year. 

"The hardest part for me as the coach is to make up the right combinations and who will play where. I'm sure I will try some different combinations during the year so Im not sure what the line-up will look like but this is where we are going to start."

The competition will be difficult for the Redcoats, who outside of the division will play Simsbury, Hall and Tolland.

"We are going to have some tough matches but I think we're up for the challenge," Cleary said. "We have great girls on this team, all of them. We met the other night and I told them the best thing I can do for them is to help guide them to become strong, young, intelligent and responsible young women. I feel fortunate to be a small part of it."