During the many years that coach Alex Slezak has headed the girls and boys tennis programs at Fox Chapel Area High School, he has seen his share of good teams and players, even great ones. The teams that stick out most in his mind, however, are those on which the players bonded and worked toward a common goal. This year’s girls team is one of those teams.
“This team’s strength is that they are a very close group of girls, and that allows them to put the program bigger than the individual, which is sometimes difficult to do in tennis,” coach Slezak says.
Senior doubles player Maria Marasco adds, “We have a very strong lineup this year as far as singles and doubles. I think our biggest strengths fall within our technique. All starting lineup players have put endless time into developing a consistent and powerful serve. We have also been working on consistency with our groundstroke shots.”
The Foxes singles lineup for 2023 features juniors Meg Delaney and Sienna Siegel, and senior Sophia Carvelli. Sienna qualified for the WPIAL Class 3A individual singles tournament last year.
The top doubles duo is Maria and junior partner Anna Kintner, while junior Hannah Parker and sophomore Eloise Johnson combine for the second varsity pairing.
“Junior Diggy (Digness) Elwell and freshman Victoria Pfendler will also contribute, when possible, as will senior Lucy Larsen when she returns from injury,” coach Slezak says.
Maria and Anna first played together late last season and were instrumental in helping the group reach the WPIAL quarterfinals.
“I think we are capable of much more success this year since we are used to playing with each other and worked separately during the summer to strengthen our game,” Maria says. “While I love playing singles, my passion for doubles is even stronger, so I am very satisfied with where I stand at first doubles with Anna.”
One of coach Slezak’s best skills is how he prepares his players for their mental approach to the game. One time, he helped a player analyze her game by suggesting it be compared to solving a math problem, a subject in which the student excelled in the classroom.
“Coach Slezak has taught us to never give up on a match no matter what the score is,” Sienna says. “He pushes us to be focused and fully committed to our game. The mental part of tennis is the biggest challenge that comes with playing at a competitive level. As competitors, we have to accept that there will always be someone better than us, but that thought should be exactly what pushes us to do our best.”
Sienna looks for this season to be full of promise.
“I am extremely excited about this year’s team, more so than my last two years of playing high school tennis. We have a fierce lineup all the way through JV, so the potential on this team is incredible.”