| Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016, TRIB-LIVE
The Fox Chapel girls tennis team finished with a 10-6 overall record last year and lost in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs.
Coach Alex Slezak must find a way to replace graduated standout Laurel Shymansky, who is now a freshman at Duquesne University.
“The loss of Laurel will be tough to fill,” he said. “But we have a lot of good players returning.”
Chief among them will be junior Amanda Nord, who teamed up with Shymansky to win WPIAL and PIAA gold in doubles last season. Also returning will be sophomore Kristen Friday and junior Molly Weise at singles and senior Moira McCormick at doubles. Freshman Charlotte James also will be expected to contribute.
“She is a year-round tournament player with the skill set to do very well,” Slezak said.
“We have a core group of girls who really want to work hard and get the most out of their talent. The depth of the lineup is always a concern for a team tennis coach. The doubles will be where we will struggle or excel. It is too early to tell yet which that will be.”
Fox Chapel will compete in Section 3-AAA with Allderdice, Baldwin, Bethel Park, Oakland Catholic, Penn Hills, Plum, Shady Side Academy, Thomas Jefferson and Woodland Hills.
“I start all seasons the same,” Slezak said. “If we stay focused and work hard on improving a little bit each day, we will get the most out of our talent.”
As for the section competition, Slezak feels that the Foxes’ neighborhood rivals will again provide the stiffest test.
“As always, Shady Side Academy will be the team to beat in the section.”