St. Ed’s varsity girls tennis team defeated John Carroll by a score of 7-0 under chilly, blustery conditions at Riverside Park last week to raise its early season record to 2-1.
After an opening loss to Vero Beach High, the Pirates rang up two straight wins against district opponents. Prior to the John Carroll match, the girls squeaked by Master’s Academy 4-3.
With the next five matches scheduled against the rest of the teams in the district field, the promising start bodes well for Alet Filmater’s team as it hopes to move up in the standings and improve on its fourth-place finish in the district tournament last year.
“I think our girls team is improved when compared to last year,” Filmater said. “At the very top I have freshman Jasmine Jaffe. She is definitely going to carry the team. I expect her to be one of the top four players throughout the district.
“Then we have nice support from our seniors Lacey Karabin and Olivia Hendren. Following that we have the two Deri sisters, Katie and Ryan. We are also counting on contributions from Olivia Oriaku.” With the exception of Ryan Deri, all were on the varsity roster last year.
With an experienced front-line rotation and a handful of talented freshmen waiting for their opportunities, Filmater has a blueprint to keep the program on the rise. The goal is to restore St. Ed’s girls tennis to tournament-level caliber. The Pirates reached the state finals two years ago.
Filmater took over a team in transition last year and the retooling process appears to be inching along. The theme a year ago was getting the girls to enjoy the game on a recreational basis. That goal will be upped a degree or two this year.
“With the girls we have right now, I believe I can teach them a lot about what I’ve learned and accomplished in my playing and teaching career,” said Filmater, a native of Namibia.
She came to the United States when offered a tennis scholarship at Tennessee Tech University. After graduating in 2006 she dabbled briefly in the professional ranks before landing in Vero and finding her way to Orchid Island Golf and Beach Club, where she worked with tennis pro Jim Buck. Buck also coached the varsity girls team at St. Ed’s and Filmater inherited that position when Buck stepped aside in 2013.
“For these girls it’s not so much about teaching advanced skills just yet,” Filmater continued. “They just need to learn how to play the middle of the court and get into eight- to ten-ball rallies. I’ve taught the game for ten years and my mission is to get the girls to believe in themselves. I would like to see them play the sport for the rest of their lives.”
The Pirates didn’t fare very well in the opener against VBHS at Riverside Park. The five singles players won a total of six games across ten sets. In the comeback win vs. Master’s Academy at the Vero Tennis Club, #1 Karabin, #2 Ryan Deri and #5 Taylor Tee won singles matches. Karabin and Hendren sealed the deal with a convincing doubles victory.
In a dominant performance against John Carroll, #1 Jaffe, #2 Karabin, #3 Ryan Deri, #4 Katie Deri and #5 Hendren lost a total of two points in one-set matches up to eight games. Doubles teams of Jaffe-Karabin and Deri-Deri prevailed 8-1, 8-0 respectively.
“I think we have a great team with a lot of new faces,” Karabin said. “The freshmen and brand-new players are all still in the learning process, but I believe there is a lot of potential here.
“There’s definitely a lot of determination with this group. They are pushing themselves hard in the games. We never give up. What coach is saying is most definitely true. We are going to be much better than last year.”
Co-Captains Karabin and Hendren were members of that state tournament team in 2013, so they might know a little about what it takes for this team to move upward.
“I’ve been on the varsity tennis team for three years and I love it,” Hendren told us. “I started out not really knowing a lot about the game, but I really enjoy it now because Alet makes it a lot of fun. But most of all I think it’s just a great sport.
“This season is going to go well because everybody is really enthusiastic and we all have lots of potential. We have some young players this year that are really good. Alet works individually with each and every one of us. We all get the time and attention needed to improve on our weaknesses.
“Personally I like to play from the baseline, but Alet wants us to be aggressive and come to the net more often. But most of all she doesn’t want us to hit too may reckless shots.”
The varsity boys are also 2-1 off an equally convincing 7-0 shutout of John Carroll. Filmater coaches both squads.
“I went to (Athletic Director) Jeff Lamscha two years ago and told him there was no reason I couldn’t do both. He agreed and here we are, in our second year.”