Unveiling the 2024 Volusia-Flagler All-Area Girls Tennis Team

Despite no Volusia-Flagler girls tennis teams capturing state championships, the local clubs made plenty of noise this spring.

Spruce Creek remained the class of the area. The Hawks finished 14-3 overall and 5-0 in head-to-head matchups against other local squads. They won the Five Star Conference Tournament, claimed a district title and fell just short of a state appearance in the region finals. Spruce Creek sent its No. 1 singles player and No. 1 doubles duo to the Class 4A individual doubles draw.

New Smyrna Beach played its best tennis toward the end of the season. It secured its district championship before knocking off Edgewater in the region semifinals. Its top doubles pairing also appeared in the individual bracket at the state tournament.

Flagler Palm Coast placed second at the Five Star meet while Father Lopez and Seabreeze advanced their No. 1 singles aces to the state event, providing many deserving candidates for the following list.

The Volusia-Flagler High School Sports Awards is proud to announce the athlete of the year nominees for girls tennis. The winners will be announced during the live show on Monday, June 3, at the Ocean Center.

The show is presented with the support of Halifax Health.

During the live show, athletes of the year in 30 state-sanctioned sports will be honored. In addition, top teams, coaches and overall athletes will be honored, as will a Courage Award winner. Nominated athletes who RSVP will receive a complimentary ticket to the event thanks to sponsors. Details on how additional tickets can be obtained will be available soon.

For more information about the show and to opt into email updates, visit its website and follow it on Facebook.

The Volusia-Flagler High School Sports Awards show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country.

Let’s meet the teams.

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Nominees

Giselle Adekunle, Spruce Creek: During her first year of No. 1 singles and doubles, the sophomore charged to the individual draws of the 4A state tournament in each. She ended up in the singles semifinals and doubles finals. Adekunle racked up records of 16-5 in singles and 16-6 in doubles, and grabbed Five Star Conference and district championships.

Riya Arab, Seabreeze: Arab spearheaded regional qualifier Seabreeze’s lineup again as a junior. She went 6-5 in No. 1 singles and won a district crown, gaining a berth to 3A states. She also finished 9-4 in No. 1 doubles.

Marina Carlisi, Flagler Palm Coast: Carlisi’s only local losses came against Spruce Creek, as the sophomore assembled a 7-6 record in No. 1 singles and 10-3 record in No. 1 doubles. It was her first season in the top role.

Melissa Perman, Spruce Creek: The senior continued her dominance of high school tennis with a 19-2 singles record (across Lines 2, 3 and 4) and a 17-2 record in No. 2 doubles. She won 55 consecutive singles matches to begin her career, with that streak stretching until April. Her final records were 60-2 in singles and 55-7 in doubles.

Ofelia Stout, Father Lopez: The sophomore earned a district championship in No. 1 singles and qualified for the 1A state tournament. She was 8-6 in singles matches and 5-4 in No. 1 doubles.

Kayla Wheeler, Spruce Creek: As a junior, Wheeler compiled an 20-1 singles record, mostly in the second position. Halfway through the year, she jumped from No. 2 doubles — where she was 13-1 — to No. 1 doubles and sprinted to the finals of the individual draw at the state tournament. Her final No. 1 doubles record was 9-1 and included a district title.

Other Athletes of Note

Campbell Bundza, Spruce Creek: Bundza made a huge leap as a junior, putting up a 14-6 singles record across four positions (mostly 4 and 5).

Christina Desimone, New Smyrna Beach: The senior capped her high school career with her best season. She amassed an 11-5 record in No. 2 singles while adding a 10-5 ledger in No. 1 doubles, with a district title and 3A state tournament appearance in tow.

Ava Epps, New Smyrna Beach: The junior helped the Barracudas to first place at their district tournament, going 11-4 in No. 1 singles and 10-5 in No. 1 doubles. She made it to the 3A state tournament after winning a district doubles title.

Gigi Henderson, Seabreeze: Henderson established herself in the No. 2 singles role as a sophomore. She notched a 7-3 record there and tacked on a 2-1 record in No. 1 singles and 6-5 record in No. 2 doubles.

Tatiana Leontyeva, Flagler Palm Coast: The sophomore put up a 12-3 singles record (mostly at No. 3) and an 11-3 record in No. 1 doubles.

Maya Swierczynski, Flagler Palm Coast: As a freshman, Swierczynski kicked off her high school career with a 7-6 singles record (mostly at No. 2) and a 12-2 record in No. 2 doubles.

Top Coach

Jeremy Davies, Spruce Creek: Davies led his Hawks to a 14-3 record and multiple championships. They clinched the Five Star Conference and District 2-4A titles. In the regional finals, Spruce Creek lost 4-3, but its No. 1 singles player and No. 1 doubles team made runs in the individual draws of the state tournament.

Honorable Mention

Father Lopez: Ashley Longabach, LeeAnn Strong, Emily Valenzano

Flagler Palm Coast: Aasi Bharucha, Ania Matynuk, Trista Rife

New Smyrna Beach: Jenna Belitz, Lani Dirmeir, Madison Sheppard

Seabreeze: Alana Karas, Haylee Ochipa, Claudia Venables

Spruce Creek: Keilana Irvin, Irina Tabacila

University: Elizabeth Sarro, Haley Broaddus

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia-Flagler All-Area: Meet the 2024 Girls Tennis Team