BROOKSVILLE – In terms of lineup, Nature Coast sophomore Sierra Remondelli isn’t typically the top player on her own girls tennis team.
Yet three weeks ago during the county invitational tournament at Delta Woods Park, it was Remondelli coming out on top of the bracketed three-team event that included her own higher-seeded teammates.
“I was really proud of myself. Since last year I’ve moved up and got a lot stronger with my shots. It showed how much I’ve improved,” Remondelli said. “My confidence did kind of go up a little bit. It showed I could beat higher players that I know could be stronger. But I didn’t want to think I was better than anyone. I want to stay humble about it. I have way more to go and more things to learn.”
So far her on-the-job training in prep tennis has gone very well. As a freshman playing at No. 5 last year, she was a district runner-up and went a team-best 16-4 in singles action.
This time around while mostly slotting in at No. 3, she sits at 13-1, having just suffered her first loss on Thursday against Springstead’s Sarah Vo. The Lady Sharks took on the Lady Eagles again on Friday, and Remondelli got revenge with a 7-6 (12-10), 4-6, 10-7 victory.
“She’s been playing very well. Very consistent,” Nature Coast girls coach Kristine Brown said. “She’s has a very consistent game. She takes her volleys and smashes them at the net. She finishes all her points. She works extremely hard on her game. Every match she steps on the court, she says, ‘I can win this match.’”
At the county invite, Remondelli knocked off Hernando Christian Academy’s Katherine Moore in the final, 6-2, 1-6, 10-7. In the semifinals, she defeated the Lady Sharks’ No. 1 player, Angela Cabahug, 6-1, 6-1. Following that tournament, Coach Brown noted that her top three players are equally capable, and thus Remondelli’s first-place finish wasn’t a complete shock.
Playing in the championship match, Remondelli believed she had to match the energetic Moore’s ability to get to shots. That attention to detail has helped her achieve success throughout the current campaign.
“I think all my shots, my forehand and backhand, have been pretty strong this season. My serving, I can do better, but over time I feel it will get stronger,” Remondelli said. “I’ve been playing a lot stronger competition than I did last year. I’ve got stronger with my hits and my serving has changed a little bit.
“I felt I had to play a little smarter (this year) with my shots and think deeper into it. See how they play and try to match up with the way they play.”
Having picked up tennis in middle school, Remondelli has recently begun participating in USTA events to hone her skills. Those efforts to improve have already paid dividends, as she and her teammates head into district tournament play after one more week of a regular season that has so far seen them go 11-1.
“We’re hoping to accomplish keeping a good streak, winning at districts, keeping a calm head and staying confident with the team and cheering each other on,” Remondelli said. “And hopefully make it past districts.”
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.