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Mount Mercy Academy Tennis Team Attacks at the Net

by Pat Burns

Mon, Apr 11th 2022 01:00 pm

 

Now in his fourth season at the helm, Mount Mercy tennis coach Matt Ondesko is excited about how far his team has come and where they are at this year. “It has taken four years to build up the program and I am very excited about the team this season.  The team has put in the work during practice and they are improving each and every day,” Ondesko commented.

This year’s team has doubled in size from last year and returns five members from last year’s squad, including team MVP sophomore Addison Barth (Hamburg).  Ondesko has high expectations for Barth. “Number one singles player Addison Barth should challenge for the All-Catholic title this year.

Her game has gone to the next level. Addison is a legit Division I and II prospect as a

sophomore and already has a few schools watching her,” Ondesko remarked.

He also expects strong play from seniors Mara Santana (Buffalo) and Mary Bea Lalley (Buffalo) who return to first doubles again this year and Ondesko believes they could be one of the top doubles teams in the league. Also returning for a second season are sophomores Brogan Maloney (Lackawanna) and Julia Rosada (Buffalo).  Ondesko named freshman Mairin Kearns (Hamburg) as his top newcomer. “She has shown a lot so far during practice and is very eager to learn and I can’t wait to see her in action during the next couple of months as she improves her overall game,” Ondesko stated.

Nardin and Sacred Heart are consistently the top two teams in the league and as a whole may be a bit too experienced for the Magic right now but with increased confidence in themselves, Ondesko believes that they will be able to compete with everyone this season, even the top two teams.  He does think the Magic’s top players will be tough opponents for Sacred Heart and Nardin.

“Although we are an extremely young team with four seniors, five sophomores and a freshman, 

my expectations are always high for the girls. I would love to see us finish somewhere in the

middle of the pack, pulling out a few upsets. We haven’t won a league match in three years, so

the girls are eager to prove that their hard work is ready to pay off.  The experience and depth we have this year bodes well for the future of Mount Mercy tennis,” Ondesko concluded.

  The team opens its ten match season on April 20th against Sacred Heart.

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