Volusia-Flagler district tennis preview: FPC, Spruce Creek ready for 4A battle

Two weeks from today, the state tennis tournament begins.

The local high school teams have to get there first, though. That journey starts Monday-Saturday with the district tournaments and continues with the regional rounds April 23 and 25.

All Florida High School Athletic Association champions will be crowned no later than May 3 across three locations in Seminole County.

The 11 Volusia-Flagler programs are spread across four leagues. Let’s take a quick glance at each.

District 2-4A

Teams: Buchholz, DeLand, Flagler Palm Coast, Forest, Spruce Creek, University, West Port

Dates: 8 a.m. Monday (first match), 9 a.m. Tuesday (finals)

Location: Palm Coast Tennis Center

Analysis: Spruce Creek captured the boys and girls titles last year en route to the state semifinals. The Hawks’ girls (13-2) bring back the same lineup (minus sophomore Irina Tabacila, who is sidelined with an injury) that beat out runner-up Flagler Palm Coast. This spring, they already defeated the Bulldogs (10-1) in the season opener and again topped them to claim the Five Star Conference trophy.

On the boys side, it’s a little different. Spruce Creek’s No. 1 singles ace, Zane Ensminger , is back and better (12-2 this season). The 2023 runner-up Buchholz remains a solid squad the Hawks have not played yet. They have squared off with a reloaded Flagler Palm Coast (11-1) roster. Spruce Creek (10-3) won their February matchup 5-2. In March, the Bulldogs vaulted to first during the Five Star event.

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District 3-3A

Teams: Beachside, Englewood, Fletcher, Matanzas, Oakleaf, Orange Park, Ponte Vedra, St. Augustine, Terry Parker

Dates: 8:30 a.m. Tuesday (first match), 8:30 a.m. Wednesday (finals)

Location: Ponte Vedra High School

Analysis: With a freshmen-studded lineup, Matanzas’ boys went 13-1 and placed third at districts in 2023. Ponte Vedra controlled the tournament, picking up both championships. This year, the Pirates navigated a tougher schedule to the tune of 11-4. That includes a 4-1 mark in district, with their lone loss coming against those same Sharks earlier this month. Sophomore Stanislav Valenteychik holds an 8-3 record in the top singles position.

Matanzas’ girls are 3-11. They finished fifth in last year’s district standings.

District 5-3A

Teams: Deltona, Lyman, Mainland, New Smyrna Beach, Pine Ridge, Seabreeze, Winter Springs

Dates: 8 a.m. Thursday (first match), 3 p.m. Friday (finals)

Location: Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs

Analysis: Another local sweep . Seabreeze returns as the defending boys and girls winner. The Sandcrabs’ boys are 8-2 this season. They dropped non-district matchups against Spruce Creek and Flagler Palm Coast — the only two clubs to rank higher than them in the Five Star. But outside of that, they survived six district matches undefeated. Lyman placed second last season. Seabreeze handled it 5-2 in March.

The Sandcrab girls also possess an 8-2 record with losses to the Hawks and Bulldogs and a perfect 6-0 league count. Junior Riya Arab was the 2023 No. 1 singles champ. She is 6-4 this season. After slotting second last year, New Smyrna Beach stands out with a 9-2 record. It beat Mainland, Pine Ridge and Lyman while losing to just one district match. Last month, Seabreeze squeaked by the Barracudas 4-3. Each of New Smyrna Beach’s top four singles players have at least eight wins and no more than four losses.

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District 1-4A

Teams: Father Lopez, Newberry (girls only), Oak Hall, P.K. Yonge, Seven Rivers Christian, Trinity Catholic, Union County

Dates: 9 a.m. Monday (first match), 9 a.m. Tuesday (finals)

Location: Jonesville Tennis Center in Gainesville

Analysis: Father Lopez’s girls and boys enter with 8-9 and 7-10 records, respectively. The boys have just one match of district experience, falling to P.K. Yonge 6-1 in February. The girls have played no such contests. Sophomore Ofelia Stout leads the lineup as the No. 1 singles player. She is 6-5.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia-Flagler district tennis preview: FPC, Spruce Creek ready for 4A battle