VERO BEACH — All matches are important, but Vero Beach boys tennis head coach Mike Hickey had a refreshingly honest answer when asked about this season.
“I hate to say it this way, but we were really just waiting for districts,” he said.
Months of regular-season action has given way to the postseason. And one week after the program extended its long string of district titles, the Indians are once again on the cusp of a late spring push.
Athlete of the Week: Sophia Loreto pilots the Rams softball machine as the team's lone senior
Mulligan’s Athlete of the Week poll: Check out the top local prep sports performers!
Vero Beach will play for the right to advance to state following a 4-0 victory over Windermere during a Region 5-4A semifinal on Tuesday from Vero Beach High School.
The Indians opened the day sweeping both doubles matches before collecting wins from a 6-3, 6-0 win by Mason Cisco at first singles and a 6-1, 6-1 triumph by Brent Sturgis at fifth singles sealed the deal. Both Cisco and Sturgis figured in the team’s doubles victories.
At first doubles, Cisco and Walter Lloyd outlasted the duo of Sebastian Castillo and Mikail Pavlovic 5-3, 2-4, 10-4. Sturgis and teammate Joe Rodolico had an easier time getting past their opponents, sweeping Diego Costa and Charan Gnanasakthi 4-0, 4-2.
“Once you go into the match knowing you only need two wins, that kind of boosts our energy and hurts their energy a little bit,” Hickey said.
The Lady Indians played a regional semifinal in front of their home fans, but fell 4-1 to Olympia.
Vero Beach boys are host to a regional final on Thursday, with a familiar foe coming to town. Lake Nona aims to end the Indians’ state dreams in what will be their fifth meeting in a regional final since 2019. The teams have split the prior four meetings.
“We’re going to take a little break tomorrow because we played hard today,” Cisco said. “And then Thursday is going to be a tough one. Hopefully, we’ll bring that number up and beat them and go to states.”
Pressure make diamonds
Hickey admits the level of his current squad isn’t as high with mainstays Bo Johnson, Figge Pernfors and Mac Johnson graduating last year.
Johnson, Pernfors and Johnson represented No. 2, 3 and 4 in the singles lineup. Now those roles belong to Joe Rodolico, Jacob Rodolico and Lloyd.
High School Tennis: Jensen Beach boys ride an undefeated mark into the District 13-2A tourney
Athlete of the Week: South Fork sophomore Josh Herring embraces leap into Bulldogs lineup
But that opinion ties into the head coach’s thoughts on the regular season. Even with a 13-2 record, the Indians viewed it as a chance to sharpen the skills of players that weren’t regularly in the lineup a season ago and prepare them for the heightened stakes of the postseason.
“You might have an easy match in the district regular season, but once things ramp up, we're going to be really stressing that these matches are going to be tight,” Hickey said. “You're going to be feeling it, the pressure and everything.”
They meet again
Not only will Lake Nona and Vero Beach clash for yet another regional final, the two teams are set for their second meeting of 2024. The Lions prevailed with a 6-1 victory during the Spruce Creek Invitational on Feb. 19 in Daytona Beach.
Like against Windermere, Hickey believes a solid start at doubles is key to evening the score with Lake Nona.
“I think the big thing for us is to try to solidify the doubles and get them off their game,” he said. “If we can go into singles with a 2-0 lead, that would mean a lot.”
A fast start at doubles likely means continued excellence at second doubles. Sturgis and Rodolico are unbeaten together playing one regular-season match as a pair last year and six more as juniors this past season.
“Our No. 2 doubles (team) has been solid all year. … They’ve been a rock for us,” Hickey said.
Consistency carries Cisco
Responsible for Vero’s only victory in the early-season matchup with the Lions, Cisco has enjoyed a stellar campaign, one in which he became a team captain.
“He really earned that,” Hickey said. “He easily could have decided to not play. He could have even decided to say, ‘You know what, I'll play the four required matches and not play the rest of the season. I don't need to come to practice.’ But he didn’t. He's been at every practice, he's been supporting the team. All the other guys look up to him.”
The senior is undefeated at No. 1 singles and has only suffered two defeats at No. 1 doubles this season. Consistency has been the root of the player’s performance.
According to Hickey, Cisco would set up a point perfectly only to miss on the putaway shot last year. He’s limited those errors with patience and smarter decisions.
“My freshman year if you saw me, you’d see me blasting balls left and right,” Cisco said. “I wasn't even on the team freshman year. So senior year, I really tried working on getting all the balls in and keeping it consistent. That's really what the secret is to this season.”
Cisco was also aided by a summer trip to Europe last June. He competed in tournaments across nine countries.
“I made it to the main draw a few times,” Cisco recalled. “Never really won, but it was a great experience traveling on my own, seeing the different cultures in Europe and experiencing a professional tennis life.”
Regardless of Thursday’s result, the senior will head to state for the fourth consecutive season.
Cisco was a part of the Indians team that advanced to the state tournament in 2021 and 2023. He has won singles and doubles district titles each of the past three years. Last year, he bowed out in the semifinal round in singles competition while taking state runner-up honors with Bo Johnson at doubles.
“The last two runs, I've hit a roadblock with some great players at states,” Cisco said. “But I've had experiences in Europe and I had all the season to prepare and become consistent enough to finally have a good run and potentially win states. I’m really motivated to win this for Vero Beach High School, I’m really going to try.”
The Indians have never had a player win a singles state title, but the program has seen one duo take the crown: Robert Kowalozyk and Jarrod Owen in 1999.
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at (772) 985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Boys Tennis: Rebuilt Vero Beach shreds Windermere, again Lake Nona awaits in regional final
Most Popular
Comments / 0