Nov. 16—For Mickey Zheng, the tennis season may have been completely different. But the end result was about the same.
Zheng was voted the 2024 Ashtabula County Girls Tennis Player of the Year by the county coaches.
It was her second straight year of winning the award and first with Geneva, after claiming the honor at Saint John last season.
Winning the award with two different programs is something Zheng said makes the honor even more spectacular.
“It means a lot, especially with going to a whole different school and a whole different environment,” she said. “I didn’t know how that was going to play out. It just means a lot to me that I can win this again.”
Zheng attended Saint John from the time she was in second grade and learned tennis under Heralds coach Todd Nassief.
Leaving for Geneva was not something she pictured herself doing.
But, when presented with the opportunity to graduate from high school in three years and jumpstart her college and career plans by transferring, Zheng knew she had to what was best for her.
Still, her tennis experience at Saint John was pulling at her heart.
“Definitely,” Zheng said. “It was so hard to leave. I talked to coach Nassief every day. It was a heartbreaking moment for both of us.
“I don’t regret a thing, though. Coach Nassief and I are still close and I’m thankful for the bond we have.”
But playing for a new school and a new coach, Zheng picked up right where she left off.
In the first-singles spot for the Eagles, she posted a 23-5 record. Zheng also won the Ashtabula County and Chagrin Valley Conference Lake Division tournaments, and qualified for the Division II district tournament.
Zheng said the move to Geneva was a bit awkward early in the season, but things quickly worked out.
“The first couple of practices were a bit tense, I’d say,” she said “Obviously, I came from a rival team and it was also playoffs, so everyone was on the edge of their seat. But, after playoffs ended and everyone had their spot, it was a smooth road for the rest of the season.”
Geneva coach Scott Torok said nothing was handed to Zheng, and she had to earn her spot just as any other player.
Though she had to battle through some of the changes, Zheng proved she could handle the transition.
“It’s tough being the new kid wherever you go,” Torok said. “We talked about it. I told her you might get some bad vibes just because we’ve been successful and now you’re coming in.
“I’m not saying you’re disrupting things, but you have to look at it from a coach’s perspective. Anytime you can have the best player in the county come to your team, it’s only going to make you better.”
Nassief had worked with Zheng since junior high.
At the time, she was anything but a natural on the court, but her willingness to practice and work to improve stood out.
“You could see the work ethic from day one,” Nassief said. “She’d come early for practice, then stay late to hit some more. She climbed the ladder so quickly.”
Though he found himself coaching against her this season, when the two schools met and at the county tournament, Nassief said he is proud of her continued success on the court.
“I’m extremely happy for Mickey,” he said. “Success for her was almost inevitable because she’s such a hard worker. I knew that she would be successful at anything she does in life. Whether it’s tennis or academics, Mickey will be successful at whatever she does and that’s what exciting.”
What Zheng does next will be to attend college. She has applied to The Ohio State University, which she says is her first choice.
Zheng also filed applications at Akron, Bowling Green, Mount Union and Ohio University.
Tennis is not something she’s seeking to play at the college level, but plans on staying involved with the game.
“I love tennis, but education has been something I’ve always put first as my priority,” Zheng said. “I have a lot of options so we’ll see how things play out. I do still want to keep playing tennis, even if it’s on just a club team or something like that.”
