HONESDALE — Don’t look now, but one of the hottest teams on the local girls varsity tennis scene calls Wayne County home.
Honesdale started off the regular season with three straight lopsided losses before notching its first win in late August.
And while there have been some growing pains along the way for this scrappy young squad, the Hornets have won their last two matches and are rising in the Lackawanna League standings.
Singles players Morgan Wendell, Alexis Mazzotta and Casey Morton are leading the way with consistently solid outings, the latest of which ended with an impressive 5-0 shutout of Western Wayne.
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“This is such a great group of kids,” said head coach Patrick Stanton following Wednesdays’ win. “They practice hard and play well as a team. All I’m asking of them is that they just try and get a little bit better every day and so far so good.”
Honesdale’s league record now stands at a respectable 3-6 with several more winnable matches on the horizon. The Red & Black are back on the court Monday for a home match versus a two-win Mid Valley team.
Action gets underway at 4 p.m. at the Daniel J. O’Neill Sports Complex.
Strength at singles
Honesdale struggled early on in the season, falling to Abington Heights, North Pocono and West Scranton by a combined score of 14-1.
However, the Hornets broke through on August 26 with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Scranton. They followed that up with a 3-2 decision over Riverside on Monday and a shutout of Western Wayne on Wednesday. Wendell, Mazzotta and Morton have been leading the way.
Wendell is a battle-tested southpaw who holds down Honesdale’s top singles spot. The hard-working senior co-captain is in just her second year on the varsity squad, having made the leap from doubles to singles this fall.
Wendell was on point during Wednesday’s match, powering her way to a straight set (6-4, 7-5) victory over Cassidy Zeiler.
“Morgan is probably our most improved player,” Stanton said. “She’s a good leader with a solid serve who covers the court well. Morgan attacks the ball and never gives up on a point.”
Mazzotta is one of the league’s most promising underclassmen. Just a freshmen, she’s a talented multi-sport standout who also excels in softball and basketball.
On Wednesday afternoon, Mazzotta dominated Western Wayne’s Bella Kolp en route to a stellar straight set triumph (6-0, 6-2).
“Alexis was our manager last year,” Stanton said with a smile. “Now she’s on the varsity and already moved up from third singles to second. She’s a big, strong kid who moves really well and has a ton of power. If Alexis keeps working hard, she has a very, very bright future.”
Morton completed the Hornet sweep against the ‘Cats posting a straight set (6-1, 6-1) win over Alecia Wertman at third singles.
A junior who comes to the tennis team via soccer, Morton played doubles last fall, but graduated to singles this year. She possesses a steady service game and a lethal backhand.
“Casey is a great kid,” Stanton said. “She works hard and is very coachable. Casey is having a good season and we’re going to be expecting big things from her when she’s a senior.”
Youth and depth
While singles play is definitely a strength of this year’s team, Honesdale’s doubles teams are showing a great deal of promise.
The Hornets start three freshmen and a sophomore at the varsity level, hinting at the possibility of exciting things to come down the road.
Irene Smith and Dana Martin showed grit and determination during Wednesday’s match. The Hornets’ top doubles team persevered for a 6-3, 7-5 win over Western Wayne’s Mady McClure and Kaylee Fischer.
Meanwhile, Honesdale’s dynamic freshman duo of Mia Shencavitz and Taryn Murray overpowered Emma Spewack and Madison Forgione en route to a 6-0, 6-0 whitewashing.
“I”m very pleased with how things are going so far,” Stanton said. “As long as we keep moving forward, and the girls keep giving me 100 percent every day in practice and during matches, I’m happy.”
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Honesdale girls tennis team red hot in Lackawanna League girls tennis
