Oct. 15—SAYBROOK TOWNSHIP — A lot of familiar faces surrounded the Saint John tennis courts Monday afternoon.
Mount Union and Penn State Behrend squared off in the first college tennis match in Ashtabula County in more than three decades.
Steve Varckette, who played for Kent State Ashtabula in the late 1980s, said it was great to have a match back in town.
:It’s great, especially with the county connection,” he said.
Kevin Lillie, a long-time local tennis player who played for Ashland University, also watched the action. He said he was going to play later Monday evening.
“I think I could play with these guys now,” he said with a smile.
A large contingent of high school players also attended the event.
Three local faces were connected to the match, as former Lakeside standout Ryan McClure, Geneva graduate Louis Murphy Jr. and Saint John player Jacob Timonere participated in one way or another.
Timonere, a sophomore, played doubles and singles for the Purple Raiders, McClure is a graduate assistant coach for Mount Union and Murphy is the head coach for Penn State Behrend.
The match ended up in Ashtabula County when the schools needed to find a site for match later in the day since Murphy and the Mount Union head coach Keith Kohmann are both public school teachers.
Murphy said they talked with Saint John coach Todd Nassief and worked out the details.
“It’s excited to play in front of people I’ve know for awhile,” Murphy said. “We needed a place that had courts that dy quickly and had lights.”
Saint John fit the bill.
Murphy’s men’s squad defeated Westminster 5-0 and Thiel College 6-1 entering Monday’s match.
The Behrend women’s team has recorded seven wins.
“It’s been great to be able to do this and showcase for the high school students,” he said.
McCure agreed and hopes to be at Mount Union as long as possible.
“It has just been awesome,” he said.
Timonere said the addition of McClure has been great for the program.
McClure said he brings a “players perspective” to his duties after playing at the school for three years.
He said most of the players in college play both singles and doubles.
The rain and wind that hit the area on Sunday evening and Monday morning kept the organizers a little on edge.
“Todd and I have been watching the weather for 10 days,” McClure said.
Timonere, McClure and Murphy are all veterans of the Ashtabula County Tennis Ladder held each summer.
