Conneaut's Vendetti drawing on past experiences at district
May 15—When J.T. Vendetti takes to the tennis court at Akron's Springside Racquet Club next week for the Division II district tournament, he'll be familiar with the court and surroundings.
But the Conneaut senior believes he's learned
a thing or two from his two previous district trips.
"Most of my growth has been how I've matured as a person," Vendetti said. "That motivation will help me push through any obstacle. I know where my skills stand, it's about overcoming the mental block."
Vendetti took third at the Solon sectional in singles.
He qualified to the district on Wednesday, and was scheduled to play Geneva's Tyler Perkins on Friday for third. But Perkins ended up forfeitting because he wasn't feeling well, and Vendetti notched third.
"We're both real happy to be playing at the district," Vendetti said.
District action is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. next Friday, and continues the following day.
"Being able to experience this is great," said Vendetti, who won a district match as a sophomore. "Overall, it's just a blessing to get to that level of competition through high school."
The 2020 tennis season didn't take place due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The top four singles
players and doubles teams from the district advance
to the state tournament
May 28 and 29 at the Lindner Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, which is near Cincinnati.
Vendetti said he is going
to attend The Ohio State
University next school year, and is considering trying
out for the club team for a year.
In addition to Vendetti and Perkins, Geneva's doubles team of Jon Huang and Devin Morrison have also qualified to the district tournament as a No. 4 sectional seed out of Solon.
"We live to fight another day," Eagles coach Scott Torok said.
Geneva can win the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division crown outright with a win over Lakeside on Monday at Geneva.
