Charter tennis starts off with 2 wins

Jerra Holdsworth takes over the Marco Island Charter Middle School co-ed tennis team from a legend and has the team running smoothly.

Connnie Kormanyos, former YMCA tennis director, brought the program to success and it looks like Holdsworth is continuing the tradition.

“Connie was my instructor,” Holdsworth said. “I am just carrying on what she created.”

In two matches, the Charter team downed a team from Cambier Park, 75-33 and Village School of Naples, 86-12.

To give the players an opportunity to play often, the matches are done in pro sets where each set consists of 7 games, or seven possible points.

“Our 12 players all have experience and have good court sense,” Holdsworth said. “My goal is to promote tennis for young kids, eventually leading them to college opportunities. Tennis can build character, sportsmanship and leaders of our schools. It also is a great life-long sport.”

Holdsworth is assisted by Cathy Mendel, who also helped Kormanyos.

Against Cambier Park, top singles players were Alexa Campisi, Areeb Chaudhry and Gage Daly, with 5 wins and 2 losses. Tops in doubles were Peter Servente and Ryan McCarty, 13 wins and 1 loss, Casey Mendel and Samantha Howard 12-2, John Honig and Max Frimberger 7-0, Eli Smith and Frimberger 6-1, Noah Holten and Sean Linardich and Chaudhry and Daly, both 9-5.

Against Village School, top singles players were Chaudhry and Servente, going 14-0, while Linardich, Mendel and Frimberger all went 7-0. In doubles Smith-Campisi, Servente-McCarty and Honig-Noah Holten all were 7-0, Mendel-Frimberger and Holten-Chaudhry, 6-1, while McCarty-Smith and Honig-Campisi each went 5-2.

The team’s next match is at the Vineyards at 2 p.m., Saturday.