Parrish Tennis Teams Persevere through Championship Season

Savannah White – PCHS Bulletin 

After a strong regular season, both the girls’ and boys’ teams persevered through the championship season, with the girls as one of the finest across Manatee and Sarasota Counties and the boys finishing 2nd in the FHSAA Class 3A District 11 competition. Both teams made tremendous improvements this year and paved the way for next year's team.

This season the girls had an amazing record of 14-2. Senior Sophia Juliano made it to finals in the district but fell short in a tiebreaker. Coach Lisch added that, “our two seniors, Sophia Juliano and Maisie Ritzenthaler, paved the way for the underclassmen in their accomplishments on and off the court.”

These two girls were part of the first tennis team at Parrish in 2020 and have been growing the program ever since. “The girls had a fantastic season, and it's something I take a lot of pride in. I’ve made great friends in my four years on the team, and I am so grateful for Coach Lisch for all the work she has put in to help me succeed.” said Sophia Juliano. 

The boys' team had a strong ending to this season, placing 2nd in Districts. Nathan Lohnes, Josh Nicklis and Brian Swank all advanced to the finals. All the starters will return next year, and they are hoping to move on to the state series in the future. 

MVP’s this season were junior Melanie Carlson and freshman Rodrigo Oliveira. The most improved players were Ava Le and Josh Nicklis.