DaytonDailyNews.com

Leah Donoff had a great junior year playing first singles for the Tippecanoe High School girls tennis team.

She was the Central Buckeye Conference player of the year in 2007, going undefeated in CBC play, first-team All-Area for the third straight year and the Troy Division II sectional champion.

That followed up a 2006 season in which she qualified to the state D-II tournament.

This year the Red Devils off to a fast start (9-2 overall, 6-0 CBC Kenton Trail) and Donoff is playing better than ever.

"I've been working hard on my attacking game," she said. "Making better approach shots, coming into the net and putting balls away are my first priority. Other girls try to draw me in (to the net), but I want to go there on my terms."

Finding the answer

Currently, there is a wave of defensive specialists dominating tennis in Cincinnati, and they in turn are frustrating the girls from the Dayton area. Finesse players nearly all, they tend to hit an assortment of drop and sliced shots.

"That's something I'm not used to as I hit with people that hit with pace all of the time (mostly with her father and personal coach, Ken)," Donoff said. "(Finding an answer) is what I have to do if I want to get to state this year.

"I'm a year older. I've worked hard. I'm going to give it my all, and hopefully things go well for me."

Her goals are to try to attract an athletic scholarship and hopefully become a nurse. According to Red Devils' coach Jeanne Koch, these are attainable goals with hard work.

With most of the hard stuff (biology, chemistry, etc.) behind her, the Tippecanoe senior can concentrate on her tennis game this year.

"I love the game. I get to play the other really good girls, and they in turn give me a run for my money," she said. "I just love that. Everything else is a bonus."

Considering how much press Donoff is likely to get, it is convenient that her hobby is scrapbooking.

Happy to be back

"With five seniors back, we have a very experienced team this fall," Koch said. "I'm pretty excited because this is my first year back as the head coach at Tippecanoe. I took time off to raise a family, and I am really enjoying my return to coaching.

"Wes Roddenberg is the boys coach, and he helps me by working with the girls junior varsity, too. He helps me with all of the rules and regulations, and I can concentrate on teaching."

Last year, Tipp lost only one match (Springboro 3-2), and it was their first match of the season. They never lost again, and this year expectations are high.

Maybe a little too high.

"We're a decent team," Koch said. "But we can be beaten. We're playing a tougher schedule this year, and Oakwood and Northmont have already done that. Even so, if we won all of our tiebreakers we'd be undefeated right now. We're right on the cusp.

"And like last year, we had our toughest matches right off the bat. I would have liked to have waited a little longer and maybe, not like, have them back-to-back. I'm going to have a little talk with my athletic director."

Seniors Karen Allen (No. 2 singles, honorable mention all-CBC), Kaitlin Tatzek (No. 3 singles, all-CBC), and Alison McQuarry (No. 2 doubles, all-CBC) join Donoff to make the 2008 edition of the Red Devils a deep and talented squad.

Contact this columnist at hotair@hotmail.com.