Led by area star Maureen Slattery, Hampton Roads Academy’s girls’ tennis team fell just short of a third consecutive Virginia Independent Schools state title last fall.
The Navigators, despite losing their senior No. 1 Shelby Harris to graduation last June, have high hopes of reclaiming that hardware this season thanks in large part to the addition of Group AA singles champion Wiktoria Plawska, who transferred to HRA as a junior earlier this summer.
Plawska, who spent the first two years of her high-school career playing at York High, was a two-time Bay Rivers and Region I Player of the Year her freshman and sophomore seasons before claiming her first state singles title this past spring. She dropped only one set in singles play without losing a match during that two-year span.
“I’m really excited to be a part of such a prestigious program and a prestigious school,” Plawska said. “We have a fantastic team this year, our top six are all quality hitters. I think we have a great shot at being competitive at states.”
First-year HRA girls tennis coach Marvin Hedgepeth, who has spent the past three decades coaching at Menchville High as well as the Centre Court training facility in Newport News, said Plawska will be a huge addition to a team that is shaping up to being one of the deepest he’s seen in nearly 30 years of coaching.
“She’s an extremely talented player and a welcomed addition to our team,” Hedgepeth said of Plawska. “With the talent that was here already, someone like [Plawska] clearly puts us on another level.”
Slattery, the No. 1 ranked 18U girls player in the United States Tennis Association’s Mid-Atlantic Section, which includes players from Virginia, West Virginia, Washington D.C. and Maryland, returns for her senior year as one of the nation’s top-ranked players.
Along with Plawska, Hedgepeth said he’s also excited about newcomer Joyce Fields, a highly touted freshman who earned a high national ranking as a 12 year-old.
“I’m familiar with all three of them (Slattery, Plawska and Joyce) since they train at Centre Court, and it’s quite rare to have three players of that caliber on the same squad. We’re very talented at the top and have others who will give us some good depth.”
Hedgepeth said returning junior Grace Prillaman had a strong summer and that he expects good things from her as well as senior Brittany Duguay. Hedgepeth added that he’s still looking for someone to emerge as his No. 6, and that Thursday’s season opener at home vs. Covenant School will be the first step in seeing who will step up.
“I won’t predict anything concrete, but they work as a unit, chemistry isn’t an issue, and they’re hungry,” Hedgepeth said of his team. “We’ve done the right things to prepare – playing in summer tournaments and working out daily – but we’re a long way from the ultimate goal.
“There are a lot of very good independent schools out there with highly ranked players. We’ll learn a lot more about where we stand [Thursday].”
