The Ravenna girls tennis team is 10-6 this season and 5-4 in the Metro Athletic Conference. The Ravens will compete at the MAC Tournament on Sept. 27.

By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Ravenna girls golf coach Brittney O’Donnell had two simple goals for her team this season: Win and learn from each match.

The Ravens have done a little bit of both and have shifted their sights to the Metro Athletic Conference Tournament, which will be hosted by Ravenna on Sept. 27.

Ravenna currently owns a 10-6 overall record and they are 5-4 in MAC play.

The league-play title is out of right, but the tournament crown is still within reach.

“There are a lot of teams that have potential and it will just depend on how e3ach court places and the points,” said O’Donnell, who is now in her ninth season coaching.

The Ravens have found success at the MAC Tournament the previous two seasons, with Ravenna winning the crown in 2020, then placing second overall in 2021.

In each of those two seasons, O’Donnell was named the league’s Coach of the Year.

In 2022, O’Donnell has had to lean on her brother, Ryan O’Donnell, who has filled in for his sister following the birth of her baby on Aug. 3.

“I was doing open courts in June and July and being eight and ninth months pregnant, I knew I was going to miss a lot of August.”

With a veteran team that features four seniors helped the team maintain structure, though, in O’Donnell’s absence.

“We only lost one senior last year, so we have a lot of players with experience, which has helped with some of the success for this year,” O’Donnell said.

That success has come through first singles player Hannah Chris, second singles Jameson Jordan, third singles Cadence Tackett, first doubles Sunny Kawskay and Mary Laudato and second singles Mallory Sterba and Whitney Holmes.

“Hannah and Jameson both have a lot of potential in singles play and utilize those strengths when playing their matches,” O’Donnell said.

The Ravens’ success, however, did not begin in August.

“I have a couple of players that take lessons and work outside the season, which is how you get better. So that has helped them,” O’Donnell said. “A lot of the girls also showed up during the summer to get work in, which shows their willingness to be successful.

“In practice, they are willing to try different drills to gain skills for matches,” O’Donnell added.