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Eira Duran was drawn into tennis by her son.
Now he is helping her as she takes over as the girls coach at St. Mary Catholic Central.
“I started playing tennis as an adult because of my son's interest in the sport,” she said.
Azariah Duran went on to play at Monroe High, winning Monroe County Region Boys Player of the Year honors in 2021.
Boys Basketball: Bollin shifts to Whiteford; three schools seek boys hoops coaches
And his mother fell in love with the sport.
“I have been playing competitively with the USTA for years and captained many teams out of the YMCA, making it all the way to the Midwest championship,” Eira said.
Eira and Azariah took a class together two years ago to get tennis coaching certificates.
She heard about the SMCC job through her job as fitness coordinator at the Monroe Family YMCA.
“I never thought of coaching, but some tennis friends whose daughters are on the team approached my son and me with the idea,” she said. “After consideration and an interview with Mr. Janssen (SMCC athletic director Jared Janssen), we accepted the challenge.”
Mother and son are having a great time.
“After three weeks of practicing with the girls, we are both enjoying teaching and passing our knowledge of the sport to them,” she said. “More importantly, we are having fun, building strong friendships and fostering good sportsmanship.”
Bedford also has a new coach as Julia Martin takes over for Bill Ryan.
She is a Bedford graduate who played No. 1 singles her senior year for the Mules.
“I've been passionate about tennis since picking up a racket in middle school,” Martin said. “One of my proudest moments was at regionals in 2022, where I defeated the top-seeded player, helping our team qualify for states.”
She remained close to the game after graduating from high school.
“My growth as a player was supported by private lessons and clinics through Shadow Valley, shaping me into the competitor I am today,” she said. “Currently, I continue my tennis journey at the University of Toledo's club tennis and have competed on the travel team for two years while majoring in Human Resources as a junior.”
She is excited about her new opportunity.
“Landing this coaching position at Bedford feels surreal and incredibly rewarding,” Martin said. “It's a unique experience to guide athletes who are walking the same halls and competing on the same courts I once did. It's especially special to coach our current No. 1 singles player, who was my teammate during her freshman year and my senior year. I’m excited to share my experience, support these athletes and help them reach their full potential.”
Previews of all of the Monroe County Region girls tennis teams follow.
Who will have the Monroe County Region's best girls tennis team in 2025?
Coach: Jerry Escheck, 33rd year.
Top players: Seniors Ella Gekle, Hannah Roof, Sophie Bucki, Skylar Hicks; junior Aundreya Kemp; sophomores Aleeya Ridner, Myra VanWashenova.
Season outlook: Gekle and Roof will fill the top two singles spots with VanWashenova, Ridner and Kemp contending for the other spots. Bucki and Hicks appear to be the No. 1 doubles team.
Coach’s comments: “We are solid, but have a lot of inexperience and youth in the lower doubles ranks. We just have to find the right combos.”
Coach: Julia Martin, first year.
Top Players: Seniors Sophia LaPointe, Alivia Brown; juniors Dorothy Dillon, Jayda Philbeck.
Season Outlook: LaPointe is beginning her third season at No. 1 singles. Jayda Philbeck, Dorothy Dillon and Alivia Brown look like they will fill out the singles lineup.
Coach’s comments: “With a mix of experienced upperclassmen leaders and talented underclassmen eager to make their mark, the team aims to strengthen their skills, deepen their teamwork and compete at a high level.”
Coach: Brian Herman, 12th year.
Top players: Seniors Erin Riley, Rylie Sulewski, Julie Mitchell, Lila Angelos, Aliyah Newsome, Brianna Helka; junior Chloe Hales; sophomore Sarah Pente.
Season outlook: The Marauders lost No. 1 singles player Addy Brake to graduation but return the rest of the singles lineup with Riley, Sulewski and Mitchell. They had a combined record of 54-8 last season. Angelos and Pente are slated to play No. 1 doubles.
Coach’s comments: “Season outlook is bright coming off last year’s regional championship season. … This team had a solid core of returnees, and some pleasant surprises made the team from last year’s JV squad.”
Coach: Nathan Rodriguez, 16th year.
Top players: Seniors Sarah Monroe, Ava Swaney, Ava DeMond, Hailey Dunn; juniors Alaina Brubaker, Tiana Newman, Lana Pacholke.
Season outlook: Monroe, Swaney and Brubaker are returning singles players, but the big Reds will have eight new starters this season.
Coach’s comments: “With a majority of the players new to the team and all returning players playing new flights higher in the lineup, we look to improve on the fundamentals of tennis and gain experience competing in matches.”
Coach: Stephen Reau, fifth year.
Top players: Seniors Bailey Benvenuto, Allison Casey; junior Allie Wells.
Season outlook: The No. 1 doubles team of Benvenuto and Casey are beginning their fourth season as partners.
Coach’s comments: “This year will be filled with many new faces and skill sets after losing upward of 10 seniors last year. I am looking forward to seeing how all of these new ladies compete, and I am excited for a great year.”
Coach: Corey Chandler, 13th year.
Top players: Seniors Chloe Mackowski, Riley Lambert, Juliana Dimilia, Lilian McGunagle, Racheal Kieleszewski.
Season outlook: Mackowski and Riley lambert are competing for the No. 1 singles position. Mackowski has held that spot the last two seasons. Dimilia and McGunagle have the inside track for the other two singles spots.
Coach’s comments: “I’m looking forward to watching my singles players play this year. They should all be very competitive. Most of my doubles players will be playing in new positions in the lineup this year, some of them new varsity players.”
Coach: Eira Duran, first year.
Top players: Seniors Elizabeth Zwack, Mikayla Camilleri, Jasmine Paquette; sophomore Avery Yaeger.
Season outlook: Zwack makes a leap from No. 3 singles to No. 1 while former doubles player Camilleri takes over at No. 2. Yaeger and Paquette are the top candidates for the other singles slots.
Coach’s comments: "Fourteen of our 18 players are also new to the sport. This is a new team with a lot of potential, and the players are eager to learn. This year is about building our foundation as most of the new players are in the ninth and 10th grades.”
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Girls Tennis Previews: Mother joins coaching ranks with help from son
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Now he is helping her as she takes over as the girls coach at St. Mary Catholic Central.
“I started playing tennis as an adult because of my son's interest in the sport,” she said.
Azariah Duran went on to play at Monroe High, winning Monroe County Region Boys Player of the Year honors in 2021.
Boys Basketball: Bollin shifts to Whiteford; three schools seek boys hoops coaches
And his mother fell in love with the sport.
“I have been playing competitively with the USTA for years and captained many teams out of the YMCA, making it all the way to the Midwest championship,” Eira said.
Eira and Azariah took a class together two years ago to get tennis coaching certificates.
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She heard about the SMCC job through her job as fitness coordinator at the Monroe Family YMCA.
“I never thought of coaching, but some tennis friends whose daughters are on the team approached my son and me with the idea,” she said. “After consideration and an interview with Mr. Janssen (SMCC athletic director Jared Janssen), we accepted the challenge.”
Mother and son are having a great time.
“After three weeks of practicing with the girls, we are both enjoying teaching and passing our knowledge of the sport to them,” she said. “More importantly, we are having fun, building strong friendships and fostering good sportsmanship.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Bedford also has a new coach as Julia Martin takes over for Bill Ryan.
She is a Bedford graduate who played No. 1 singles her senior year for the Mules.
“I've been passionate about tennis since picking up a racket in middle school,” Martin said. “One of my proudest moments was at regionals in 2022, where I defeated the top-seeded player, helping our team qualify for states.”
She remained close to the game after graduating from high school.
“My growth as a player was supported by private lessons and clinics through Shadow Valley, shaping me into the competitor I am today,” she said. “Currently, I continue my tennis journey at the University of Toledo's club tennis and have competed on the travel team for two years while majoring in Human Resources as a junior.”
She is excited about her new opportunity.
“Landing this coaching position at Bedford feels surreal and incredibly rewarding,” Martin said. “It's a unique experience to guide athletes who are walking the same halls and competing on the same courts I once did. It's especially special to coach our current No. 1 singles player, who was my teammate during her freshman year and my senior year. I’m excited to share my experience, support these athletes and help them reach their full potential.”
Previews of all of the Monroe County Region girls tennis teams follow.
Who will have the Monroe County Region's best girls tennis team in 2025?
AIRPORT
Coach: Jerry Escheck, 33rd year.
Top players: Seniors Ella Gekle, Hannah Roof, Sophie Bucki, Skylar Hicks; junior Aundreya Kemp; sophomores Aleeya Ridner, Myra VanWashenova.
Season outlook: Gekle and Roof will fill the top two singles spots with VanWashenova, Ridner and Kemp contending for the other spots. Bucki and Hicks appear to be the No. 1 doubles team.
Coach’s comments: “We are solid, but have a lot of inexperience and youth in the lower doubles ranks. We just have to find the right combos.”
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BEDFORD
Coach: Julia Martin, first year.
Top Players: Seniors Sophia LaPointe, Alivia Brown; juniors Dorothy Dillon, Jayda Philbeck.
Season Outlook: LaPointe is beginning her third season at No. 1 singles. Jayda Philbeck, Dorothy Dillon and Alivia Brown look like they will fill out the singles lineup.
Coach’s comments: “With a mix of experienced upperclassmen leaders and talented underclassmen eager to make their mark, the team aims to strengthen their skills, deepen their teamwork and compete at a high level.”
You must be registered for see images attach
GIBRALTAR CARLSON
Coach: Brian Herman, 12th year.
Top players: Seniors Erin Riley, Rylie Sulewski, Julie Mitchell, Lila Angelos, Aliyah Newsome, Brianna Helka; junior Chloe Hales; sophomore Sarah Pente.
Season outlook: The Marauders lost No. 1 singles player Addy Brake to graduation but return the rest of the singles lineup with Riley, Sulewski and Mitchell. They had a combined record of 54-8 last season. Angelos and Pente are slated to play No. 1 doubles.
Coach’s comments: “Season outlook is bright coming off last year’s regional championship season. … This team had a solid core of returnees, and some pleasant surprises made the team from last year’s JV squad.”
MILAN
Coach: Nathan Rodriguez, 16th year.
Top players: Seniors Sarah Monroe, Ava Swaney, Ava DeMond, Hailey Dunn; juniors Alaina Brubaker, Tiana Newman, Lana Pacholke.
Season outlook: Monroe, Swaney and Brubaker are returning singles players, but the big Reds will have eight new starters this season.
Coach’s comments: “With a majority of the players new to the team and all returning players playing new flights higher in the lineup, we look to improve on the fundamentals of tennis and gain experience competing in matches.”
MONROE
Coach: Stephen Reau, fifth year.
Top players: Seniors Bailey Benvenuto, Allison Casey; junior Allie Wells.
Season outlook: The No. 1 doubles team of Benvenuto and Casey are beginning their fourth season as partners.
Coach’s comments: “This year will be filled with many new faces and skill sets after losing upward of 10 seniors last year. I am looking forward to seeing how all of these new ladies compete, and I am excited for a great year.”
NEW BOSTON HURON
Coach: Corey Chandler, 13th year.
Top players: Seniors Chloe Mackowski, Riley Lambert, Juliana Dimilia, Lilian McGunagle, Racheal Kieleszewski.
Season outlook: Mackowski and Riley lambert are competing for the No. 1 singles position. Mackowski has held that spot the last two seasons. Dimilia and McGunagle have the inside track for the other two singles spots.
Coach’s comments: “I’m looking forward to watching my singles players play this year. They should all be very competitive. Most of my doubles players will be playing in new positions in the lineup this year, some of them new varsity players.”
SMCC
Coach: Eira Duran, first year.
Top players: Seniors Elizabeth Zwack, Mikayla Camilleri, Jasmine Paquette; sophomore Avery Yaeger.
Season outlook: Zwack makes a leap from No. 3 singles to No. 1 while former doubles player Camilleri takes over at No. 2. Yaeger and Paquette are the top candidates for the other singles slots.
Coach’s comments: "Fourteen of our 18 players are also new to the sport. This is a new team with a lot of potential, and the players are eager to learn. This year is about building our foundation as most of the new players are in the ninth and 10th grades.”
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Girls Tennis Previews: Mother joins coaching ranks with help from son
Continue reading...
