Preview of the best Rhode Island high school tennis players for the 2024 season

The 2023 RIIL girls tennis season went as expected, with La Salle winning the state championship and South Kingstown’s Alexa Clark claiming her first state singles title.

Don’t expect any major changes in 2024.

The Rams have lost their top three players and several key doubles players to graduates, but still start the season like they have the last ten – as favorites for the state title.

Ten straight wins hasn’t been as easy as just showing up on the court and that certainly won’t change this year. Barrington could pose the biggest challenge with three key players returning to their singles lineup, which should give the Eagles the depth they need to compete. North Kingstown could be in the mix, but the Skippers will need to replace a pair of Second Team All Staters in singles and find more players in doubles. There is top talent throughout the division, but depth wins state championships, which gives La Salle and Barrington an advantage.

More: East Greenwich tennis star Ellie Coker Dodman is also a rock star

Due to the realignment, Division II and Division III look completely different.

Last year’s top three teams in D-II — including defending champion South Kingstown — have moved up to Division I. Cumberland, Middletown and Prout have been relegated, and the Crusaders should be an instant contender for the D-II title after making the playoffs last fall. Westerly, which went 10-3 last fall, will join them, as will Rogers, which went 9-4 and was ousted by the Bulldogs in the D-II quarterfinals. Look for East Providence, last year’s D-III runner-up, to make some noise as well.

In Division III, defending champion Providence Country Day should be considered the favorite despite the departures (and that they didn’t move up to D-II while runner-up East Providence did should remind us how flawed the RIIL’s realignment formula is). Scituate was second last fall but lost to PCD in the semifinals and should be in the mix again. Look for Coventry and Exeter West-Greenwich — which finished fifth last fall — to be in the mix. Classical, Tiverton and St. Raphael also moved up from D-II and could be in the mix.

On an individual level, some new faces will make waves. Five First Team All Stater singles players and one doubles player graduated, while eight Second Team All Stater singles players also retired last fall.

That leaves plenty of room for players to make a name for themselves – and here are 10 (including East Greenwich’s Ellie Coker-Dodman, who we featured) that we think are worth keeping an eye on this fall.

Charlotte Byron

Barrington, Jr.

Byon has been waiting in the wings, earning all-division honors in her freshman season in doubles and being the state’s second-best singles player (No. 4) last spring. This year should be her breakout season, as she’s vying for the second spot on an Eagles team that should be competing for the state title. Don’t be surprised if you hear about Byon at the state singles tournament, either.

Alexa Clark

South Kingstown, Junior

There’s only one player who doesn’t believe the reigning state singles champion will repeat her title this fall, and that’s Clark — and that makes her scary. Her game has improved by leaps and bounds, dominating D-II play and winning the state tournament. The Rebels moved to DI this spring, but that won’t matter. Clark is the best player in the state, and the gap between her and No. 2 is significant.

Adriana Eaton

La Salle, Junior

Last fall, Eaton shined in her debut season for the Quakers. An all-state golfer, Eaton took the top spot for MB and proved herself to be one of the best players in the state, making it to the quarterfinals of the state championship individual tournament. Eaton will be on the short list of favorites to reach the state finals this year, which could earn her a rematch against Clark, who knocked her off last fall.

Abigail Ellison

East Providence, Junior

Ellison may be the most exciting newcomer on the state girls tennis scene, but she is far from a novice. After playing singles for the Townies boys team for the past two years, she decided to join the girls team after it moved up to Division II. She will begin the season as one of the best players in Division II, and you won’t be surprised if she goes far in her debut in the girls singles championships.

Ava Koczera-Kasem

Barrington, Senior

Koczera-Kasem has had quite the career with the Eagles. As a freshman, she was part of a state-champion doubles team, as a sophomore she was named second-team All-State in singles and was promoted to the first team last fall. This year, Koczera-Kasem enters as a contender for the singles title and will be an important piece of the puzzle as Barrington attempts to win the state title.

Ana Lamoriello

La Salle, Senior

Lamoriello would have been a top player on most Rhode Island teams last fall, but she played No. 4 on a Rams team full of veteran talent. This year, she will climb the La Salle rankings, and if she can come anywhere close to her junior season — when she was the state’s best No. 4 — the Rams’ rebuild won’t be as drastic as it might look from the outside.

Bianca Presciutti

La Salle, Senior

As a sophomore, Presciutti was the Rams’ No. 3 ranked player and won the deciding point on their way to the state title. Last fall, an injury sidelined her for the rest of the season. In her senior season, Presciutti is healthy again and will help fill the void her graduation left at the top of the Rams. She looks to earn her first First Team All-State spot and help La Salle to another state title.

Mia Renzulli

Prout, Senior

Renzulli has quietly been one of Rhode Island’s best players the past two seasons, earning second-team All-State honors as a sophomore and junior. This season is expected to be even better, as Renzulli begins the year as one of the top two players in Division II — and she may not be No. 2. Her play will be critical to Prout’s success as Renzulli looks to cap off a great career.

Grace Rochelle

Rogers, Senior

Rochelle is another of the state’s underrated stars on the court. Last year she was selected to the All-State second team for the second year in a row and is expected to move up to the first team this season. Rochelle and the Vikings will be among the favorites in the realigned Division II, where all of the teams that were ahead of them in the standings have now moved up to the DI.

Julianna Steere

Ponaganset, second-year student

Steere’s debut season was spectacular. It didn’t take her long to establish herself as the No. 2 player in Division II as she dominated game after game. Steere and the Chieftains moved up to Division I and this year, Steere will face tough competition every time she steps on the field. The First Team All-Stater should be more than ready for the challenge as she looks to capture the individual state championship title.

topicnews · August 27, 2024

Preview of the best Rhode Island high school tennis players for the 2024 season