BOYS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Rohan Nabar
Mount Hebron, junior
Two years ago, when Nabar was a freshman, he surprised everyone by blazing through the county season undefeated. As a sophomore, he sat out the year to concentrate on his national ranking. But this year, as a junior, he returned and picked up right where he left off, cruising through the regular season undefeated and winning the county title by defeating David Lax of Wilde Lake, 6-1, 6-3.
The difference this time, however, was that he didn't stop there. Nabar won the Region III singles title, beating Eleanor Roosevelt's Michael Coleman, 6-3, 7-5, then blazed all the way to the state semifinals, eventually losing to Jason Pinsky of Winston Churchill, 6-4, 6-3.
Nabar, who went 23-1, isn't physically imposing, but he has near-perfect timing and generates power with his fluid strokes.
GIRLS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Marianne Baker
Glenelg, junior
Just how good is Baker? Well, at the start of the season, her goal was to go the entire season without losing ... a game. Not a set or a match, mind you, but a game.
It didn't exactly happen that way. The junior standout blanked her first two opponents of the season, but then dropped two games in her third match. Still, it hardly mattered. Baker, who went 21-0, didn't lose a set for the second straight year, and won her second state title by defeating Franklin's Beatrice Grasu, 6-3, 6-0. It was the second year Baker defeated Grasu for the title.
Though Baker missed a number of matches during the season to compete in national tournaments, she helped Glenelg win its first Team Cup Title at the county championship, defeating teammate Julia Facchina for the singles crown.
COACH OF THE YEAR
LeVan Hutchinson
Oakland Mills
Oakland Mills might not seem like a hotbed for tennis players, but that's quickly changing. Just two years ago, the Scorpions' boys team was 1-17. But last season, Hutchinson's squad showed improvement going 8-10.
This year, Oakland Mills (14-3) was as tough as anyone and was declared co-champion with Hammond (14-2) when each team's concluding matches were canceled because of bad weather.
Though most, if not all, of Oakland Mills players don't play before they reach high school, Hutchinson got the best out of his team this season, which was the Scorpions' first county title in tennis.
THE TEAM
Britt Boras
River Hill, senior
At River Hill, they call Boras a backboard, because at times it seems like he gets every ball back. Though Boras, last year's county Player of the Year as a junior, wasn't as dominant as a senior, he still had another solid season playing No. 1 singles for the Hawks.
After getting upset by David Lax of Wilde Lake in the county tournament, he showed leadership by coaching the Hawks' girls doubles team of Elizabeth Kenez and Meredith Ely. Matt Graves, River Hill's coach, left him in charge when his wife went into labor during the tournament.
Whitney Edmonds
Centennial, junior
A solid singles player for the Eagles throughout the season, Edmonds teamed with Jon Hess during the county tournament, and the duo stormed into the final before falling to Audrey Damrongsri and Kevin Norman of Mount Hebron.
A smooth player who can hit on the run, Edmonds is capable of smacking winners off either side, and it was evident in the mixed doubles final when she and Hess fought back to take the second set 6-4 after losing the first.
Julia Facchina
Glenelg, sophomore
Only a sophomore, Facchina often gets overlooked because of her talented teammate (and best friend) Marianne Baker, who has defeated her to win the girls county singles title the past two seasons.
But Facchina is just as valuable to her team, if not more so. When Baker is away playing at national tournaments, Facchina steps in and plays at the top singles position, and is almost as dominant. Facchina covers the court as well as anyone, and she developed the ability to hit more winners this season.
In the Region III singles final, she actually led Baker 4-1 in the first set before Baker rallied to take the next five games. Facchina lost to Thomas Johnson's Tanya Gulnik, 6-3, 6-4, in the first round of the state tournament, but she expects even bigger things next season.
David Lax
Wilde Lake, senior
A hard-working, hard-hitting player, Lax put on a show at the county tournament, making it all the way to the finals despite coming in as an unseeded player.
After winning the county's mixed doubles championship last year, Lax, a senior, thought about playing doubles again. But he decided to give it one last run as a singles player, and in the quarterfinals, he defeated Boras, 6-4, 7-6 (4), for the upset of the tournament. He lost in the finals to Nabar, but just getting there was a major accomplishment.
Dan Merti
Hammond, senior
An all-county selection last year, Merti had another strong season, helping Hammond win its first county championship as the Golden Bears' No. 1 singles player.
Merti, a senior, improved his second serve this season, and developed more passing shots, consistently keeping his opponents on their heels. An injury contributed to a fourth-place finish at the county tournament, but he consistently gave Hammond a chance to win, no matter whom he faced.
Ashley Pietryka
Hammond, senior
Already an accomplished soccer player and dancer at Hammond, Pietryka proved this year she can excel at just about anything, playing No. 1 singles for the Golden Bears and holding her own against everyone.
A fast, consistent, defensive player, Pietryka frustrated opponents by running down every shot and getting it back in play. At the county tournament, she paired with Mike Sandler to finish third in the mixed doubles competition.
Greg Kennedy and Tejaswi Basoor
Hammond
Hammond's No. 1 doubles team of seniors Basoor and Kennedy won the boys county title for the second straight season, knocking off David Jacobs and Brian Siemens of Oakland Mills, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.
The match was easily one of the most intense of the county tournament, but Basoor's big serve and Kennedy's excellent play at the net helped them overcome some nerves.
Audrey Damrongsri and Kevin Norman
Mount Hebron
Both juniors, Damrongsri and Norman were excellent singles players for the Vikings, but with only a week of practice together, they teamed to win the county's mixed doubles championship, defeating Centennial's Whitney Edmonds and Jon Hess, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
The win was extra important, because it nearly allowed Mount Hebron to come back and win the Team Cup Title. Had Glenelg not won its final doubles match, it would have given the Vikings enough points to win. Damrongsri and Norman also finished second in the regionals, falling to Lesley Price and Chris Jacob of Eleanor Roosevelt in the final.
Monica Marrie and Becca Gaylor
Glenelg
An intense senior duo that has played together for two seasons, Gaylor and Marrie finished the year undefeated in county play, winning the girls county doubles championship by defeating Elizabeth Kenez and Meredith Ely of River Hill, 7-5, 7-6 (4). The points from Gaylor and Marrie's win clinched the Team Cup Title for the Gladiators, and had they lost, Mount Hebron would have won the crown.
Gaylor and Marrie made it to the title match in the regionals, but lost for the first time all season, falling to Tiffany Brown and Sumi Carter of Eleanor Roosevelt, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.