Doral girls’ tennis’ championship run to be tested after star ends prep career early

Vanderbilt recruit Valeria Ray, who was part of seven state championships during her brilliant high school career, will be skipping her senior season.

Ray won four team state titles with Doral Academy, two individual state championships and one state title in doubles.

But she won’t pocket any more of those trophies because she has a bigger goal in mind: playing in three Juniors Grand Slam tournaments. She is on track to compete in the French Open on the clay courts of Roland-Garros in Paris (starting in May); Wimbledon on the grass courts in London (July); and the U.S. Open on the hard courts of Flushing, New York (starting in August).

“This was probably the toughest decision I’ve ever had to make,” Ray, 17, said when asked about leaving high school tennis. “I’ve been with the Doral team since the sixth grade, and I wanted to finish strong in my senior year.

“But playing in the Juniors Grand Slams has been my goal since I was a little kid.”

To make sure she was eligible for the Grand Slams, Ray felt she needed to rack up points in qualifying tournaments, which would take her away from the high school season.

In fact, she did this interview with The Herald while in San Jose, Costa Rica, which is part of a three-week tennis road trip that will also include Salinas, Ecuador and Barranquilla, Colombia.

Ray, who is home-schooled, has also played tennis previously in three other countries: Canada, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

But it’s not as glamorous as it seems for Ray, who travels with her mother, Maria.

“I recently played in Cancun,” Ray said of the famed Mexican resort town, “and I never stepped foot on the beach.”

Ray, though, admits she does “brag” about all the great food she and her mom eat while traveling the world.

As for Doral Academy, its dynastic streak of four straight state titles is likely over without Ray, the reigning USA Today National Player of the Year.

“Valeria is the greatest player we’ve ever had at Doral, and we know she will be successful at the next level,” said Justin Puppo, who has coached the Firebirds since 2012. “She has accomplished everything possible in high school tennis.”

Indeed, Ray’s seven state titles would rank high in Florida history if the FHSAA’s official website were to bulk team, individual and doubles titles in its listings.

However, Ray’s career stacks up well when compared with a legend.

A former St. Thomas Aquinas player -- known on the FHSAA site as “Christine Evert” -- won six championships: three in singles, two in doubles and one team title. Now famously known as “Chris” Evert, she went on to win 18 Grand Slam titles, including a record seven French Open championships.

That’s nice company for Ray, who said she greatly appreciates Doral Academy.

“I don’t think I would be where I am today without high school tennis. It helped me so much,” Ray said. “I will be forever grateful to everyone at Doral Academy.”

THIS AND THAT

▪ Doral’s girls’ team lost all five of its starters from last year, including two who are now playing Division I tennis: Valeria Centeno (UNC Asheville) and Estefania Gonzalez (Incarnate Word).

Doral will regroup with senior Patricia Palencia, a Division I recruit for North Carolina Central. She was just outside Doral’s top five in singles the past two years, winning a state doubles title with Ray.

“She has worked really hard, training to 9 or 10 p.m. every night,” Puppo said.

Doral’s lineup will also include freshman Adriana Moreno and seventh-grader Payton Seidle-Lubowitz.

▪ Doral’s boys’ team graduated four of its top five players, including Greyson Williams (now at Ava Maria), Facundo Olmedo (North Carolina Central); and Peyton Williams (Belmont Abbey). The top returner is junior Ezequiel De La Plaza, and he will be supported by freshman Gabriel Cottone, eighth-grader Andres Matos and junior Carlos Grimaldi.

▪ Miami Palmetto’s boys won Class 4A district and regional titles and finished second at state last year. The Panthers this year will feature senior Alessandro Munoz at No.1; followed by sophomore Mike Larionov; juniors Matteo Sama and Alessio Guarino; and sophomore Cason Campbell.

▪ Palmetto’s girls return four of their five starters, including sophomore Ameia Sorey, a first-team All-Dade player who finished second in the state last year at No. 1 singles. The Panthers also had three players who made second-team All-Dade: juniors Mia Sorentino and Brooke Reveulta and sophomore Alexa Schull.

▪ Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, which won a state title last season in Class 3A, returns two starters: seniors Sasha Cartagena and Isabella Freitos. Watch for sophomores Sophia Pione and Lisi Sinkoe.

▪ The Aquinas boys’ team is led by junior Blake Edwards, who advanced to the state quarterfinals last year. Sophomore Lucca Freitos, the brother of Aquinas’ Isabella, and senior Thomas Tavera fill out the top three. Tavera makes a daily 90-minute commute from the Naples area in order to remain at Aquinas, where he has studied for years.

▪ At Miami Palmer Trinity, freshman Matthew Sosler will play No. 1 singles, and he’s followed that by senior Nicholas Rodriguez. The girls’ team, however, graduated state finalist Francesca Salvato, who is now playing for College of Charleston. The top Palmer girls are junior Melina Ruiz and freshman Alessia Burgh.

▪ Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest’s boys’ team, which is bidding for its third straight Class 2A state title, returns four of its five starters. The team is led by junior Kenneth Chan, who won an award as 2022 Broward Player of the Year. Seniors Krisztian Meszaros and Jonathan Fromkin as well as junior Jason Berinstein and sophomore Christian Yeagley fill out a squad that goes 10 deep, according to coach Corey Marsh.

▪ Pine Crest’s girls’ team returns three starters from a state-semifinals run, including senior No. 1 singles player Michaela Landry, who has signed to play for Colby College, a Division III school in Maine. The rest of the lineup is very young: eighth-grader Natasha Jerkunica; seventh-grader Gia Cacenco; and freshmen Brynn Edwards and Katrin Gulia-Janovskaia.

▪ Pinecrest Gulliver’s girls return four of five starters from a team that won the 2022 Class 2A state title. The No. 1 singles player is sophomore Sophia Varabyeva. The other starters include senior Mia Suarez; junior Valentina Rossi; senior Lia Fletcher; and eighth-grader Mika Ringel.

▪ Gulliver’s boys’ team will be led by senior Perce Garbett at No. 1 singles. He is followed by junior Timeo Milon; eighth-grader Tomas Orrego; senior Oliver Lee; and sophomore lefty Nico Verdu.

▪ Coconut Creek Monarch graduated Corey Craig, who is now playing for Boston University.

▪ Miami Country Day’s boys (6-6 last season) will be led by sophomores Antonio Moura, Oscar Bergier and Francisco Apraiz and seniors Max Castanon and Cliff Halliwell.

▪ Miami Country Day’s girls (7-5 last season) will be led by sophomore Gabrielle Bassette, senior Lucia Burton and juniors Ginger Jacob and Eliana Shtern.

▪ Coconut Creek North Broward Prep’s girls (5-8 last season) will be led by Sash Stein and Nicole Kahn.

▪ Miami Lourdes Academy will try to turn things around after a 1-8 season led once again by top singles player Mia Perez.

▪ Florida Christian has revived its girls’ tennis program and will be led in its first season back by senior Maya Ortiz.

▪ Flanagan’s girls team (2-8 last season) will be led by Maribel Carabello while the boys will be led by Manuel and Melvin Ayebah.

This story was originally published January 31, 2023 at 8:00 AM.