Khmylev works through injury for section title
Girls tennis
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Williamsville East junior Olga Khmylev overcame a sprained right wrist to earn her first Section VI singles title. Khmylev beat Williamsville North's, 6-2, 6-4 in the section final. File photo

Olga Khmylev learned how mentally tough she was at this past weekend's Section VI singles championships.

The Williamsville East junior worked through a badly sprained right wrist en route to her first Section VI championship, defeating Tina Miller of Williamsville North, 6-2, 6-4, on Saturday at the Miller Tennis Center.

"I was more proud over winning sectionals than winning ECICs," said Khmylev. "It was a great feeling to overcome my injury, stay mentally tough, play my game and win the match."

Khmylev said she injured her wrist while playing in a powderpuff football game as part of East's homecoming festivities a week ago. She said she fell on her right wrist while running a play.

Doctors told her to not compete in sectionals but she ignored their advice, instead taking a few painkillers before the tournament.

The injury forced Khmylev to change most of her hitting strokes.

"It hurt everything," said Khmylev. "I had to slice the ball more to prevent putting top spin on the ball because it hurt to move my wrist from a low to high motion. Luckily, most of my backhands are with my left hand, so that wasn't affected as much."

It's not the first time Khmylev has worked through an injury. She said this past July she injured her right knee in a tournament.

Khmylev not only had to deal with her injured wrist at sectionalso but also had to fight off the challenge of Miller, who had been a sectional finalist the past three years.

"Tina was focused and proved once again that she can play consistent tennis," said North coach Hilary Nichols. "By keeping her emotions in check, she was able to fight off Khymlev's rally style of play. The first set was closer than the score of 2-6 indicated; both players exchanged exciting winners. Tina did not let up and felt confident she could squeeze more games out of Khymlev."

Nichols said in the second set, Miller was down 2-5 but broke Khmylev to win two consecutive games. Khmylev then clinched the second set, 6-4, for first place.

"There were a lot of great points," said Khmylev. "It required a lot of determination to beat her. I had to work my butt off for every point."

Nichols said Khmylev and Miller had faced off twice during the regular season, most recently in the gold flight semifinals of the team championships where Khmylev won 7-5, 7-5.

In earlier rounds at sectionals, Khmylev defeated Southwestern's Rachel Wellman, 6-0, 6-0; Jamestown's Co Co Price, 6-1, 6-0 in the quarterfinals; and Chautauqua Lake's Jenna Raynor, 6-0, 6-3, in the semifinals.

Miller knocked off a feisty Tracy Pyrak of North Tonawanda (Niagara Frontier League's third seed), 6-0, 6-3, in the first round; Fredonia's Katrina Johnson (Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Independent Athletic Conference's second seed), 6-0, 6-2, in the quarterfinals; and Alden's Ashley Chevalier (whom she beat in ECIC play), 6-1, 6-0, in the semifinals. She had a 30-minute rest before facing Khmylev.

Khmylev and Miller, along with Raynor, will represent Section VI in singles at the New York State Championships Saturday through Monday at the Eastside Racquet Club in Manlius, N.Y.

"I could kick myself in the butt for playing the powderpuff game," said Khmylev. "I've been looking forward to this moment for such a long time. It's not going to stop me to perform my best. I'm going to try to go as far as I can at the state tournament."

Also qualifying from East are the doubles teams of Monica Vieth and Miranda Podlas, and Justine Rusk and Emma Manuel. Vieth and Podlas won the tournament, defeating three Orchard Park duos, Courtni Sherry and Amanda Rockwood, 6-1, 6-1, in the quarterfinals; Jen Waris and Heather Ross, 6-0, 7-5, in the semifinals; and Orchard Park's Catie Wickline and Caroline Bristol, 6-1, 6-1, in the finals. Rusk and Manuel beat OP's Jen Waris and Heather Ross, 6-4, 6-3, in playbacks for third; they lost to Wickline and Bristol, 4-6, 2-6, in the semifinals.

East's third doubles team of Kristina Lazzaro and Alyssa Drozynski also entered, defeating a team from Grand Island before getting eliminated by Waris and Ross in the quarterfinals.

"It was an extremely gratifying feeling to advance five girls to the state tournament," said East coach Mike Vendetti. "They all played with a great deal of determination, focus and composure. hope the girls experience continued success this weekend in Syracuse as well as the other athletes comprising the rest of our sectional team."

"We all did so well," added Khmylev. "I think coach Vendetti is proud of us."

East also won the gold flight of the team championships. The Lady Flames beat Kenmore East and North, each by 5-0 scores, in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, and defeated Orchard Park, 4-1, in the finals at Lancaster High School.

Against Kenmore East, Khmylev, Podlas and Vieth won 6-0, 6-0, at first through third singles, defeating Holly Jung, Danielle Cabazzi and Amanda Wajicinski. Rusk and Manuel also beat Kelsey Cox and Molly Ludgwist, at first doubles, 6-0, 6-0. Lazzaro and Drozynski won 6-0, 6-1, at second doubles.

Versus North, Khmylev beat Miller, 7-5, 7-5, at first singles, Podlas beat Andrea Lovrincevic, 6-0, 6-1, at second singles and Vieth won 6-1, 6-1, over Jackie Mistretta at third singles. Rusk and Manuel defeated Kelley Matthews and Maddie Robinson, 6-2, 7-5, at first doubles; Lazzaro and Drozynski beat Sophie Wang and Joyce Gao earned a 6-1, 6-0 victory at second doubles.

In the finals, Podlas beat Bristol, 6-0, 6-2, at first singles; Podlas won 6-1, 7-5, over Wickline, 6-1, 7-5, at second singles. Rusk and Manuel beat Ross and Sherry, 6-4, 6-4, at first doubles and Lazzaro and Drozynski defeated Rockwood and Elizabeth Brydges, 6-1, 6-2, at second doubles.

Priyanca Waghmarae fell, 3-6, 3-6 to Jen Waris at third singles.

Williamsville North

North's other entry in the singles tournament, junior Andrea Lovrincevic, faced Kenmore East's Holly Jung in the first round. ]

Lovrincevic won the first set, 6-3, and was in a close second set, 2-2, before she belted a winner down the line. However, she turned her ankle and couldn't continue. Jung advanced to the second round where she lost to Chevalier.

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com