Girls Tennis: Amherst experienced, expecting to make run at SWC title

The Southwestern Conference has a lot of uncertainty this year, but not at Amherst. The Comets return their top player in senior Kayla Bussard in addition to a senior doubles team — Cali Smith and Sadi Dorazio — who have been fixtures in the lineup for at least the last three seasons. Add in a talented freshman and another returning starter, and Amherst just might have enough to make a run. "We're really excited for this season," Dorazio said. "We have a really good chance of doing our best and winning SWC. We're all really excited and working hard in order to do that because we've never won any of that before. We have a lot of drive this year for that." The Comets have steadily moved up the SWC standings with a winning league record in each of the last three seasons. There's a lot of turnover in Lorain County this year as Avon Lake loses its top three players and Midview loses Katarina Yates, the defending SWC first singles champion. The SWC field projects to be as open as it's ever been. The Comets last won the SWC title in 2002. "It would mean everything," Bussard said. "We would be making history. It would only be the second time our school has won SWC for tennis. All of us have put in the work and we're ready. We know we can do it, we just have to focus and try our hardest." All three seniors acknowledged that winning the SWC won't be easy, even with the turnover. But having a player like Bussard at the top of the lineup is a big first step. She has been a consistent force for Amherst since joining the team, winning the first singles spot as a freshman and never looking back. Bussard enters her senior year with a 58-26 record, predominantly at first singles, and went 23-8 last season. She was runner-up at the Lorain County Athletic Administrators Association tournament and in the SWC tournament and qualified for her first district tournament with a second-place finish at the Division I Magnificat sectional, upsetting the No. 2 seed in the semifinals. Dorazio said Bussard brings a ton of experience and motivates others when they are struggling. "You can always rely on Kayla," Smith said. "She knows what she needs to fix when she messes up and she's aggressive when she needs to be. She knows what to do all the time. She's a great player and you know she's always going to compete." Smith and Dorazio make a formidable team, having played second doubles for the past two seasons. They went 18-10 last year, taking first at the Lorain County Athletic Administrators Association tournament and third at the Southwestern Conference tournament. The pair have played tennis together since they were kids. Smith excels at the baseline while Dorazio enjoys finishing points quickly, especially at the net. And they both enjoy doubles because they get to play with each other. "Honestly they're my best friends," Bussard said. "They're so sweet. They bring this overall kindness and happiness to the team. Their energy when they're together, I can't even explain it. Everyone is so happy when they're happy and they make everyone feel included. Their doubles is going to help us big this year." It takes more than two flights to be a contender, and Amherst has reinforcements elsewhere as it welcomes freshman Sienna Nagy into the singles rotation. This allows junior Emma Timko to slide into the No. 3 singles position after holding her own in the second spot last season. Amherst will rotate three other seniors — Avery Hawley, Maria Bak and Madison Clappas — at second doubles. "The team is really seeing how vulnerable the conference is this year," Amherst coach Kyle Hougland said. "We've had some really heavy senior power graduate around the league. If there was going to be a year to hit while the iron is hot, it was going to be this year. We have a good team top to bottom. Sienna has jumped right in and Emma is in a more comfortable role." Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X.