Bulldogs, Elliott and Beyes are SL tennis champions
MEDINA, Ohio – It seemed only natural when twin sisters Lauren and Madison Cyphert started playing tennis at age 5 that they would be paired as a doubles team.
What is uncommon is their ability to excel when adversity strikes.
At the Suburban League girls tennis championship tournament on Saturday at Medina High School, the Tallmadge No. 2 doubles team of Cyphert and Cyphert won a conference title against all odds.
After dropping the first set 6-0 to Copley’s Samantha Witkopp and Danielle Davis, the twins buckled down and won the next two sets 6-1 and 6-4 to capture the eight-team bracket and keep their undefeated mark against league opponents.
“They’ve played under pressure extremely well for being so young,” Tallmadge coach Russ Wormald said. “They came from JVs to varsity this year and progressively gotten better the whole season, especially at the net.”
In a semifinal win over Wadsworth, the Cyphert girls fell behind 5-4 in the first set, but rallied for a 7-5 win and took the next set 6-2 to advance.
Does it have added impact when your teammate is your twin sister and she is reassuring you through a difficult stretch in the match?
Apparently the answer is “yes” for these Tallmadge twins, who were seeded No. 1 for the tournament.
“I just kept encouraging her to take it one point at a time. I truly mean it,” Madison said. ”We’ve been playing really well together.”
Do the girls have the normal sibling squabbles?
“Yes we do,” said Lauren, who is four minutes older. “We try to stay as positive as we can.”
Asked if positive reinforcement from a sister means a little bit more, the twins agreed that it did.
“We bond together,” Madison said.
The girls played youth soccer, but then decided to focus on tennis. And that decision has been a windfall for the Tallmadge girls tennis team.
Green, under the guidance of coach Sue Ciccolini, won the outright Suburban League team championship, unseating perennial winner Revere.
The Minutemen had won or shared the SL title in each of the last 15 years.
The Bulldogs had individual champions in senior Jenna Elliott at No. 1 singles and freshman Danielle Beyes at No. 2 singles.
Highland was runner-up to Green, with Allie Welch capturing the No. 3 singles crown. The Hornets’ No. 1 doubles team of Taylor Supeck and Claire Watts also won its bracket.
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