Published: May 09, 2008 07:57 pm            

Riley coasts toward title shot

AVON — As a freshman in 2006, Avon No. 1 singles player Christina Riley had won her first 23 high school tennis matches entering the quarterfinals of the state tournament.

Her run came to an end there, as she fell to eventual state champion Tiffany Welcher from Clarksville, 6-1, 6-2.

After taking her sophomore year off from high school tennis to play in national tournaments and train at the John Newcombe Tennis Academy in Texas, Riley is back. She’s picked up where she left off as a freshman, and is currently undefeated as her junior campaign approaches the postseason. Her last three victories came at Saturday’s Hoosier Crossroads Conference championship, in which she dropped just two games en route to a conference title.

“Coming off a year off, the first couple matches I was shaky,” Riley said. “But I think the last couple weeks I’ve really started to step up and play well.”

Regarded as one of the top recruits in Indiana by tennisrecruting.net, Riley is one of the favorites to win this year’s individual state championship.

“I definitely think I have a shot, but it’s going to be tough,” she said.

Even though the season hasn’t presented many big challenges for Riley, she works tirelessly to improve her game.

“You definitely have to motivate yourself,” Riley said. “I try to work a lot outside our high school practices — I practice and train a lot on my own. As this season progresses and gets tougher, I just have to work extra hard.”

With a target on her back, opponents have tried a variety of strategies to extend matches against Riley. Avon coach Stan Malless has been impressed with Riley’s ability to adjust her game to different styles this season.

“She’s just a very special player and works so hard,” Malless said. “The biggest difference I see in her game is that if her opponent can get her out of her game, she can adapt. People can try all different strategies, but she can play any kind of game she needs to. She has every shot in the book.”

Riley hasn’t spent much time thinking about her senior season and whether or not she’ll return to the high school team. Her presence has had a positive effect on a young Avon squad that carries just one senior.

“I’d definitely love to play again because I love the team and the coach, but everything is in the air and kind of depends on how this season goes,” she said.

While she’ll certainly have many colleges to choose from, Riley hasn’t made any decisions about where she’ll play tennis at the next level. She has made unofficial visits to the University of Alabama and Southern Methodist University.

For now, her focus remains squarely on the task at hand — winning a state championship.

“The girl loves the game — I don’t have to worry about her,” Malless said. “She’s very coachable, if I do notice something she’ll pick it up. A lot of kids at that level aren’t. She knows the game and she knows what she has to do.”

todd.taylor@flyergroup.com

        

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