Ross coach Lisa Wolfe speaks with Lilly Abdoo, center, and Gillian Gallagher, right, during a doubles match against St. Ursula
FREMONT – As freshmen, they weren’t even supposed to be there.
A year later, the sophomores put up a good fight against a powerful duo from Notre Dame and that was good enough.
But the time for just a good showing has passed. Ross junior tennis players Gillian Gallagher and Lily Abdoo are ready to make a name of themselves and show they belong with the best.
The best in the conference. The best in the district. The best in the state.
Having reached the district tournament their first two seasons, and now playing outstanding tennis as juniors, Gallagher and Abdoo are determined to take the next step.
“There was always an excuse. We went to districts and we were like ‘We’re babies here,’” Gallagher said. “And then, as sophomores, we lost in three sets to Notre Dame at districts and we were ‘Oh we played well as sophomores.’ Now we’re juniors, there’s no more excuse.”
There are no excuses, but Gallagher and Abdoo’s play this year hasn’t needed any.
As singles players, primarily at No. 1 for Gallagher and No. 3 for Abdoo, they are 7-1 and 8-0, respectively. Together, the duo is 6-2 at No. 1 doubles.
Lily Abdoo, left, and Gillian Gallagher, right. Photo courtesy Lisa Wolfe
Though they’ve both enjoyed individual success, they know their best chance for a prolonged run in the postseason is together in doubles play. The duo play together in TRAC matches to accumulate seeding points for the TRAC tournament as well as to prepare for sectional, district and, hopefully, the state tournament thereafter.
“I remember when we were coming up in eighth grade we’d win all these tournaments in the summer and be like, ‘We’re going to do so good,’ then you get into the TRAC and you’re like these are the best schools around,” Abdoo said. “It was a shellshock. It was definitely eye-opening to see how little we were in comparison, but it’s more eye-opening to see how much we’ve grown in the TRAC standings.”
Ross tennis coach Lisa Wolfe said the juniors possess skill-sets that nicely complement one another and the close friendship they share is an advantage on the court.
“Gilli loves the baseline and Lily is all over the net,” coach Lisa Wolfe said. “They’re just such good friends and have played for so many years together, they know each other’s movements and they communicate the entire time they’re playing a match.”
While the two are contenders for league championship at No. 1 doubles, they know they’re not quite the favorites. Gallagher and Abdoo were undefeated in the TRAC until Thursday night when they lost to Notre Dame’s Madison Humbles and Grace Bennett, 3-6, 1-6.
“Hopefully they will run into Notre Dame in the finals at TRAC and it will have a different ending,” Wolfe said. “I have a lot of confidence in those girls. For some reason, it wasn’t meant to be (Thursday). I’ve seen them play much better with good competition like this, so hopefully it will happen again.”
For their part, Gallagher and Abdoo know the Eagles are one school that stands between them and a TRAC title and, possibly, a berth in the state tournament.
“If we can beat Notre Dame, I have no doubt (we can win the TRAC title),” Abdoo said. “Notre Dame is the school standing in our way.”
Gallagher and Abdoo and the rest of the Lady Giants will be hosting the Michaels Memorial Doubles Invitational Saturday, starting at 9:30 am. Named after former Ross multi-sport coach Pete Michaels, the tournament will feature four flights in an eight-team brackets and include teams from Bowling Green, Huron, Northview, Oak Harbor, Perkins, Port Clinton, and St. Joseph Central Catholic.
The Lady Giants are expected to use the same lineup that served them well at a similar-style doubles tournament last month at Perkins.
Ross finished second in the Pirate Invitational by two points and won a pair of brackets. Olivia Henry and Natalie Brown won the No. 2 doubles title and Mallory Hutton and Sophia Biggins won the No. 4 doubles bracket.
Gallagher and Abdoo were third in their No. 1 bracket at the Perkins event and No. 3 doubles of Berlin Swaisgood and Jurni Kidd finished sixth.