BOARDMAN - Laurencia Lee had her patience tested Wednesday as she awaited her first-round matchup at the Division II Boardman sectional girls tennis tournament.
"You want to always walk around and everything, take a couple of jogs back and forth," said the John F. Kennedy High School senior. "Because sitting, you feel like you're about to go to bed. Then you look up and you have to play. Always keep on moving and everything."
How about running the nearby cross country course?
"Yea, maybe," she said with a laugh.
Lee made it through to the quarterfinals, then play stopped for all but three singles matches at the Boardman High School courts.
"It's a long day and I was last on the bracket, so you wait all day," Lee said. "You go through the bracket and you know what you have to do to get to the end and everything. You just execute it to the best way possible."
Lee, the No. 2 seed, plays fourth-seeded Ashley Kirila of Brookfield today at 4 p.m.
"I played tennis with her over the summer," Lee said. "She's a good player and very athletic. I just have to play my game and do what I do best."
The other two matches are top-seeded Kacey Haggerty of Cardinal Mooney taking on Lakeview's Emily Soles and West Branch's Darya Doronina taking on Cardinal Mooney's Hallie Yerian.
Third-seeded Gianna Reider of Cardinal Mooney beat Struthers' Alex Wildes, 6-0, 6-1, in the quarterfinals, to advance to the semifinals.
Lee hopes she can join fellow senior Megan Guliano and freshman Maria Stroup at next week's districts in Canton.
Guliano, who advanced to districts last season, and Stroup didn't lose a set in their three matches en route to Saturday's final four, which will be played at Boardman High School. The top four singles players and top four doubles teams advance to Canton.
The doubles teams played Wednesday's sectional matches at Volney Rogers Courts in Mill Creek Park.
If Lee advances, it will be her third straight year to districts.
"It would be nice for her and I to go down there again," Lee said. "For a freshman, that's great experience to have - furthering your game in tennis."
As for Stroup, she's not your typical freshman.
"She's a very good player," Lee said. "Her ground strokes are very consistent. We're very lucky to have her this year."
The other doubles teams to advance to the semifinals and next week's districts are top-seeded Dominique Cicchi and Jamie DiDomenico of Cardinal Mooney, Struthers' Anastasia Cardarelli and Missy Soldressen, and Poland's Elise Eckman and Cara Palusak.
As for Lee, she's satisfied with her play.
"No matter what I do this year, I've done my best," Lee said. "That's all I can say."
