When your tennis team hasn't lost a match in more than four seasons, picking out the strongest players can be challenging. <\/p>\n
Liberty's girls squad is that team, winners of 51 consecutive matches dating back to April 2013. The Lions cruised through another unbeaten regular season this spring and won their 10th county championship in as many years. <\/p>\n
Their lineup is loaded, but two players stand out. And when you have Abby Brecker and Lili Izadi leading the way, success is bound to come. <\/p>\n
The Times Girls Tennis Co-Players of the Year helped maintain Liberty's court dominance by going undefeated at their singles positions, then adding postseason accolades to their already impressive resumes. <\/p>\n
Izadi went 12-0 against county competition before cruising to her third consecutive girls singles crown. She reached the finals of the Region VII tournament and placed second, and bowed out in the state tourney's first round (she drew the No. 16 seed, meaning she faced eventual state champ Ayana Akli of Wheaton). <\/p>\n
Brecker matched her teammate's regular-season record as Liberty's No. 2 singles player, but her postseason plan to play mixed doubles with Steven Goetz was hatched before the season. Brecker and Goetz won county and regional titles, and reached the state tournament semifinals before placing fourth. <\/p>\n
The seniors leave Liberty's tennis program with a combined record of 158-18, but perhaps they're more proud of being part of the Lions' overall winning ways. <\/p>\n
\"It's definitely the team aspect,\" Izadi said. \"Freshman year, when we won every single match, it was like, 'OK, this is definitely the expectation.' I think since then, both of us, we both wanted to continue that throughout all four years.\" <\/p>\n
Brecker's link to Liberty tennis goes back to when she was barely bigger than a racket. <\/p>\n
Tim Brecker has been coaching the Lions for more than two decades, and this spring he had the chance to have both of his daughters on varsity (freshman Emily Brecker played doubles this spring). But he also had an inkling of which girls were to become the team's leaders. <\/p>\n
\"They love the game,\" the coach said. \"That's what has really been a pleasure to coach. ... They're going to continue to play. They just love the game, and as a coach that's what you want.\" <\/p>\n
Brecker pointed to Liberty's record while Izadi and his oldest daughter were there the coach said only once did Liberty play to a 3-2 team score. <\/p>\n
\"We couldn't ask for them to have turned out better,\" he said. \"Sometimes it wasn't easy. You're dealing with a lot of good players, and personalities, and trying to keep everybody humble and motivated and in unison. They did a phenomenal job with that.\" <\/p>\n
Abby Brecker played singles, doubles and mixed doubles during her high school career, while Izadi stuck with singles and gave Liberty one of the top players in the region for three straight seasons. Both players worked on fine-tuning their games over the years, but they also credited their practice sessions as a true source of inspiration. <\/p>\n
\"We were really competitive during our matches,\" Izadi said of facing Brecker. \"We were pushing each other. It wasn't like we were fooling around or anything. We were trying to beat each other every single time.\" <\/p>\n
Izadi said Liberty graduates Caroline Dangel and Megan Soderlund, herself a two-time Times Player of the Year, were the ones leading the charge in practice when she and Brecker were underclassmen. So Izadi and Brecker knew what to expect when they became the veterans. <\/p>\n
\"You have to defend your spot and be ready every single practice,\" she said. \"I knew going into every single practice since Megan left that I'd have to be on my best game and try hard every single practice.\" <\/p>\n
Izadi went 18-2 this spring while Brecker added a second county title in as many seasons she won a girls doubles crown with Elle Shatto in 2016 and advanced to the state finals. <\/p>\n
Now it's on to college for both girls. <\/p>\n
Izadi is bound for American University and plans to play club tennis. Brecker is headed to the Culinary Institute of America, looking to major in baking and pastries, while playing for the school's competitive tennis team. <\/p>\n
The recent Lions graduates have their share of fond high school memories to take with them. <\/p>\n
\"I'm really happy because me and Lili and [fellow senior Olivia Oakley] were the first three to go all four years without losing a match,\" Brecker said. \"I'm really proud that we were the first ones to do that. I set out to achieve a certain set of goals and feel like I have achieved all of those in my four years. I couldn't be happier with the results.\" <\/p>\n
pat.stoetzer@carrollcountytimes.com<\/a> <\/p>\n 410-857-7894 <\/p>\n twitter.com\/carrollvarsity <\/p>\n<\/p>\n FIRST TEAM <\/p>\n<\/p>\n SECOND TEAM <\/p>\n Century: Jessica Conway, Anna Parrish, Grace Psenicska, Sarah Riggin. Francis Scott Key: Elena Rippeon. Liberty: Sofia Corona, Hannah Steier. Westminster: Laniya Davidson. Winters Mill: Heather Fettke von Koeckritz. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read the original: <\/p>\n Girls Tennis Players of the Year: County champs Brecker, Izadi led Liberty to another dominant spring - Carroll County Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When your tennis team hasn't lost a match in more than four seasons, picking out the strongest players can be challenging. Liberty's girls squad is that team, winners of 51 consecutive matches dating back to April 2013 Continue reading