Battle on the tennis court

Bethel Park is awfully quiet this Saturday morning. No barking dogs, no laughing children. The only sound audible, save for the distant whirring of twin jet engines overhead, is the soft pop of yellow fuzz on tightened string.

Gabi Dimos, Lafayette high school’s No. 1 singles star, breaks the silence with a quiet self-criticism. “You’re late,” she almost mumbles, as if her coach lives somewhere underneath the white Nike hat on her head. Up three games to none and in command of the first set, Dimos is unsatisfied.

Elizabeth Worsowicz, Rock Bridge’s No. 1, has been here before. She’s played thousands of points on this court, the one coach Ben Loeb calls “the Stadium,” and she’s faced Dimos once at a tournament last winter.

“It felt really comfortable out there,” she said.

Despite the junior Bruin’s experience and calm demeanor, Dimos proved too much for Worsowicz. Dimos, one of the state’s best players, packs a forehand that could induce post-traumatic stress disorder and a backhand that makes opponents want to run for cover. Not to mention that she hits drop shots with enough spin to burn the fuzz off of the ball.

“I tried to change it up,” Worsowicz said after the match, “and I had to keep the ball deep or she would really attack it.”

Loeb gave Worsowicz that advice when she slipped to 0-3 in the first set.

“I just told her to put more balls in play and to change the pace, to mix things up,” Loeb said.

Dimos, who is very vocal on the court, kept Worsowicz on the run for the entire match, but Worsowicz said her constant chatter didn’t have a negative effect. In fact, she said her opponent’s grunts and growls helped her stay focused.

“Actually,” she said, “it pumps you up when you hear it.”

There’s not a hole to be found in Dimos’ game, but Worsowicz stayed very competitive in a 1-6, 4-6 early morning loss.

The dual meet between Rock Bridge and Lafayette, which started at 9:30 a.m., lasted almost four hours. The Bruins’ depth helped them cruise to a 9-2 victory, with the team’s only losses coming in No. 1 singles and doubles.

The meet had a postseason feel, and the Bruins made the most of the opportunity to gain experience before district play next week.

“I think it’s great,” Worsowicz said. “We did pretty well today.”