Woodrow Wilson head tennis coach Bernie Bostick will never be confused with a wily soothsayer.
However, the veteran mentor was spot on about which players he thought would earn a spot in the state tennis tournament this year.
Well, almost all of them.
The four players that will represent Woodrow Wilson this year at the state tennis tournament are senior Elysia Salon and freshman Abby Dillon on the girls side, along with freshman Ram Asaithambi and junior Rahul Ilangovan on the boys side.
“We thought we might have one more, but earlier in the season we pretty much nailed these four,” Bostick said. “To be honest with you though, anybody that has watched tennis for any amount of time would have picked the same four.”
“You have to go in with the mindset that they are going, but they have to put the work in,” Bostick went on to say. “A lot of times that is the difference. The talent will be there, but the work ethic isn’t. With all four of these, they have both. They have everything that they need.”
The state tennis tournament will be played May 12-14 at the Kanawha City Community Center Tennis Courts and Charleston Catholic Sports Complex in Charleston.
The individual portion of the state tournament is made up of 16 players at No. 1 singles, 12 players at No. 2 singles, eight players at No. 3 singles and four players at No. 4 singles.
The two veterans from Woodrow Wilson are no strangers to the state tournament atmosphere.
Salon announced herself to the high school tennis scene in a big way when she won the regional and finished runner-up at No. 4 singles as a freshman.
After missing her sophomore season due to the Covid stoppage of all spring activities, Salon moved up to No. 1 singles and finished in the top-four at the state tournament last year as a junior.
The dynamic senior enters the big dance this go-round as the Region 3 champion and one of the four top seeds at No. 1 singles. She will play a No. 4 seed from another region to open her run to the championship.
Although she is basically starting where she left off last year, the road to the championship is far from smooth.
“There are some really good freshmen this year,” Bostick said. “You have the girl that won it last year from Cabell Midland back. You have girls from the Eastern Panhandle, Parkersburg and Huntington. There are six girls minimum, including Elysia that can win it.”
Making Salon’s accomplishments even more impressive is the fact that she is not a year-round tennis player.
“It is going to be tough. All the other girls play year-round. Elysia has volleyball, which is good because it helps her footwork and keeps her legs going,” Bostick said. “But, the others get to play inside too and we don’t get to do that often. Tennis for us is a seasonal sport.”
Ilangovan finished runner-up at regionals at No. 2 singles just like last year to gain his state tournament experience. Bostick feels confident he can build on the previous performance in Charleston.
“Rahul is solid and a hard hitter. He will do what you ask and he can set the point up,” Bostick said. “He lost in the first round in a tie-breaker and I don’t think he will let that happen again. He worked all summer and he has played well.”
Asaithambi played No. 1 singles as a freshman at Woodrow, but he entered high school at an advanced level according to his coach.
“Ram is probably one of the most coachable kids that I have had in just about any sport and I have coached them all,” Bostick said. “He listens well and does everything he possibly can to do what you ask him to do. He plays hard, practices hard and gives 100 percent. I have been waiting a couple of years to get him.”
Finishing runner-up in the Region 3 tournament, Asaithambi enters the state tournament as the No. 2 seed and will match-up against a No. 3 seed from another region to be determined later.
Just like Salon, Bostick says Asaithambi will have his hands full in his first visit to the state tennis arena.
“There is a solid group of No. 1 seeds and I would have to say he is at least in the top six. Ram seems to be calm under any type of pressure. At his age, he has played so much more than anyone on the team. He has a big serve and he has a great second serve. He is advanced mentally and he runs well. I have never seen him really get tired. For his size, he can knock the heck out of the ball.”
Bostick also feels Asaithambi will be a force to be reckoned with over his career.
“Are there a couple of players out there that are better than him now? Yes, but there is not too many and every year there will be fewer,” Bostick said.
Dillon’s athletic ability has never been a question whether it be in basketball, volleyball or soccer. The question for the young freshman was how it would translate to tennis.
“I had seen her out here hitting before school started last fall. I knew she was an athlete,” Bostick said. “I kind of felt like she would be there if she came out, and she did. After about the second day of practice, I felt like she was the fourth one that would make it to the state tournament for us.”
Dillon finished runner-up at No. 2 singles and she will battle a No. 3 seed in Charleston, also to be named later.
While Bostick was confident Dillon could make the state tournament field, even he was a little surprised at the level she played this season.
“I was a little surprised. She has really picked it up and she has the desire to get better. She will hit with guys that are better than her in order to get better,” Bostick said. “Her parents are behind her 100 percent and they want her to get better. As good as she is playing, this is the worst that you will see Abby Dillon play. She is not going to do anything but get better.”
The fabulous foursome also qualified for the state tournament in doubles by finishing runner-up at No. 1 doubles.
Twelve teams make the state tournament at No. 1 doubles, while eight qualify at No. 2 doubles and four team make it for No. 3 doubles.
“We are really pumped and the coaches are looking forward to it. I am confident with this group. If they don’t go down there and win their first matches, I will be disappointed,” Bostick said. “They all take instruction well and they are smart. They learn on the move and they learn during the game.”