Villa's Brittany Green Wins Metro Tournament Singles Tennis Title

Brittany Green, sophomore from Villa Duchesne is pretty crazy about tennis. According to her mom, she’s played the game since she was a little girl. Her bedroom at home is plastered with large sized tennis posters. She has her grandfather’s wooden racquet mounted on the wall.

Bart Green, her grandfather takes in all of her matches. He knows the game, earning varsity letters for the University of Colorado tennis team years ago.

Wednesday, Green was the teacher and her opponent Angeline Veronikis, junior of MICDS was the student. Though they battled point for point, and had some long sustaining volleys, Green prevailed in the championships of the Metro Tourney in the singles finals, 6-2, 6-2.

MICDS has 15 courts, but slowly most of the spectators on a 90 degree afternoon found their way to the corner court in order to see the singles finals.

Both girls played doubles coming into the championship match. Playing for three hours in the heat took its toll.

As the match wore on, Veronikis began to take longer water breaks, consulting often with several Rams coaches.

Though these are two of the top junior players in the Missouri Valley U.S.T.A. (Green ranks fourth in juniors) they had never met before in a match. “I knew of her (Brittany) she’s a very good player,” said Veronikis.

In a way, Green was happy just to get this match over with. “Yes, it was a good match. I had to take it point by point,” said Green. Wearing the title of No. 1 singles on the Saints tennis team, she said “I’m just excited to be playing the best players in St. Louis.”

Green knows there’s plenty of matches yet on the schedule. “I’m just going to try and play my best, and to be able to play under pressure.”

Green caught a break, finishing her doubles match with teammate Merritt Stahle over the Westminster team of Annie Schlafly and Anna Bergman. The Villa girls captured third in doubles.

Meanwhile, Veronikis, a southpaw and and her partner Merrill Hermann had to go much longer, outlasting Principia’s doubles team of Meg Anderson and Jessica Clouse, 6-2, 6-2 for the doubles title.

Veronikis took the long hot day in stride. On many points, the MICDS junior pushed Green to the limits. Some unforced errors at the net cut short her opportunities to win.

“I was just trying to be consistent and get one ball back. She did play a good match and I am happy I got a good match out of it.”

Handling the heat was just another obstacle for Veronikis.

“I played doubles with (Merrill) Hermann and we played very well against Principia. That was around a one and a half hour match.”

“I do have to work on my volleys, but I think I played pretty well overall,” she said.