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Palmucci hopes strategy will pay off
Last season was a special one for Fairfax tennis player Lauren Palmucci."I beat Shannon Rogers [of Cox in the state quarterfinals], who I had heard had been bragging how she was gonna win states," Palmucci said recently. "I got so motivated to beat her and I did beat her, which was awesome. And then I got to play her in doubles for the finals and beat her then, too."
Palmucci lost in the semifinals of the singles bracket, but she teamed up with her sister Jacqueline – a freshman at the time – to capture the state doubles crown. Rogers, an aggressive player with a killer forehand, had her state title hopes crushed on both fronts courtesy of Palmucci.
This season, things are a little different for the girl whose school nickname is the Rebels.
Now a senior, she is a favorite in the Northern Region singles bracket. Longtime rival Yilian Zhang decided to forgo her high school season at Westfield because of a busy tournament schedule. Zhang beat Palmucci in the 2007 Concorde District and Northern Region championships, then went on to win the state title.
Jacqueline Palmucci decided to transfer to Flint Hill for her final three years of high school, meaning Lauren has a new doubles partner.
"I have a good partner [in Kate Montwill], but obviously nothing can compare to the connection that my sister and I have," the elder Palmucci said. "We're sisters so we're obviously friends. I know what she's gonna do, I have a feel for what she does."
Fairfax tennis coach Nancy Thompson Wadden talked about Palmucci's state tournament experience last year.
"At the states in the first round, she came back from being down 5-2, two sets in a row, to beat Shannon Rogers," said the coach. "She comes up with these great shots when other people would be holding back and choking. So she's a lot of fun to watch."
Palmucci lacks the height that Zhang has and the power that Rogers boasted, but she makes up for her small stature with solid technique and smart play. Anybody that knows the sport can see that after watching her play for a few minutes, she relies on strategy to best her opponent.
And it usually works.
Instead of forcing a point and getting overly aggressive, Palmucci takes a slower, more methodical approach to the game. She waits for an opening and then strikes at the precise moment.
"People who understand strategy know right away that she's a very good player," Thompson Wadden said. "Even though she doesn't have some of the huge shots that Shannon Rogers or Yilian Zhang had, she works the point for a long time. She works you, works you, works you and gets you over too far to one side and then goes to your weak side. Or drops it short."
Palmucci, who will attend Virginia Tech next year and may still tryout for the tennis team (or play club), continued on that subject: "I just can't compete with people that are a lot bigger than me, so I'm more of a strategy [player]. Patience is the key. That's the main thing; you have to be patient. Consistency is your No. 1 thing. That's what I work on all the time, just [hitting] hundreds of balls in a row. It's huge."
Consistency. Patience. Strategy. They are the essential tools that any good tennis player has.
With these attributes serving as the backbone of her game, 2008 could be the year of the Palmucci.
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