GL Sports

By TOM ROBINSON For Go Lackawanna

The Lackawanna League will have a new format in girls’ tennis for the second straight season.

After splitting into two divisions in time for the 2009 season, the league has switched to a three-division format with all the Class AAA teams in Division 1 and the Class AA teams split according to strength into Divisions 2 and 3. At the same time, Honesdale moves up to Division 1following its enrollment switch from AA to AAA.

The seven Division 1 teams will play each other home-and-home for a 12-match schedule. The Division 2 and 3 teams will play opponents twice within their division and play schools from the opposite division once. That leaves the five Division 2 schools with a 12-match schedule while the four from Division 3 play 11 times in the league.

The new format does not change where strengths can be found.

Defending Lackawanna Division 2 and District 2 Class AA champion Scranton Prep and Abington Heights remain the top teams in Lackawanna County with Valley View not far behind.

Abington Heights returns its entire starting lineup, making the Lady Comets the favorite to take the Division 1 title away from defending champion Wallenpaupack. The Lady Comets will get an idea about their title hopes Monday when they host Wallenpaupack as girls’ tennis becomes the first sport to begin Lackawanna League play this school year.

Valley View was second to Scranton Prep in Division 2 a year ago and should join Western Wayne as the top threats again this season.

Riverside had the best record (3-6) among the four teams that wound up in Division 3, picking up its wins over what are now its division opponents -- Elk Lake, Holy Cross and Dunmore.

Scranton Prep, Valley View, Western Wayne, Mid Valley and Montrose make up Division 2.

Abington Heights, Wallenpaupack and Honesdale are joined in Division 1 by Scranton, North Pocono, Delaware Valley and West Scranton.

Scranton Prep returns five of its seven starters, led by sophomore Kendra Croker and junior Emily Walsh, who played singles in the regular season then combined to form a doubles team that reached the District Class AA semifinals. Walsh reached the district quarterfinals in singles.

Senior Caroline Comerford also returns along with juniors Mara Silvon and Elizabeth Hyers.

Freshman Grace Reilly and Annie Tressler have the potential to break into the starting lineup.

“Our goals for this season are to repeat as district champions and to advance to the state level of competition in Hershey,” Coach John Hubert said.

Abington Heights returns singles players Courtney Ostrowski, Alexa Abdalla and Brittany Kazmierski and all four doubles players from last year’s team that lost only to Wallenpaupack, falling twice in division play and again in the District 2-4 Class AAA team semifinals.

Ostrowski and Abdalla each reached the District 2-4 singles quarterfinals before combining to reach the same round in doubles play.

“It’s definitely a good thing when you know you have a successful team and everyone is coming back,” Abington Heights Coach Tom Lavelle said. “We have definitely raised our level from last season to this season.”

Lavelle said the lineup could look somewhat different.

“It’s really not clear cut,” he said. “We’re still trying to work a few things out as far as who’s going to be a singles or doubles player.”

Monday’s other openers include Scranton Prep at Western Wayne, which was 7-2 last year when the Classics were going 9-0 to win the division.

Scranton is at West Scranton, Valley View is at Mid Valley, Holy Cross is at Elk Lake, Dunmore is at Riverside and Delaware Valley is at North Pocono.