For biology freshman Meghan DeBaroncelli, being a tennis player runs in her family. Her mother is in the Hall of Fame at Nicholls State University and her uncle played for the University of New Orleans.
“Tennis is definitely a family thing,” she said.
So when she won the state championship last year for Mount Carmel Academy, she knew she would be ready to play tennis for Loyola.
DeBaroncelli started playing when she was five years old and was coached by her mother, Colleen Clarke. Her parents were not her only tools for motivation and success; she says some of her ambition was inspired by her friends and teammates.
Gabby Rowe, a current Mount Carmel senior, was her team partner for three years. The pair went to the finals in 2010 and the championship in 2011. Rowe and DeBaroncelli were placed together because her head coach said they best complemented each other and could assist the team. DeBaroncelli said that playing with Rowe helped her tennis skills develop and flourish.
“I could not have asked for a better partner,” she said.
When the team played in the 2010 finals, they lost against Rachel Howie and Hayley Everett of Mandeville High School in a “long, three-set match.” DeBaroncelli said she had a history with Howie.
“We have competed against each other since we were young kids,” she said.
The next year, she and Rowe advanced to the championship and had a rematch against the team that defeated them.
“I was nervous waiting to play the match, but once I got on the court I was determined to win,” she said.
DeBaroncelli came to Loyola in fall 2011, where she met head coach Zubin Engineer. DeBaroncelli said that although her mother and Zubin have different playing styles and strategies, the two provide a good combination.
Engineer said from what he’s seen, DeBaroncelli’s work ethic and determination make her “a good competitor and a solid number one.”
Though winning a state championship has prepared her for college tennis, there are still a few more things DeBaroncelli said she needs to work on — for example, playing both singles and doubles instead of just the latter.
“College tennis is more intense than high school tennis,” she said.
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