Trinity Prep girls tennis star is Orlando All-Area player of the year in first Florida season

Lake Nona’s girls tennis team lost a heartbreaking Class 4A state championship match, but the Lions again dominated Orlando area teams. And with only one senior in its state tournament lineup the future looks rosy.

The Lions finished 20-1 for the year and are heavily represented on the 2024 Orlando Sentinel All-Area team.

The honor roll includes a trio of Lake Nona players along with standout players from Boone, Celebration and Sanford Seminole.

Trinity Prep’s Isabella Hartung, whose family moved to Florida last summer, left her mark as the area’s premier player. She won 20 consecutive matches before losing in the state tournament.

All-area teams include schools that participate in the FHSAA state series from Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake and southwest Volusia counties. Selections were made by the Sentinel staff in consultation with area coaches.

Player of the Year 

Isabella Hartung, Trinity Prep, Sr.

Buzz: The move-in from North Carolina went 20-1 in singles with her only loss  coming in the 1A state tournament against state runner-up Maria Navarro of Benjamin (Palm Beach Gardens) in the individual bracket final. “There was no state tournament for my school in North Carolina so this was really exciting for me,” Hartung said during her state tourney appearance at Sylvan Lake Park in Sanford. She starred for Concord School and was player of the year in the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association as a junior. Hartung will play college tennis for NCAA D-III Bowdoin College of Maine.

FHSAA state tennis: Lake Nona, Lake Highland join Winter Park phenom in title contention

All-Area players

Gabriela Almanza, Lake Nona, Jr. 

Buzz: Lions No. 1 went 12-2 in singles and teamed with senior Ellietta Said to win the 4A state doubles championship.

Valeria Lopez, Celebration, Sr.

Buzz: 16-2 in singles with losses to Spruce Creek’s Giselle Adekunle, including a tight state tourney match. 17-1 in doubles with freshman partner Diana Perez.

Emily Meng, Boone, Jr. 

Buzz: Top-tier player went 6-1 in singles, losing only to 4A champ Savita Bagirathan (Douglas) at the state tournament. Unbeaten in doubles.

Shrika Moturi, Lake Nona, Soph.

Buzz: 13-1 in singles with only loss in a tiebreaker at state tournament. Went 14-1 in doubles, also with only defeat in FHSAA finals.

Kyndall Smith, Seminole Fr.

Buzz: Ninth grader went 14-0 in regular season singles. She lost in state tourney to 4A champ Jessica Popescu of Boca Raton Spanish River.

Aspen Wooten, Lake Nona, Soph. 

Buzz: No. 2 for Lions recorded 13-2 singles record and went 15-1 in doubles (with only loss at state tournament).

Honorable mention

Eva Haberjan, Geneva School, 8th

Elietta Said, Lake Nona, Sr.

Arianna Sebastian, Olympia, Fr.

Varsity content editor Buddy Collings can be reached by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.