By RICK NOLAND

Assistant Sports Editor

Layne Connolly is capable of winning tennis matches with her athletic ability, but what really sets her apart is her ability to use her mind.

The Wadsworth sophomore has the uncanny ability to size up an opponent, pick out weaknesses and exploit them over and over again.

It worked more often than not in 2008, as Connolly fashioned an 18-6 record while playing first singles for the Grizzlies, making her an easy choice as Gazette MVP for girls tennis.

“I’ve never had to work with her on that,” Wadsworth coach Aaron Austin said when asked about Connolly’s mental game. “Some players can get too high or too low. That’s just not an issue with Layne. She’s always got a level head.”

More important than that, Connolly uses her head. If an opponent likes pace, she’ll hit slices. If the opposing player prefers to stay on the baseline, she’ll hit drop shots. If the opponent likes to play quickly, she’ll take her time between points.

“Her game is deceptive,” Highland coach Lisa Reynolds said. “You don’t look at her and think she’s going to wipe someone off the court, but with her deep, consistent strokes and steady head, she’s not easily rattled. That’s what it takes to win matches.

“She made everybody beat themselves. She makes you try for dumb shots. You try to beat her too fast instead of being patient.”

That strategy allowed Connolly, who also swims and runs track at Wadsworth, to go 4-0 against first singles players from the county. Just as impressive, she did it after playing second singles as a freshman.

“The biggest improvement I saw with her was her confidence in her own swing,” Austin said of the two-time All-Gazette selection. “Her freshman year, she could hit hard, but she didn’t do it. She very rarely hit hard unless she played an opponent who forced her to. This year, that started coming out a little more. She just played to a higher level.”

To go up yet another level, the 5-foot-4, 110-pound Connolly realizes she must get better at dictating play, not reacting to it. That’s why she’s currently taking private lessons and considering the pluses and minuses when it comes to playing strictly tennis at Wadsworth.

“I’m thinking about that a lot, weighing the pros and cons,” she said. “One pro is I’d be able to get better faster. The cons, I like being able to play other sports, too. It gives you a nice break.”

Austin is intrigued by Connolly’s potential if she concentrates solely on tennis — he thinks she could be a district qualifier and possibly earn a state berth by the time she’s a senior — but he realizes there are many factors to consider.

“It’s something we’ve talked about,” Austin said. “It’s her decision. In terms of tennis, yeah, that would be great.

“At the same time, as an educator, the other sports are important to her, too. Track is part of the reason she’s in such great shape coming into tennis season. The swimming provides endurance and body control.”

Regardless of how much she chooses to focus on tennis in the future, Connolly was in total control in 2008, when she never lost a match she should have won and pulled out a few she probably should have lost.

“She’s very quick,” Reynolds said. “She gets to a lot of balls and recovers quickly. It’s difficult to pull her out of position.”

Connolly, who also played basketball and soccer when she was younger, is now in position to get even better at a sport in which she’s already the best in Medina County.

But just as the 15-year-old uses her mind to beat opposing players, she’ll also use her brain to weigh all factors before making a decision.

“I’ve talked with my parents (Lynn and Michael), and they think I should do whatever fits me best,” Connolly said. “I have some time to decide, so there’s no reason to feel rushed.”

Noland may be reached at rickn@ohio.net or 330-721-4061.