Tennis: At 14, Norfolk Collegiate's Goldberg already plays like a veteran

NORFOLK

She’s a veteran of high school tennis at 14 years old.

Just a sophomore, Lauren Goldberg joined Norfolk Collegiate’s tennis team as a sixth-grader. Goldberg played No. 2 for the Oaks, who always have had one of the top girls teams in the area, and, behind recent defeats of Cape Henry Collegiate and Norfolk Academy, are the No. 1 team in the Tidewater Conference this fall.

“Back then I didn’t have much power,” Goldberg recalled. “I just wanted to come out and see how I could do.”

She’s done fine, thanks, never playing lower than No. 3 despite not being able to reach the scoring tree all those years ago. At 5-foot-5 today, that problem is behind her, and Goldberg is the Oaks’ top player and a contender for her first TCIS singles crown at No. 1. Goldberg has won her last 63 TCIS matches, but she’ll likely have to get past three-time conference champion Malissa Sibly of Bishop Sullivan Catholic to win the No. 1 singles title.

On Monday, Sibly and Goldberg finished a rain-postponed match and Goldberg won a 10-point tiebreaker after they split two sets.

Goldberg’s improvement stems from daily practice, a summer of tournaments – she took only two weeks off to enjoy a family vacation to Italy, France and Spain – and a solid mental outlook. Last month she won a scholarship tournament in Virginia Beach, partnering with Old Dominion’s top player, Charleen Haarhoff.

“I’ve never played in a tournament for doubles before that,” Goldberg said. “We talked a lot during the match about strategy.”

Goldberg’s strategy is not to be too consumed with tennis. A top student, she works to be well-rounded and is particularly passionate about the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, which connects Jewish teens. Goldberg has attended several leadership conventions since joining BBYO as a freshman . She also loves the beach and movies, and last year played basketball and lacrosse for the Oaks.

As a 4-year-old, Goldberg took up tennis, spurred on by her older brother, David. Her steadiness always has been her strength.

“She thinks through her points,” Oaks coach Pat Accettola said. “She’s very mature on the court.”

Unlike many young players, Goldberg rarely gets rattled, demonstrating the body language of a tour veteran.

“I don’t let my frustrations get to me,” she said. “I figure out what I need to do and move on.”

If that sounds like a veteran talking, it is.

She said with a laugh:

“I feel like I’ve been playing for a really long time.”