She quit soccer. Now CC’s Ballatore is Bee’s Girls Tennis Player of the Year
Colleen Ballatore played soccer for “pretty much” her “whole life” up until a year ago.
It was then that she decided to hang up her cleats.
“I had been playing since I was in second grade,” the Central Catholic sophomore said. “It was year-round every year and I didn’t have any free time. I was burnt out.”
Ballatore also was occasionally playing tennis until she quit soccer.
Now, she’s playing full-time. It was the right move.
Ballatore is the Bee’s Girls Tennis Player of the Year after leading the Raiders to a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. IV title and also advancing to the second round of the Div. II individual tournament. She went 21-0 during the regular season and didn’t drop a set.
“Our team got along,” she said. “We are all really close to each other and we were able to pull out all the wins we needed.”
Led by Ballatore, the Raiders cruised to the section title with wins over Los Banos (9-0) and Placer (8-1) in the first two rounds before defeating Valley Oak League foe Kimball (7-2) in the finals.
“When we beat Placer, I remember a coach telling Natalie (Central Catholic coach Natalie Wagner) that our team is the hardest team they have faced,” Ballatore said.
Central Catholic went 19-3 with two of those losses coming to Manteca, which won the Div. III title. The other loss was to Lincoln of Stockton, which made it to the second round of the Div. I playoffs.
In the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II tournament at Johnson Ranch Racquet Club in Roseville on Nov. 1 and 2, Ballatore beat her first opponent (Elxx Vanderpool from Pioneer) 6-0, 6-1 before facing El Capitan junior Jenasis Yarrell in the second round.
Ballatore won the first set easily 6-1 before falling in the next two 6-1, 6-2. Yarrell advanced to the championship, where she lost to Armijo senior Laura Wadsworth.
“I won the first set and I was playing good,” Ballatore said. “Looking back on it, I definitely could have won but it gives me something to work for next year.”
The Raiders will lose 10 seniors to graduation, including their top two doubles pairs, but Ballatore said the team will be strong again next year.
With no soccer anymore, Ballatore now has more free time now including “weekly” trips to her favorite restaurant, Sushi Garden with her family.
“I love the dragon and tempura roll,” she said.
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The Ballatore File
Name: Colleen Ballatore
School: Central Catholic
Sport: Tennis
Year: Sophomore
Favorite Tennis Player: Caroline Wozniacki
Favorite Music Artist: Travis Scott
Favorite School Subject: Math. Likes her teacher
Thing she always needs on the court: Her visor. If the sun is out, hard to serve without visor.
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Dec. 21: Girls Cross Country (Madison Kackley)
Dec. 22: Boys Cross Country: (Alan Guerrero)
Dec. 23: Football (Dawaiian McNeely and Michael Kamps)
Dec. 24: Girls Golf (Madison Blanc)
Dec. 25: Girls Tennis (Colleen Ballatore)
Dec. 26: Volleyball
Dec. 27: Girls Water Polo
Dec. 28: Boys Water Polo
