All-News4JAX girls tennis: Unforgettable finish for Nease star Kylie Kochis

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Kylie Kochis saw the brackets and had the thought rush over her.

Maybe, just maybe, she and the Nease girls tennis team could do something special.

Kochis didn’t know the landscape of Class 3A girls tennis that well, but she knew that she and her teammates had a good chance to make history.

They did just that, with Kochis, now a two-time Varsity 4 All-News4JAX girls tennis player of the year, authoring a storybook ending for the Panthers.

Kochis became just the seventh local girls player to win the overall singles title (and first since 2019 (Creekside’s Imani Graham) when she roared back to win a thriller over Tallahassee Leon’s Abra Boonswang.

Varsity 4 All-News4JAX players of the year

The real history for Kochis came in being the first area player to win a singles and a doubles championship in the same year. She pulled off that historic sweep with partner Nadia Filer to help give the Panthers and their coaching staff (Michael Kypriss, Anika Nissen and Abby Damon) a clean sweep. The Nease girls also pocketed the Class 3A team title for a season unlike any other.

Kochis blitzed through the regular season unbeaten, and said she tried to tamp down grandiose expectations for the postseason as best she could. But when Kochis saw the Panthers holding the No. 1 seed for the team bracket, the thought began to percolate.

“It was pretty fun to go through. We didn’t have that high of expectations going into it. But the moment we got kind of ranked first seed for states is when it kind of hit me; ‘like man, we could actually do this,’” Kochis said.

And they did.

Kochis’ story is well known.

She moved from Pennsylvania to Florida with her family in the middle of her freshman year, actually playing two seasons in one. Since tennis is a fall indoors sport in Pennsylvania, Kochis played there in the front half of her freshman season. Then, Kochis moved to the area in January 2022 and played tennis in Florida that spring for Nease. Her talent was undeniable from the get go.

As a sophomore, Kochis didn’t lose a match to a local opponent and reached the singles championship match before losing. She was an All-News4JAX selection for the third time last year. As a senior, Kochis was unstoppable.

Part of that success in her final season was Kochis just maturing and becoming a stronger player on the court. The bigger thing was comfort and feeling acclimated to the demands of tennis here, and clicking with a young team.

“My goal was to do kind of the best I could. We just moved down to [Class] 3A and so we had no idea what to expect either from the teams,” she said. “I didn’t want to put any expectations on it. But looking back now, I mean couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

Kochis and Filer were a wrecking ball, but it took Kochis an unbelievable comeback to sew up the singles title. She was in a massive hole to Boonswag in the tiebreak, falling into an 8-3 deficit and just two points away from a loss. She said the support from her teammates was crucial in helping her claw back for a 13-11 win, and into the historybooks.

“Being able to come back; had a couple match points down, and was able to still battle through it and I honestly believe it’s because my team was there supporting me,” she said. “I was able to kind of find that belief in myself again. And having that moment when everybody ran out on the court towards the end was really special.”

Varsity 4 All-News4JAX girls tennis team

Player, school, class, notable

Calli Berrang, St. Johns Country, Jr.

Went 8-1 at the No. 1 singles spot and won district tournament to reach Class 1A state meet. Has a 90-18 record across singles and doubles in her career.

Caroline Cooper, Creekside, Jr.

Went 11-2 at No. 1 singles spot for the Knights. District champ who reached 4A state tournament. Is 26-6 in singles at the No. 1 and 2 positions in high school.

Nadia Filer, Nease, So.

Went 7-0 at the No. 2 singles spot for Class 3A state champion Panthers. Only loss at the No. 1 doubles spot with ace Kylie Kochis came in final match at state.

Kylie Kochis, Nease, Sr.

Four-time All-News4JAX selection. Two-time player of the year. Turned in one of the most dominant seasons in area history, racking up a 15-0 record and winning the overall Class 3A state championship. Went 13-2 in doubles with partner Nadia Filer.

Rafa Neel, Bolles, So.

Two-time All-News4JAX selection. Went 9-3 at the No. 1 singles spot and 8-4 at the top doubles position. Lost just twice to local players, first teamers Kylie Kochis and Caroline Cooper.

Katie Wong, Stanton, Sr.

Three-time All-News4JAX selection. Went 9-2 at the top singles spot and 9-0 in doubles in the regular season before first loss in the 2A state tournament.

Second team

Player, school, class

Amy Cox, Ponte Vedra, Sr.

Second team selection last year. Went 12-5 at No. 1 and 2 singles this season and 11-6 at No. 1 doubles spot.

Elizabeth Damon, Tocoi Creek, Jr.

Went 8-4 at the No. 1 singles spot and 8-3 at the top doubles position for Toros. Is 61-18 in singles and doubles in her high school career.

Emma Ferguson, Stanton, Sr.

Went 8-1 at the No. 2 singles position and unbeaten at the top doubles spot with first-teamer Katie Wong. Finished career with a 72-8 record across singles and doubles.

Addie Grek, Episcopal, So.

Went 12-5 at No. 1 singles, with three of those losses coming to players on the first team. Also went 13-4 in doubles.

Blair Murray, Nease, Jr.

Helped Panthers win 3A team state title, going 23-6 in singles and doubles with no losses locally. Won state at No. 2 doubles spot.

Eimy O’Brien, Bishop Kenny, Jr.

Went 9-3 at the No. 1 singles spot for the Crusaders, including wins over first-team selections in Cooper and Wong.

Honorable mention

Player, school, class

Katie Bird, Fleming Island, So.

Angela Chen, Stanton, So.

Maxine Cruz, Bishop Kenny, So.

Emma Dillard, Hilliard, Jr.

Grace Dunton, Bolles, Sr.

Kalena El-hajjar, Providence, So.

Alana Griffin, Bartram Trail, Jr.

Madelyn Hate, Matanzas, Fr.

Olivia Jepsen, Nease, Fr.

Naomi Jones, Providence, Jr.

Madison Keane, Menendez, Jr.

Ines Lahbabi, Bolles, 8th

Tatiana Leontyeva, Flagler Palm Coast, Jr.

Rachel Marino, Ponte Vedra, Jr.

Miella Matteo, Sandalwood, Sr.

Kaylee Munson, Fletcher, So.

Grace Mitchell, Episcopal, So.

Cassidy O’Neal, Columbia, Sr.

Adassah Prevost, Oakleaf, Sr.

Anabelle Rockwell, Episcopal, Jr.

Cait Sheehan, Ponte Vedra, Jr.

Zhanna Stevens, Yulee, Fr.

Tessa Wilson, Fleming Island, Sr.