Plant tennis standout to miss districts

Plant tennis standout Amber Li, a freshman who is considered one of the region's top players, will miss next week's Class 3A, District 9 tournament because she is a participant in the prestigious Easter Bowl Championships in California. Li, the 29th-ranked player in the USTA's 16-and-under Florida division, is 7-1 this season and has lost only to Chamberlain senior Jamie Mera (who will play for the Missouri Tigers next year).

"She has been fantastic," Plant coach Lynn Vu said. "I heard a lot about her coming in, and she has completely lived up to the hype and done a great job."

Plant's chances of winning districts will be greatly hurt by Li's absence, but all isn't lost for the Panthers, who are 11-1. Even without Li, they have a strong lineup. Solange La Puente, who plays in the No. 2 spot, has only one district defeat. No. 3 player Carol Marie Fraley also has been solid. Something else will help the team: For the first time, the district runnerup also advances to the postseason. If the Panthers do move on, Li could play in the next round.

"I have complete faith in my top five that they'll be able to fight hard," Vu said. "I think we're strong one through five."

-- KEITH NIEBUHR