This Parrish tennis player is a standout Florida thanks to her ‘screwball’ curve shot
Odessa Eisch, an 18-year-old homeschool student and tennis player for Parrish Community High School, is making a name for herself in Florida tennis competitions.
She is ranked third in the state in girls’ singles and doubles on MaxPreps, a high school sports coverage website. She is the 2022 class 2A district-11 singles champion.
She was the only girls’ tennis player from Manatee County to compete in the 2022 FHSAA Florida High School Tennis State Championship tournament on Wednesday in Sanford.
At the tournament, she won her first state match against Taylor Roberts from Santa Fe High school 6-1 6-0, but lost in the quarterfinals.
Esich’s journey to the state tournament and her 16-1 regular-season record may seem uncanny to those who have been on the junior tennis circuit in Florida for years.
She was a standout softball player at Northside Christian High School in St. Petersburg before she transitioned back into tennis.
“I played tennis for a year and then played varsity softball as a freshman,” she said. “After the pandemic and COVID-19, I went back to tennis because I loved it more.”
Equipped with her passion for tennis and skill in softball, Esich used her athleticism to outperform her competition on the tennis court thanks in part to her dad and coach John Esich.
“My dad has been my coach for four years, and I appreciate learning from him,” she said. “He’s added stuff to my game that nobody has ever seen before in tennis.”
Her best shots on the court are her serve, which has been clocked at 90 mph, and her unique curve shot.
“It’s a screwball in softball,” she said. “I slice it on the bottom of the ball. When it hits the ground, it turns right.”
The curve shot dazed her competition on the other side of the net all season.
“Whenever I do it, people mess up,” she said. “I haven’t seen anyone else use the curve shot other than me.”
Her strong sever is also a result of her time on the baseball diamond.
“I was a catcher throwing down and had to have a strong arm,” she said. “That helped me on my serve.”
Esich plans to take her tennis game to the college level.
Once in college, she plans on majoring in economics or marine biology, which is another passion.
“I spent 108 hours volunteering at Mote Marine Aquarium,” she said. ”It was fun to learn about all they have there and share it with others.”
She’s been contacted by Stetson University and was recently offered a roster spot on the Warner University tennis team, which she’s considering.
