Girls tennis 2023: Doubles a perfect fit for Avon Lake twins Amber and Autumn Korey

Amber and Autumn Korey may not have played doubles together before last postseason, but it didn't take long for the twin sisters to figure things out. The juniors have been stationed at the top of Avon Lake's lineup since joining the program in 2021. And while they've had steady success in singles, they decided to team up and play doubles come tournament time. Despite having just a little more than a month to prepare, they worked together to reach the district tournament for the first time with a runner-up finish at the Medina sectional. "I'm glad that I have my best friend on my team with me," Amber said of Autumn. "She's there for me every match, whether it's a loss or a win. I couldn't ask for any other team. I love having my sister around, it's great." Aside from Avon, the sisters have dominated Southwestern Conference competition. And whether they're playing singles or doubles, they once again give Avon Lake a powerful lineup. Amber has reached the finals of the SWC tournament in singles the past two seasons, finishing runner-up to a pair of Avon players — Denver Johnson in 2021 and Natalie Smitek last season. She excels at finishing points fast with her power, and the lefty cites her backhand as her strongest weapon. "She's definitely determined," Autumn said. "She will be very aggressive when playing. She will run for everything, she likes to swing as fast as she can on every ball she has the opportunity to. She likes to move players a lot and hit wide, she likes to play short points." Like her sister, Autumn is comfortable at the baseline, but her strength is her forehand and defense, putting more spin on the ball as opposed to her sister's power. She's also a righty, which gave the twins an advantage in doubles since they could cover each side of the court with their forehands. She's also had success at second singles, winning the SWC title in 2021 and finishing as the runner-up to Johnson a year ago. "They're almost complete opposites in terms of how they approach the game," Avon Lake coach Tariq Ismail said. "They're both hard working, both come from a great family, they're great kids. They're very different in the way they approach the game. Autumn plays with much more top spin while Amber hits the ball flatter and considerably harder. They're both fantastic to coach." Playing doubles was an adjustment for both sisters. Amber said placing the ball crosscourt to avoid putting her partner in a bad position was crucial. Also, they both were forced to play more at the net, which was a change given their strong baseline games. They jelled quickly, winning their first four matches on their way to a second-place finish at the Medina sectional. They lost in the first round of the Springside district to Highland's senior state-qualifying team of Sarah Sgambati and Madison Pawlak. "We could have done a little better had we prepared sooner, but I think we did well for not having any experience," Amber said. "It was definitely a different experience because when you play singles you're only pumping up yourself so you have to remember there's two of you now. I think Autumn did a better job at that than I did. I liked that she was there as my support, it was really fun." While they both worked on doubles this offseason, the sisters are still deciding whether they want to team up again this postseason. But with the Korey sisters and fellow junior Elizabeth Meiners, the Shoregals once again have one of the top teams in the SWC. "I definitely like playing with her more than against her in singles," Autumn said. "We help each other out. I think overall we're a really good team." Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com and follow him @CSweeney1686 on X.