For one night, the opposing coach was more than just the person standing on the other side of the courts.
He was family.
When Chagrin Falls Girls Tennis hosted Independence Girls Tennis on Monday, Tigers coach Kathleen Aranavage found herself coaching against her son, Independence coach Justin Aranavage, in a match the family and teams quickly dubbed the “Aranavage Cup.”
Mom claimed the first one.
Chagrin Falls edged Independence, 3-2, in a competitive match that brought together family, teaching, coaching, and tennis in a setting neither coach is likely to forget.
“It honestly brought me so much joy to just have my son thrive in teaching,” Kathleen said. “He is a fourth-generation teacher in our family, and then to have him coach is also fantastic. I know he’s going to be a great coach.”
A Family Matchup Four Generations in the Making
Justin teaches in the Independence school district and took over the Blue Devils’ girls tennis program when the position became available.
The Independence program is only in its third season, making Monday’s performance against a more established Chagrin Falls team especially encouraging.
“They have a really great attitude,” Justin said. “They take it one day at a time. They don’t get too wrapped up when we play a team that might have significantly more experience than us. We’ve gotten some wins here and there and taken some losses, so it’s been fun.”
The idea of putting the two teams on the same schedule came together naturally.
Chagrin Falls no longer has to play each conference opponent twice during the regular season, opening spots on the schedule for additional opponents. When Chagrin Falls athletic director Charlie Barch asked Kathleen about potential teams, she knew one coach who might be interested.
“I said, ‘Yeah, I do know another coach. I think he’d play us,’” she said.
That coach just happened to be her son.
The matchup quickly became more than just another date on the schedule.
Kathleen said the family turned out in force, while Justin recalled seeing his grandmother, uncle, and cousin among those watching.
“There were like four generations there,” Justin said. “It was kind of cool.”
The family had plenty to watch.
Chagrin Falls won both of the top singles matches. Claire Rubin defeated Alyssa Carriero, 6-0, 6-0, at first singles, and Anna Hively topped Addison Walchanowicz, 6-0, 6-2, at second singles.
Independence answered at third singles, where Ally Wodarczyk defeated Caroline Keegan, 6-2, 6-1.
The Blue Devils also picked up a dramatic victory at first doubles, where Adrianna Randjelovic and Maya Toth defeated Juliet Oliver and Emmaline Laws, 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (10-7).
Chagrin Falls secured the team victory at second doubles, where Giulianna Agnello and Claire Angle defeated Lauren Dailey and Noelle Kitagawa, 6-2, 6-1.
The final score was close enough to add a little competitive edge to the family gathering.
Kathleen admitted she felt for her son because of the difference in experience between the programs, but she also noted that Chagrin Falls was missing two of its top players and had to bring one player up from junior varsity.
“We were able to pull up one girl from JV, and I just think that was good for everybody,” Kathleen said.
Different Programs, Similar Coaching Styles
As for the coaching matchup itself, Kathleen was willing to concede at least one thing.
“His skill level is better than mine in tennis,” she said. “But I just play it a little bit more often. So it was flashy skill versus more experienced wisdom.”
Justin chuckled at that characterization, though he believes their coaching styles are probably more alike than different.
His approach centers largely on keeping players calm and avoiding information overload during matches.
“A big part of tennis is mental,” he said. “A lot of what I’m doing is maybe giving one simple instruction that I think they can work on. If it’s a close match and I can tell kids are getting nervous or frustrated, that’s when I try to step in and remind them they need to take their break, relax, and do simple things that can actually help.”
Justin also pointed to his mother as one of the people who helped shape his understanding of the sport.
He especially credits Kathleen with teaching him the finer points of doubles strategy.
“She has a lot of knowledge about movement and where to go,” Justin said. “I think she’s a really great doubles coach. She has a lot of good insight on where people should stand, where they should move, how they should switch.”
He has also taken notice of the less glamorous side of coaching.
“She’s just very organized and great at that aspect of coaching,” he said. “Which is important.”
Kathleen has enjoyed seeing her son carry forward the family’s teaching tradition.
Justin eventually hopes to coach soccer as well, something his mother sees as another extension of the activities that meant so much to him growing up.
“It’s fun to see him carrying on all of the things that brought him so much happiness in school,” Kathleen said.
The Aranavage Cup May Be Just Getting Started
If Independence has anything to say about it, the Aranavage Cup will not be a one-time event.
Justin said administrators and staff members in the district were already excited about the matchup and asking for photos afterward.
That means there could be plenty more family bragging rights on the line in years to come.
For now, though, Kathleen owns them.
Mom leads the Aranavage Cup series, 1-0.
More Girls Tennis Coverage From OhioVarsity.com
- Chagrin Falls Tigers Girls Tennis
- Independence Blue Devils Girls Tennis
- CVC Girls Tennis
- Girls Tennis News
Girls Tennis Match Result
| Team | Score |
|---|---|
 Independence Blue Devils | 2 |
 Chagrin Falls Tigers | 3 |
Individual Match Results
- First Singles: Claire Rubin (Chagrin Falls) def. Alyssa Carriero, 6-0, 6-0
- Second Singles: Anna Hively (Chagrin Falls) def. Addison Walchanowicz, 6-0, 6-2
- Third Singles: Ally Wodarczyk (Independence) def. Caroline Keegan, 6-2, 6-1
- First Doubles: Adrianna Randjelovic and Maya Toth (Independence) def. Juliet Oliver and Emmaline Laws, 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (10-7)
- Second Doubles: Giulianna Agnello and Claire Angle (Chagrin Falls) def. Lauren Dailey and Noelle Kitagawa, 6-2, 6-1
Game Notes
Updated automatically through this result and the latest reported player stats.
