Indian River senior Lexxine Zullo returns a forehand shot during her first singles match vs. Polytech’s Emma Crane on Wednesday, May 1. Zullo claimed victory (3-6, 6-4, 11-9).
She never realized how fulfilling the game could be.
When she picked up a tennis racket for the first time three years ago, the then-15-year-old competitor immensely enjoyed the challenge of racing from the baseline to the net and back again.
Lexxine Zullo also quickly learned how to effectively cover the route to each sideline and back.
She especially loved the gratification of winning matches with well-placed shots.
“I had never known how much tennis would mean to me until I picked up a racquet and joined the Indian River High girls’ tennis team,” said Zullo, now 18 and a senior singles standout for the Indians. “Once I started playing, it felt like I couldn’t stop. I started out in exhibition, or scrimmage, during my sophomore year. Watching the first singles girls play their hearts out during their matches inspired me.
“I wanted to be in that position and feel the rush of winning a well-earned competition,” she added. “With the help of my teammates — as well as many tennis lessons — I pushed myself and earned my position as the first singles player this year as a senior.”
Indian River girls’ tennis coach Greg Hockman said he is proud of how hard Zullo worked and the will she displayed in order to improve.
“She was brand new to tennis as a 10th-grader, and decided that she wanted to put in the work and time to improve her tennis game,” said Hockman. “With a combination of tennis lessons and clinics at Sea Colony Resort, countless hours on the Indian River High courts after school, on her own, in all types of weather, she earned the No. 1 singles position this year. It is a demanding position, since she played the best performer from the other team at every match. Lexxine accepted the challenge and never backed down.”
Compiling an impressive record
Lexxine Zullo pauses for a photo.
Zullo has compiled a 6-5 won-lost record as one of the 2024 team’s leaders, bringing her career mark to 15-8 as a two-year varsity standout.
“I’ve worked extremely hard to earn my place as a team leader, whether that was playing tennis in my own free time for hours on end, as well as trying to be someone whom everyone can depend on,” said the resident of Dagsboro. “I share as much knowledge as I can with my teammates to help them. I want everyone to feel important and a part of the team. I also want them to enjoy tennis as much as I do.”
Zullo has been preparing for the Henlopen Conference championship tournament hosted by Caesar Rodney High School in Camden that begins Thursday, May 9, (after Coastal Point press time) and continues on Saturday, May 11.
She said she is extremely thankful for the many challenges that the game of tennis has presented to her.
“I have had to learn how to win the mental battle everyone goes through on the tennis court, and I continue to learn from that,” said the 5-foot-5 Zullo. “The matches that I have lost have also taught me tennis skills I never would have learned otherwise. I can’t describe how happy and fulfilling tennis has made me, and how fulfilling it is to be a part of this team.”
She has emerged as one of the area’s most intense competitors, crediting the journey to her constant workload of daily practices, as well as matches against toughened opponents.
“The feedback I get from Coach Hockman has helped make a huge contribution to my success,” she said. “He has made the biggest impact in both tennis and in my journey toward college. I also owe most of my progress to the many tennis lessons that I have been fortunate enough to have had, as well as the hours of self-practice.
“I began taking lessons at Sea Colony in Bethany Beach almost every day of the week after school. And when I wasn’t taking lessons, I was hitting tennis balls off of the garage door or playing against friends. I continue to carry out this cycle to this day.”
“She leaves IR as one of the hardest-working tennis players to come through the program,” Hockman said
enthusiastically. “I’m confident she will put forth the same effort in all of her future endeavors!”
Gaining knowledge about the game
Zullo also insists that a great deal of her knowledge about the game is the result of feedback she’s heard from her mother, Ellen Zullo, and father, Brad Zullo.
“I know I would not have gotten this far without their support that made me so determined to push myself,” she said. “They attend every one of my tennis matches, hit balls with me on the court, and they listen to me lament about how I could’ve won that match if I did this or that differently. They give me advice and support that no one else can give, and it has all definitely helped me grow as a player. And I must admit I wouldn’t have gotten most of my lessons if it weren’t for my parents.
Zullo will attend the University of Delaware beginning this fall.
“I want to complete the SEED program, a Student Excellence Equals Degree scholarship initiative, and determine whether I want to stay on campus for the school’s music and arts programs, or transfer to an arts school to pursue that career path.”
