Sarah Vande Berg
Tennis and
The first thing you noticed when you saw
Sarah Vande Berg on the tennis court was her
height then blonde ponytail swaying with each
sweeping movement, what stood out was the
intensity in her eyes as she watched the ball come
off her racquet. She moved around the court with
a precision that guided powerful ground strokes,
connecting the ball, hurtling it over the net.
the age of nine while attending a summer tennis
clinic at Zephyr Park and showed a strong
interest and ability for Tennis. Her Father Todd
Sarah Vande Berg
Vande Berg was (is) an avid tennis player. With her Fathers interest and her
natural athletic talent, Sarah journeyed from novice to competing in many USTA
tournaments, high school player, district champion, and statewide competitor.
Sarah was the tennis team captain at Zephyrhills High School, the All-
Sunshine Athletic Conference pick through all four years at ZHS and helped lead
the Bulldogs to district championships in 2010 & 2012. These attributes earned
her a tennis scholarship to the University of South Carolina Upstate.
Tragically on October 11, 2015, Sarah, along with three other USC Upstate
athletes, was killed in a single vehicle accident. Sarah was 21, with just a few
months from graduating with her degree in communications and a planned return to her home state of
Florida.
Sarah’s passion for tennis and helping others inspired the Center as her namesake and the Sarah Vande
situation through sponsorship and donations. A generous donation of land from local developer, David &
Ruth Waronker, a state appropriation, and a private/public partnership between Pascal Collard and the City
of Zephryhills brought this memorial vision to fruition and is now known as the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and
Wellness Center.
Previously Collard was the director of tennis at Saddlebrook Resort, and at the famed Merion Cricket
Club in Philadelphia. Andrew Sorrentino became managing partner and COO in early 2020 and currently runs
the day-to-day operations for the Center. Sorrentino’s prior experience includes: the director of racquet sports
ZEPHYRHILLS TODAY | N 4 ovember / December 2020