Area Netters Ready To Get To The Courts
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
For some area high school girls' tennis teams, the lineups are completely set. For others, well let's just say they are still working on it.
With most of the area teams entering this season with young teams, the preseason is a time to compete for the open spots.
A look at the area tennis teams appears below.
Warsaw Tigers
Warsaw will have to replace several key players from last year's 19-3 squad, but first-year coach Jeanine Glunt thinks she has an ace up her sleeve.
Although only three of the seven players played varsity last year, four of the girls on this year's squad have played tennis all-year round in tennis clinics and at the racquet club.
"Several have improved their skills drastically in the last 6-9 months," Glunt said. "Skill-wise, I think we are stronger than last year. I think the motivation is there, they really want to win. They really would like to win conference, get through sectional and win the regional."
In the singles positions for the Tigers will be: No. 1 singles, Kim Bradley; No. 2 singles, Krista Coppes; and No. 3 singles, Aynsley Small.
For the doubles it will be: No. 1 doubles, Anne Jarrette and Kim Pazckowski; and No. 2 doubles, Lisa Estep and Brooke Westover.
Wawasee Warriors
The Wawasee team has some high goals this year despite losing its top three singles players as well as a member of its No. 1 doubles team from a squad that went 6-6 last year and 2-4 in the Northern Lakes Conference.
"We would like to finish better than .500 and improve on last year's record," Wawasee coach Phil Mishler said. "We would like to finish 3-3 in the conference and win a sectional. We are young, but we have some good, incoming players. We have a strong freshman class."
The lineup seems to be in order for the Warriors with the singles slots shaping up with senior Theresa Lundin at No. 1, freshman Mandy Perzanowski at No. 2 and sophomore Stephanie Shivers at No. 3.
For the doubles' teams, it will be seniors Kendra Damer and Adelphia Harris at No. 1 and junior Kara Mathew and freshman Laura Lundin at No. 2.
"The NLC is a top-notch conference and our sectional is very tough," Mishler said. "We want to achieve our goals, but we know the powers we are facing."
Tippecanoe Valley Vikings
Second-year coach Sally O'Cock has plenty of experience to work with as varsity as her varsity squad is concerned with four seniors and two juniors coming back from last year's 4-9 squad.
"We have some experience on the varsity," O'Cock said. "But we don't really have any upperclassmen on the JV. Hopefully we can work on things on the junior varsity team, and they will be able to step into varsity roles. Next year, we will be young."
The three singles positions will be made up of three players, but the order has yet to be 100 percent decided. The three are Kelly Montelongo (sp?), Malinda Parker and Suzanne Eaton.
The doubles positions might be just as unsettled as Bonnie Bickel will team up with one of three players at No. 1 doubles. At No. 2 doubles it will be Kiley Whitaker and Beth Crissinger.
"I think we will hold our own with some teams, and others will have more experience than we do," O'Cock said. "I think if they walk away from the year having had fun that is the big thing. We are not a Homestead or even a Warsaw. I want them to enjoy tennis. I want them to leave thinking 'I would like to play this summer.'"
Manchester Squires
The Squires have the makings of a outstanding season with several returners, including three Three Rivers Conference champions.
Manchester, who finished only 3-2 in the TRC regular season, won the TRC tournament championship. The Squires had Kari Hostetler winning a TRC title at No. 2 singles, Joselyn Roth was part of a title at No. 2 doubles and Kizzie DeFusco won a TRC title at No. 3 singles.
Hostetler, who missed half of last season with an illness, and Roth are in the midst of a heated competition for the No. 1 singles slot this year.
"Kari is real consistent," Manchester coach Don Snell said. "She is like a backboard. Joselyn is consistent, but she is very aggressive. They have different styles of play. It should come down to the wire."
DeFusco holds down the No. 3 singles slot. Amy Manges and Kristy King return at No. 1 doubles, while Rachel Almond and Sarah Gilbert move up from the JV team to No. 2 doubles.
"This team has the potential to be a real good team," Snell said. "There is no real star, but they have a good work ethic. It is a real coachable bunch. I have seen them improving all spring. I think we will have a good year. We are going to take our lumps here and there. I think we will be real solid in the conference. It should be between Southwood and us."
Manchester finished 8-7 last year.
Whitko Wildcats
Although loaded with seniors, Whitko could be young at the top.
"Two of our singles (players) are sophomores," Whitko coach Vicki Cripe said. "They have a lot of potential. I am looking forward to see how that comes out."
Holding down the singles positions will be Stephanie Moore (No. 1), Brianna Waybright (No. 2) and Trisha Peters (No. 3).
At the doubles will be Lori Meek and Bridgette Goble (No. 1 doubles) and Erin Shuler and Melissa Geaugh (No. 2 doubles).
"A lot of the girls have potential, but they are going to have to put in a lot of hard work and be serious about it," Cripe said. "If they do that, they have a good chance of having a good season. Our team is made up of seniors, but a couple of them played JV, and the sophomores played varsity part of the time."
Whitko finished 1-7 in Three Rivers Conference last year.
Triton Trojans
Like most area tennis teams, a few slots have yet to be decided.
For the Trojans it is the No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions. The incumbent, senior Holli Hepler, is fighting it out with Heather Workman for that top spot.
At No. 3 singles position, it will be Tara Warner. At the doubles positions it will be: Reanna Dugard and Joanna Blackmer (No. 1) and Kylie Carter and Kara Wampler (No. 2).
"We are still a fairly young team," Triton coach Laura LeMaster said. "We only have one senior. They are motivated and working harder this year than they did last year. That is because when they saw the competition last year, they knew they realized they were going to have to get their act together." [[In-content Ad]]
For some area high school girls' tennis teams, the lineups are completely set. For others, well let's just say they are still working on it.
With most of the area teams entering this season with young teams, the preseason is a time to compete for the open spots.
A look at the area tennis teams appears below.
Warsaw Tigers
Warsaw will have to replace several key players from last year's 19-3 squad, but first-year coach Jeanine Glunt thinks she has an ace up her sleeve.
Although only three of the seven players played varsity last year, four of the girls on this year's squad have played tennis all-year round in tennis clinics and at the racquet club.
"Several have improved their skills drastically in the last 6-9 months," Glunt said. "Skill-wise, I think we are stronger than last year. I think the motivation is there, they really want to win. They really would like to win conference, get through sectional and win the regional."
In the singles positions for the Tigers will be: No. 1 singles, Kim Bradley; No. 2 singles, Krista Coppes; and No. 3 singles, Aynsley Small.
For the doubles it will be: No. 1 doubles, Anne Jarrette and Kim Pazckowski; and No. 2 doubles, Lisa Estep and Brooke Westover.
Wawasee Warriors
The Wawasee team has some high goals this year despite losing its top three singles players as well as a member of its No. 1 doubles team from a squad that went 6-6 last year and 2-4 in the Northern Lakes Conference.
"We would like to finish better than .500 and improve on last year's record," Wawasee coach Phil Mishler said. "We would like to finish 3-3 in the conference and win a sectional. We are young, but we have some good, incoming players. We have a strong freshman class."
The lineup seems to be in order for the Warriors with the singles slots shaping up with senior Theresa Lundin at No. 1, freshman Mandy Perzanowski at No. 2 and sophomore Stephanie Shivers at No. 3.
For the doubles' teams, it will be seniors Kendra Damer and Adelphia Harris at No. 1 and junior Kara Mathew and freshman Laura Lundin at No. 2.
"The NLC is a top-notch conference and our sectional is very tough," Mishler said. "We want to achieve our goals, but we know the powers we are facing."
Tippecanoe Valley Vikings
Second-year coach Sally O'Cock has plenty of experience to work with as varsity as her varsity squad is concerned with four seniors and two juniors coming back from last year's 4-9 squad.
"We have some experience on the varsity," O'Cock said. "But we don't really have any upperclassmen on the JV. Hopefully we can work on things on the junior varsity team, and they will be able to step into varsity roles. Next year, we will be young."
The three singles positions will be made up of three players, but the order has yet to be 100 percent decided. The three are Kelly Montelongo (sp?), Malinda Parker and Suzanne Eaton.
The doubles positions might be just as unsettled as Bonnie Bickel will team up with one of three players at No. 1 doubles. At No. 2 doubles it will be Kiley Whitaker and Beth Crissinger.
"I think we will hold our own with some teams, and others will have more experience than we do," O'Cock said. "I think if they walk away from the year having had fun that is the big thing. We are not a Homestead or even a Warsaw. I want them to enjoy tennis. I want them to leave thinking 'I would like to play this summer.'"
Manchester Squires
The Squires have the makings of a outstanding season with several returners, including three Three Rivers Conference champions.
Manchester, who finished only 3-2 in the TRC regular season, won the TRC tournament championship. The Squires had Kari Hostetler winning a TRC title at No. 2 singles, Joselyn Roth was part of a title at No. 2 doubles and Kizzie DeFusco won a TRC title at No. 3 singles.
Hostetler, who missed half of last season with an illness, and Roth are in the midst of a heated competition for the No. 1 singles slot this year.
"Kari is real consistent," Manchester coach Don Snell said. "She is like a backboard. Joselyn is consistent, but she is very aggressive. They have different styles of play. It should come down to the wire."
DeFusco holds down the No. 3 singles slot. Amy Manges and Kristy King return at No. 1 doubles, while Rachel Almond and Sarah Gilbert move up from the JV team to No. 2 doubles.
"This team has the potential to be a real good team," Snell said. "There is no real star, but they have a good work ethic. It is a real coachable bunch. I have seen them improving all spring. I think we will have a good year. We are going to take our lumps here and there. I think we will be real solid in the conference. It should be between Southwood and us."
Manchester finished 8-7 last year.
Whitko Wildcats
Although loaded with seniors, Whitko could be young at the top.
"Two of our singles (players) are sophomores," Whitko coach Vicki Cripe said. "They have a lot of potential. I am looking forward to see how that comes out."
Holding down the singles positions will be Stephanie Moore (No. 1), Brianna Waybright (No. 2) and Trisha Peters (No. 3).
At the doubles will be Lori Meek and Bridgette Goble (No. 1 doubles) and Erin Shuler and Melissa Geaugh (No. 2 doubles).
"A lot of the girls have potential, but they are going to have to put in a lot of hard work and be serious about it," Cripe said. "If they do that, they have a good chance of having a good season. Our team is made up of seniors, but a couple of them played JV, and the sophomores played varsity part of the time."
Whitko finished 1-7 in Three Rivers Conference last year.
Triton Trojans
Like most area tennis teams, a few slots have yet to be decided.
For the Trojans it is the No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions. The incumbent, senior Holli Hepler, is fighting it out with Heather Workman for that top spot.
At No. 3 singles position, it will be Tara Warner. At the doubles positions it will be: Reanna Dugard and Joanna Blackmer (No. 1) and Kylie Carter and Kara Wampler (No. 2).
"We are still a fairly young team," Triton coach Laura LeMaster said. "We only have one senior. They are motivated and working harder this year than they did last year. That is because when they saw the competition last year, they knew they realized they were going to have to get their act together." [[In-content Ad]]