Tiger girls tennis team in opening victory over Menomonie
Half of last season’s varsity New Richmond girls tennis lineup graduated, so there was some uncertainty as the Tigers got set to begin their 2011 season on Saturday.By: Dave Newman, New Richmond News
- Maggie Earley
Half of last season’s varsity New Richmond girls tennis lineup graduated, so there was some uncertainty as the Tigers got set to begin their 2011 season on Saturday.
That uncertainty didn’t last long. The Tigers played clean, efficient tennis at all seven varsity flights to score a 7-0 win over Menomonie on the Tigers’ home courts Saturday.
Second year Tiger head coach Denise Devereux was pleased with the performance, especially against another Division 1 team.
The Tiger players enter the season with three different experience levels within the varsity lineup. Half the girls were on the varsity last year. Several more were on the cusp of being varsity players last season. And several more were much further down the depth chart, but made considerable progress to advance up to the varsity lineup.
Even the returning varsity players are mostly in new roles. Amy Kukacka and Mattie Kidder moved up to become the number one doubles team. Kaycie Anderson shifts over from doubles to become the number one singles player, with returnees Hailey Davis and Maggie Earley filling the next two spots behind her.
Ali Graff and Shannon Peper get their first varsity chances by playing at two doubles. The same goes for Carley Brotzler and Allie Wrich, who become the three doubles team, and Heather Halverson, who steps in at four singles.
The Tigers were so thorough in their play on Saturday that they didn’t lose a set in any of the seven varsity matches.
The coaches have built a non-conference schedule meant to challenge the Tigers. They played in a six-team tournament on Monday and Tuesday in Eau Claire. They will be back in Eau Claire this Friday and Saturday, playing in a tournament hosted by Altoona. The Tigers are scheduled to begin their Middle Border Conference schedule next Tuesday, facing Durand in a match at the NRHS courts.
New Richmond 7, Menomonie 0
Singles
No. 1: Kaycie Anderson (NR) def. Rosie Buckley 6-4, 6-2
No. 2: Hailey Davis (NR) def. Breanna Bassett 6-1, 6-3
No. 3: Maggie Earley (NR) def. Rachel Ausman 6-1, 6-1
No. 4: Heather Halvorsen (NR) def. Akansha Asthana 6-0, 6-4
Doubles:
No. 1: Amy Kukacka and Mattie Kidder (NR) def. Hailey Willsey and Alli Hayden 6-1, 7-5
No. 2: Ali Graff and Shannon Peper (NR) def. Katie Zarbac and Alyssa Brauthen 6-1, 7-5
No. 3: Carley Brotzler and Allie Wrich (NR) def. Hailey Hintz and Megan Larson 6-2, 6-3
Tags: sports, tigers, tennis, prep
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