Tennis teams hope to improve upon last season

Apr 2, 2013

Things change quickly in tennis. The top players can change from one practice to the next, and when a new season begins, it can be anybody's game.

Wareham High School girls tennis coach Geoff Swett says that last season, "we won more matches than in previous years."

But, Swett added: "I feel like this year is going to be better."

Swett has set his sights high for the team.

"Our goal is to make to the state tournament, which means we have to win at least half our matches," he said.

Swett says that the current roster of 20 girls is the largest team he's coached in his eight years at the helm.

The girls are ranked by skill: one through three for singles. Then, there are two doubles teams, which are ranked one and two.

Currently ranked number one on the girls team is senior Karli Griggs. Griggs says that she started out as a cheerleader her freshman year, but it just wasn't for her.

"I just like being competitive," she said.

"She's our best player," said Swett.

Griggs says that she's been contacted by a couple of colleges interested in recruiting her, but right now she's hoping to attend Clark Atlanta University in Georgia.

On the boys tennis team, senior Chris Savary is currently ranked number one, but coach Dave Robertson explains that that could change any time.

"It could change depending on how the season goes," said Robertson. "Some of the kids are really close."

Hot on Savary's tail are two freshmen, Evan Russell and Joe Nash, who joined the team as eighth graders.

"I wouldn't be as good as I am" Russell said, if he hadn't started playing against older, more seasoned players while still in middle school.

Last year, he won two out of the 18 matches he played, and is aiming to win five to six this year.

Nash agreed that joining early has its advantages.

"The older kids really helped me. They gave me pointers while coach was helping others," he said. "It helped me get used to the speed that they hit at."

Unfortunately, both the ladies and the boys lost, 5-0, against Old Rochester Regional High School on Tuesday.

The individual and overall girls' results are listed below.

First singles: Karli Griggs (W) vs. Abbey Offringa (Old Rochester Regional): 6-0, 6-0

Second singles: Stevy Baptiste (W) vs. Julia Nojeim (ORR): 6-0, 6-1

Third singles: Kristen Monty (W) vs. Casey Garstang (ORR): 6-2, 6-2

First doubles: Katie Modlowski/Nicole Modlowski (W) vs. Jillian Reihert/Haley Dickerson (ORR): 6-1, 6-1

Second doubles: Charlemya Erasme/Kendra Wright (W) vs. Kristin Nascimento/Morgan Middleton (ORR): 6-0, 6-1.

Match result: ORR, 5; Wareham, 0