Lakers Tennis Team Looking to Sweep Regionals Again

The four senior captains of the girls tennis team hope to make a perfect 4/4 record in their careers as they begin practice for a season in which the Lakers hope to sweep regionals for the fourth season in a row.

Varsity coach Bonnie Koch sees no reason why things will change this year and hopes that the team’s attitude — led by captains Laurel Ruza, Kyra Shink, Yahsha Moore and Morgan Taylor — stays in the right place.

“They are strong in the concept of team and are very supportive of each other,” Koch said of the team’s strongest attribute. “It’s really an individual sport, but they’re really good at building up the team concept; after all, it’s the team’s score that matters.”

The Lakers hope to capitalize on last season's effort, which ended in defeat at the state finals tournament in June at Midland Community Tennis Center with a 17th-place finish and saw Taylor fall in the No. 2 singles finals to Andrea Calhoun of Midland Dow High School.

Tryouts for the junior varsity and varsity teams were held March 14-18. This year, the varsity team will comprise 13 players: two freshmen, two sophomores, five juniors and four seniors. The team captains noted at tryouts that they saw potential in the freshmen and former junior varsity players joining their team.

“There are a few new girls here; we’re familiar with most of them,” Taylor said. “We want to help them become better doubles players because doubles players are really important.”

Koch noted that the team’s strongest competition is usually Clarkston High School and Rochester High School and said they will have to wait and see whether that's the case this the same this year. Moore and Taylor credited Clarkston as typically being their hardest opponent. At regionals hosted at Rochester last year, the West Bloomfield girls won with a score of 24 points over Rochester, which had 22 points, and Clarkston right behind with 21. 

“I think last year, our team was pretty clutch in most situations, and in regionals, they really came through for us," Moore said. "We hope this year things will be the same.”

She will be playing as the team's No. 1 singles player, while Taylor is the No. 2 singles, and Shink is No. 3 singles. Doubles teams and No. 4 singles have not been decided yet.

Shink said that this year, she is going to concentrate on moving her feet even more than she has in years past.

“Just as long as we keep it together and keep working hard, it should be a good season,” Moore said.

Moore and Taylor said they are looking forward to the end goal, which is making it to states.

“They’re nice young women, and the ones that returned from last year have a great work ethic, which makes coaching them very enjoyable,” Koch said. “Doing well at states and improving each match is the goal.”

The Lakers launch their season at 4 p.m. Wednesday with a home game versus Allen Park High School.