Last year the Annandale girls tennis program posted the best season in its seven-year history with seven wins and an individual Wright County Conference title. This year it hopes to do even better. "Our experience will be one of our strengths," said head coach Scott Orvik. "We haven’t been able to say that in a while." The squad is virtually the same one as last year after losing only one senior, Carrie Johnson, to graduation. Even the captains are the same, although now Brianne Lisson, No. 2 singles, and Kelli Niebolte, No. 1 doubles, have the advantage of being seniors. Backing them up is a group of experienced juniors including Kelly Johnson, No. 1 singles; Ariana Arlt, No. 2 doubles; Mackenzie Brown, No. 2 doubles; Amber Gallaway, No. 4 singles; and Haley Tallman, No. 3 doubles. Also returning is freshman Kaytlin Kuefler, who claimed a conference title at No. 4 singles as an eighth-grader. This year she’ll be stepping up to play No. 3 singles, Orvik said. "Our other strength is going to be our versatility in our line-up. "We won’t have to lock in a certain lineup; we’ll have options." The Cardinals have already gotten off to a good start, going 2-1, Monday, Aug. 24, at a St. Michael-Albertville quad. The Cardinals attend the meet every year, and claiming two wins is the best they have ever done. The Annandale team defeated S-MA and St. Cloud Apollo. "I think we can put up more wins than we did last year, and I think we can be more competitive with the bigger schools," Orvik said. As a team, their goal is to finish better than last year in the WCC standings and advance beyond subsection play. A few years ago individuals Erica Doppenberg and Brooke Williams competed at sections, but the Cardinals haven’t sent anybody since, and they have never gone as a team. "I think this year we have a shot at that," Orvik said. "Our other strength is our attitude and work ethic. "The girls put in a lot of time this summer. You can feel there is definitely a team goal of improving this year." Based on the S-MA meet, the Cardinals are going to have to improve their comfort level at the net if they are going to improve, Orvik said. "Our ground strokes look good, but we need to get more comfortable going up to the net and finishing points off quicker." Moving up in the competitive conference and section won’t be easy for the young team. WCC is one of the toughest conferences in the state and Delano is the clear favorite to win it, Orvik said. Orono will be another contender even though the Spartans lost a lot of players from last year. Benson is the clear candidate for the section championship. The Braves won it last year for a state tournament berth and are returning with virtually the same roster. In subsection play, Annandale will have to get past Litchfield to go on. The Cardinals also competed Thursday, Aug. 27, at home against Rogers. See the Advocate sports page for the story. Annandale will play again at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, at Big Lake.
Roster Head coach: Scott Orvik Assistant coaches: Melissa DeZeeuw, Jessica Ellingson, Will Dammann Seniors – Brianne Lisson, Kelli Niebolte. Juniors – Kelly Johnson, Ariana Arlt, Mackenzie Brown, Amber Gallaway, Haley Tallman. Sophomores – Chelsey Watson, Stephanie Prinsen, Skylar Storkamp. Freshmen – Kaytlin Kuefler, Kelly Mendel. Eighth grade – Lexie Arlt
Tennis Schedule August – Monday, Aug. 24, at St. Michael-Albertville, 9 a.m. – Thursday, Aug. 27, Rogers at Annandale, 4:15 p.m. September – Tuesday, Sept. 1, at Big Lake, 4:15 p.m. – Thursday, Sept. 3, at Delano, 4:15 p.m. – Tuesday, Sept. 8, at Sartell-St. Stephen, 4:30 p.m. – Thursday, Sept. 10, Glencoe-Silver Lake at Annandale, 4:15 p.m. – Monday, Sept. 14, at Mound-Westonka, 4:15 p.m. – Thursday, Sept. 17, Orono at Annandale, 4:15 p.m. – Monday, Sept. 21, at Melrose, 4:30 p.m. – Tuesday, Sept. 22, Litchfield at Annandale, 4:15 p.m. – Monday, Sept. 28, Cambridge-Isanti at Annandale, 4:15 p.m. – Tuesday, Sept. 29, New London-Spicer at Annandale, 4:45 p.m. October – Friday, Oct. 2, Wright County Conference tournament at Mound-Westonka, 10 a.m.
