The goal for the Lake Orion High School boys varsity tennis team this season is to finish higher in their league then they did last year, when they brought up the bottom of OAA Division II.
‘I want us to challenge, but be realistic at the same time,? said head coach Jody Winkelman.
The Dragons return singles players Kuba Swierszcyk, a junior; Doug Collins, a senior; and Ches Denison, a junior. There will be a total of seven singles players on the 12-member varsity team.
Returning doubles players are senior Chris Lagona and junior Steve Perczuk; senior Eric Szuch, partnering with junior Tom Wolter, an exchange student from Germany; and senior Tim Eden and sophomore Mark Eden; for the top three doubles pairs on the varsity squad.
Also on varsity are senior Matt Murawka, junior Jason Thom and sophomore Michael Zach.
‘We are looking deeper than last year,? said Winkelman. ‘Our players are developing their game as younger players.?
Winkelman will look for her team to stay competitive in OAA II.
‘Our program continues to grow and develop,? she said. ‘We’ll have some good kids up from junior varsity next year.?
Varsity is spending extra time this season working on team development off the court.
‘That camaraderie is important,? said Winkelman. ‘Our upperclassmen will need to step up.?
Other areas of focus for Lake Orion this year are maintaining a focus on their mental game.
‘That can take your best physical game and break it down,? Winkelman said. ‘A lot of the time, players beat themselves.?
The combined roster with the varsity and junior varsity teams this year is 28 players.
‘The new kids coming in know more about the game and have better skills,? said Winkelman. ‘They’ve been doing some off-season work. The skills are getting better, earlier.?
Depth and mental game will be the Dragons? strengths on the court this season.
‘There’s always room for improvement,? Winkelman said. ‘Foot work is also important, and it’s always a challenge to see that, 80 percent of unforced errors are a result of footwork.
‘Everyone can find their sweet spot,? said Winkelman. ‘But it’s harder to maintain it.?
The team won their first scrimmage against Avondale on March 31, with Swierszczyk, Zach and Collins winning their matches.
Doubles players Lagona and Perczuk, Szuch and Wolter, Tim Eden and Mark Eden, and Murawka and Thom were also winners for Lake Orion.
On April 5, the team beat Troy Athens in regular season play, 7-1. Swierszczyk, Zach, Collins and Denison all won singles matches; while Lagona and Perczuk, Szuch and Wolter, and Murawka and Thom all won their doubles matches.