The recipe for Clarkston tennis? early success this season is simple ? four cups of dominant play from the singles mixed with a dash of gutsy performance from the doubles.
‘I think we compare well to the rest of the teams in the state,? said sophomore Alyssa Lucas, the Wolves number two singles player.
Lucas? words are backed by Clarkston’s 4-0-2 (4-0-1) record so far this year and three second place finishes at tournaments around the state.
On Sept. 12 on their home courts against Stoney Creek, Clarkston’s singles held up their end of the bargain, as senior Stephanie Parkison, Lucas, junior Darylann Trout and freshman Nicole Janek all won in two sets.
?(Clarkston’s) singles are just too tough. They have a lot of experience in tough situations. I thought we’d have a chance in doubles,? said Stoney Creek Coach Laura Meroz.
With the singles players looking on, Clarkston’s doubles were up the task. The Wolves? number two doubles tandem, junior Alissa Crawford and sophomore Elizabeth Osterhage, triumphed 6-3, 7-5 and the number four doubles team of sophomore Jasmin Olinger and senior Katelyn Brown won a tough 7-5, 7-5 match to give Clarkston a 6-2 win on the day.
‘We are a team. It can’t just be the singles all the time,? said Stephanie Parkison, Clarkston’s number one singles player.
The Wolves came into the dual meet against Stoney Creek riding positive vibrations from their second place showing in the Grosse Pointe South tournament on Sept. 10. While they finished behind host Grosse Pointe South, the Wolves placed ahead of constant rival Farmington Hills Mercy, who finished fifth.
‘For us, (finishing ahead of Mercy) was a huge team accomplishment ? a moral victory,? said Clarkston Coach Kyleen Cunningham.
Clarkston finished second place to Mercy in both the Troy Tournament on Aug. 24 and the Holly Invitational on Aug. 27.
Parkison, Lucas, Trout and Janek all won their respective singles flights at Grosse Pointe South. Crawford and Osterhage also helped the Wolves overall, winning the number two doubles flight consolation bracket.
‘Overall, you want to make your doubles as strong as possible,? said Cunningham.
Clarkston needed their doubles to eke out a tie against West Bloomfield on Sept. 8.
Olinger and Brown battled back after losing their first set to win 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the number four doubles slot against the Lakers. Clarkston’s number three doubles duo of sophomores Kayla Sweeney and Kelli McKay also logged a come from behind victory as well, winning 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Olinger and Brown also picked up an important win earlier in the week against Lake Orion on Sept. 6; a match Clarkston won 5-3. Number one doubles pairing, sophomore Blair McCarty and junior Andrea Scarlett, dispatched their Dragon counterparts to further compliment wins by Lucas, Trout and Janek.
Clarkston’s number three single, Trout, and number four, Janek, are both 15-0 on the season.
Clarkston’s next dual match is Sept. 14 at home against Rochester. The team will head to the Ann Arbor Pioneer Invite on Sept. 17, to compete in a field with Pioneer and Ann Arbor Huron, both perennial state powers.