Tennis team enters season with questions, high hopes

By Andy Davis / News Republic

Karll Kruse knows this is a talented girls tennis team, capable of putting together one of the most successful seasons in recent memory for the program.

What he doesn't know is who will be the team's No. 1 singles player, traditionally the anchor of a successful team.

He also doesn't know who will be at No. 2 or No. 3 singles.

When the Baraboo High School girls tennis team takes the court Tuesday in a double dual against Onalaska and La Crosse Logan, the logjam at the top of the lineup will begin to sort itself out.

"We're kind of unproven," Kruse, the head coach of the BHS girls team, said. "We've got some good talent. Usually when you go into a season you know who's your one and two."

The Thunderbirds didn't lose a lot of players from last year's team. On varsity, Kathryn Saiz, Caitlin Holterman and Jenna Heard were everyday varsity players that graduated, and Andrea Mueller, a junior last year, won't play this year.

But Saiz and Holterman were the No. 1 and No. 2 singles players on the team, and the loss of them ripples throughout the team.

"We have a young singles lineup, with Lydia (Greve, a sophomore,) and possibly three juniors," Kruse said. "We're not really sure who's going to end up playing four yet. We don't have an established No. 1 yet, but we have some girls that will battle there."

The top singles spots figure to go to Jenny Kuschman, Greve and Jessica Labeots, but until the season starts and Kruse can see his players against opponents from other schools, he can only guess who will be No. 1 and who will be No. 2 and 3.

Kuschman, a junior, is the least experienced of the three, at least in singles play. She spent most of last season playing with a variety of doubles partners, and Kruse thinks she's ready to make the transition to singles. He also said she's improved a lot since last season.

Kuschman doesn't say it's all that important where she ends up in the team's lineup, but wherever she ends up she hopes to make an impact.

"I want to do better than last year and have a real good season," Kuschman said. "I want to do well at conference and sectionals too."

Greve, a sophomore, is the youngest of the three vying for the No. 1 spot. She was possibly the biggest and most pleasant surprise of last season, as she grabbed the No. 4 singles spot and never looked back.

She was one of the team's most consistent players throughout the season, as she used her excellent court coverage skills and approached matches with a high level of confidence.

Labeots seems to be the obvious choice to fill the No. 1 slot, since she was the No. 3 singles player on the team last year.

After battling through some inconsistency last season, she's hoping an extra year of experience, along with her excellent ground strokes, will help her put it all together for a big season.

"I want to improve throughout the season, have a winning record and try to make it to state," she said.

Who will be playing at the No. 4 singles spot is also a toss-up for the T-Birds.

Katy Philabaum, a junior, Megan Baer, a senior, Bianca Martin, a senior, and Kayla Christian, a junior, all figure to get their shot at it.

The No. 1 doubles team has high expectations this season, and deservedly so.

Holtz, who partnered with Heard on the No. 1 doubles team last year, will play with Mya Flentje, who played with Mueller last season.

Holtz and Flentje, who are seniors, are also the captains of this year's squad.

"I know I've got a couple of my better players playing no. 1 doubles. I know both of them could play singles," Kruse said. "We're sacrificing a couple of our best players to play doubles."

It's sacrificing, in a way, because while Holtz and Flentje can be the closest thing to a sure win the T-Birds will have this year if they perform to their potential, they could be good enough to each pick up points as singles players if they were separated.

As a doubles team, they represent Baraboo's best hope of getting to the state tournament.

"I want to make it to state," Holtz said when asked what her goals were this season.

"It's our senior year, and we know we can do it," Flentje added.

Kruse has Hilary Bildsten and Kristen McReath, both juniors, penciled in as his No. 2 doubles players.

If Martin isn't at No. 4 singles, she'll probably be on the No. 3 doubles team, with either Philabaum or Danielle Vogel, who is junior.

The heart of the team is its juniors. Kruse has liked the group from the time they joined the program, and with each passing year they get stronger.

"This junior group is a very talented group," he said. "I've always pointed to that group and thought when they were seniors they would do really well."

The success of the team this year hinges, in part, on how well that group does as juniors.

"We should be pretty good," Kruse said. "I think depth is our strength."

Waunakee is the favorite to win the conference title, but it has some question marks of its own heading into the season — most notably, a new head coach.

Sauk Prairie and Portage are also likely to battle near the top of the conference, and the schedule is full of formidable foes.

The Thunderbirds have a busy week ahead of them, which could go a long way toward showing where the team will end up. After their double dual on Tuesday, they play at the Stevens Point Area Senior High invite on Wednesday, then take on McFarland in their first home dual Thursday. Finally, on Saturday they travel to Monroe for a doubles tournament.

"A lot of the girls have been playing all summer and practicing," Philabaum said. "We're ready."