New faces, same expectations
By Dan Larson, Sauk Prairie Eagle
To say that this year's Sauk Prairie High School girls' tennis team will look considerably different than last year's team is an understatement.
Not only have three of the team's four singles players — including WIAA Division 1 state individual tournament-participant Renee Weeks — and half of its doubles players graduated, but it also has a new coach.
Mary Weeks replaces Paul Bishop, who stepped down last season after seven years but will continue coaching the boys in the spring — a role he's held since 1993.
Even the courts are new. Construction finished on eight new courts on the North side of the high school Aug. 11, replacing the six old courts that were in the same location but were more than 30 years old and plagued by several irreparable cracks.
One thing that hasn't changed, though, are expectations.
"As I told the girls when we started, both coaches (before me) started a great tradition." said Weeks, who was an assistant coach the last two years and in 2001 under Paul Bishop and in 1999 and 2000 under Alice Bishop, who coached the team from 1992 to 2000.
"We're going to keep a lot of the things that Paul Bishop emphasized last year — mental toughness and getting the ball across (the net) every time ... and aggressive play at the net."
Sauk Prairie beat Waunakee 4-3 in a dual-meet last year en route to a 6-0 conference record and the dual-meet championship, but finished second to Waunakee at the year-end conference meet. The Eagles won both championships in 2006.
Weeks said she hopes her team, which begins its season Aug. 23 when it hosts the Sauk Prairie quadrangular, is in the same position at the end of this season.
"I'm aiming to be in the top couple in the Northern Badger again this year," she said, while recognizing that Waunakee has quite a few returning players and winning the conference is going to be a challenge.
Unlike Waunakee, if the Eagles hope to build on the success of the last two seasons they will need a number of first-year varsity players to compliment co-captain and projected No. 1 singles player Stephanie Johnson, who went 12-5 last year while playing at No. 2 singles as a junior.
Freshman Alison Halweg figures to compete at No. 2 singles, while junior Nicole Kindschi and sophomore Katie Shelton — both members of the junior varsity team last year — figure to play at Nos. 3 and 4 singles, respectively.
Senior and co-captain Kelsey Ganser, who compiled a 9-5 record last year while competing at No. 2 doubles, and fellow senior Cori Imobersteg, who went 8-6 last year at No. 1 doubles, are slated to compete at No. 1 doubles.
Senior Abby Kessenich, who was 10-3 last year at No. 3 doubles, will team with fellow senior Janel McCormick, who was on the junior varsity team last year, at No. 2 doubles.
Sophomore Lauren Anderson, a junior varsity team-member last year, and freshman Amy Lang figure to compete at No. 3 doubles.
Weeks recognized that it will be a challenge to have to replace six of ten spots on the roster, but said she likes the potential of her team.
"The four that are returning on varsity are solid leaders (and) we've had two real successful junior varsity years. And then we have two real solid freshman that are going to step right into our lineup that are skilled, very good athletes," she said.