Numbers will not be a problem for Whitehall’s tennis team.
More than a dozen kids turned out for this year’s team, giving longtime head coach Charlie Bascue his deepest roster in years.
“We only had eight kids last year,” Bascue said. “We have a bunch of underclassmen, including five or six freshmen.”
The team’s youth has shaped its early season practices.
At a recent practice, members of the team worked on repetitive drills, hitting more than a dozen forehand strokes before doing the same with their backhand.
“We’re working on getting the body in the correct position to hit the ball,” Bascue said.
He also stressed the importance of being active and hitting the ball in spots where their opponents aren’t. Although it may seem simplistic, Bascue said the team’s success will hinge on its ability to make its opponents move and work for their points.
The team will be led by seniors Ryan St. Clair and Rachel Aubin, both of whom are entering their fourth year on the team and will likely fill two of the five singles spots on the squad. Aubin is a fundamentally sound player with a good stroke and St. Clair has a powerful forehand and good serve.
Alex Wood and Zach Rice are both juniors who have experience on the varsity level and lend the team some athleticism. Bascue said Wood has a powerful stroke but needs to harness his control.
Matt Austin, Beonica Chaplin and Allison Truttling are all sophomores who cut their teeth on the varsity level a season ago and will be asked to contribute this year.
The rest of the team features a host of freshmen, many of whom are new to the game, but have shown some promise and could lay the foundation for future success.
“They might not win a lot of matches, but several of them are fairly good athletes,” Bascue said.
Like many high school sports programs this spring, the team’s schedule has been modified on several occasions. The team is scheduled to play its first match this evening and will squeeze the remainder of its schedule into a two-and-a-half week span bridging the end of April and the beginning of May.
The team will host its first home match on Tuesday, April 22.
Roster
Ryan St. Clair, Sr.
Rachel Aubin, Sr.
Noah Ramey, Fr.
Brent Williams. So.
Steven Gosselin, Fr.
Austin Williams, Fr.
John Hollister, Fr.
Matt Austin, So.
Donovan Chappell, Fr.
Brielle Gregorio, Fr.
Allison Truttling, So.
Conner Lavoie, So.
Alex Wood. Jr.
Zach Rice, Jr.