JC netters in building mode

The 2012 season saw the Patriots take a step in the right direction. They’ll have to try to do so again this year with a team nearly void of varsity experience.
Miranda Reinhart is the only member of the 2013 Jay County High School girls tennis team who has played at the varsity level as the squad looks to improve upon its 7-10 record from a year ago.
“It’s going to be a building year … and teaching the strategy,” said JCHS coach Susan Garringer, who lost six of her seven varsity players from last season to graduation. “I know we have to key in on fundamentals and fine-tune a lot of their games.”
Jay County played for the sectional championship last season, falling to Northeastern 4-1 on its home courts. Alyssa Rigby earned the lone point for the Patriots, winning her No. 1 singles match to advance to the regional tournament.
The Patriots lost Rigby, No. 2 singles player Jessica Ooten, the No. 1 doubles team of Kyla McKibben and Alicia Degler and the No. 2 doubles team of Mackenzie McIntire and Brittany Stevens to graduation.
Reinhart is the favorite to hold down the No. 1 singles spot after she finished 3-6 at the varsity level while sharing the No. 3 position with then-senior Melinda Penrod. She added four more victories at the junior varsity level.
The senior was the only Patriot player other than Rigby to have the lead at any point during the sectional championship match last season.
“She has a strong serve, consistent serve. She’s got good ground strokes. She mixes up the slice with her backhand and her forehand, which is pretty effective,” said Garringer, while noting that improving footwork will be key to Reinhart’s development. “She drives the ball well. Fundamentally she’s pretty strong. … And she plays a decent net game too. She’s not afraid to go to the net.
“She’s kind of a neat player to watch because she has spurts where she’s just very aggressive. Hopefully I can get her a little more consistent.”
The rest of the singles lineup is in flux as the season approaches, with four players competing to take the other two positions.
Two of those players are Morgan Kauffman and Jessica Kerrigan, who played doubles together at the junior varsity level a year ago. Also competing for the singles spots are Brooke Fraley, who posted a 9-4 record at the No. 2 and 3 junior varsity singles positions last year, and Avery Loyd, who was 6-5 in the No. 1 junior varsity singles slot.
“It’s going to be interesting because any of those four girls (could earn a spot),” said Garringer. “What I’d like to see is consistent, aggressive play. I want to see how they move on the court. I want to make sure they’re taking the opportunities at the net when it’s there for them. And I need a consistent serve.
“I think it’s going to come down to whoever is getting the serves in.”
While the singles lineup is in doubt, the doubles teams are locked in.
One of the positions will go to Sydney Bost and Shawna Miller, who are teaming up after playing just two matches together a year ago.
Emily Westgerdes and Faith Parr will claim the other varsity slot after posting a 4-6 record at the No. 3 junior varsity doubles position in 2012.
“Last year we could just see them improving,” said Garringer of Parr and Westgerdes. “They were just getting stronger and stronger. I feel confident putting them at varsity.”
Jay County posted its highest win total in more than two decades when it won 10 matches in 2010 before falling to Marion in the sectional championship. A year later the Patriots dipped to just four victories.
They started to climb back with seven wins last season, and Garringer hopes that progress can continue despite her mostly-inexperienced roster.
“If we can win 50 percent of our matches, I’d be happy. And I think we can do that,” said Garringer. “I just want to see these girls play with confidence. Last year we noticed if they lose a game, lose two games, they’re down on themselves. I’m stressing … that they have to just relax on the court and look at each match as a learning experience and a building experience to improve their game.”

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