Coaches aim to make waves in conference, postseason
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
There isn’t any lack of experience this year on the Big Foot-Williams Bay girls tennis roster.
And with that, comes plenty of expectations as well.
Big Foot returns six varsity players from a year ago who should anchor things for the Chiefs this fall.
“(The) outlook is positive,” assistant coach Dani Lawler said. “We have six returning varsity members, several girls who have been playing tennis for three or four years and a very talented incoming freshman.”
Lawler and Dan Dowden are coaching the Chiefs this year after Chris Chen stepped down after last season.
Lawler said she sees the keys to success this fall as being fairly simple.
“I would say (having) a positive attitude, working together as a team and having fun along the way (are keys),” she said.
Expected to fill varsity positions in the singles lineup are junior Meredith Heckert at No. 1, freshman Claire Heckert at No. 2, junior Hanna Schmidt at No. 3 and the combination of senior Holly Truckenbrod and juniors Sonja Ericson and Sara Canche at No. 4.
The doubles lineup includes senior Maddie Palmer and junior Izzy Klesmith at No. 1, senior Lexi Zabrouski and junior Sam Hartwig at No. 2 and seniors Heather Nordmeyer and Alyssa Nor at No. 3.
Palmer and Klesmith will serve as team captains, while Lawler said leadership also could come from Meredith Heckert, Zabrouski, Hartwig and Ericson.
“I have high expectations for all of them,” Lawler said. “Meredith and Izzy are both (previous) state qualifiers, and I have no reason to believe they can’t do it again.”
Looking at the Rock Valley Conference, Lawler sees McFarland, Whitewater and East Troy as among the teams to watch as the race unfolds.
Where the Chiefs fit in remains to be seen, but they certainly have a chance to be in the thick of things, she said.
“I believe this team is capable of great things,” she said. “I’m hoping for some first-place conference finishes and a (good) showing in the postseason, and hopefully the state tournament.”
Chiefs win opener
Big Foot traveled to Southern Lakes Conference foe Waterford on Monday and returned with a 6-1 nonconference victory.
Picking up wins were Claire Heckert at No. 1 singles, 6-0, 6-0; Schmidt at No. 2, 3-6, 7-5 (10-5); Ericson at No. 3, 6-0, 6-2; Palmer-Klesmith at No. 1 doubles, 6-0, -1; Hartwig and sophomore Claire Beyers at No. 2, 6-4, 6-2; and Nordmeyer-Nor at No. 3, 6-4, 6-3.
Big Foot’s lone loss came at No. 4 singles, as Truckenbrod fell 4-6, 0-6.
The Chiefs are back in action Friday and Saturday when they travel to the 15-team Milton Invitational at 8 a.m. both days. Big Foot travels to Wilmot Tuesday, Aug. 23, to face the Panthers in a 3:30 p.m. nonconference dual meet.
