Tennis team eager to improve

Published 9:32 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

SNOQUALMIE – Coach Sue Gallacher said the Mount Si girls’ tennis team ended its season last year with an evenly distributed win-loss record of 4-4, and they are hoping to improve this year, despite being in a competitive league.

“I’d love to be where we were at or improve,” Gallacher said, “but we’re in a very tough tennis league.”

The team has had to make some adjustments this season because of the Nisqually Earthquake. Part of the team practices in the school parking lot due to a couple of cracks on two of their seven courts.

The team also plays without the experience of four seniors who graduated last year, but has four this year who will fill the void and play varsity. They are Lauren Berndt, Sarah Coffey, Annie Olson and Emily Pizzuto.

Also playing varsity this year are Cristina Boals, Jaclyn Boals, Elise Ellison, Taryn Ellison, Lauren Stevenson and Erin Vassar.

Gallacher said the team is still playing challenge matches against each other to determine who should play on doubles teams and who will play in the singles matches. However, Berndt and Pizzuto primarily played in singles matches last year, and Cristina Boals is expected to be seeded as the teams’ number-one player this season.

The first match is at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 20, against Sammamish High School. The junior-varsity team plays at home.