Lady Bucks Poised for another Great Year
by Jim Morgan
FARWELL – The 2014 Bucktail Lady Bucks tennis team will have many challenges this season as they are now in the Heartland League.
Coaches Dan and Alision Heiser know that they need to have seven girls ready to play in each match. In the Heartland League, you play five matches; three singles and two doubles, in which you cannot repeat a single player for doubles in order to win the match. This is a big change from the Northern Tier League where you played five single matches and two doubles and were allowed to repeat a single player for doubles. The old Northern Tier League was more tennis friendly for the new players on the roster because if you were winning the match 4-0 after four matches, coaches could get the younger players in on a real match play. In the Heartland, there will be no time for matches like that.
Coaches Dan and Alision know their hands are tied with the Heartland but they do have plenty of matches still with the Northern Tier teams.
For the last three years this group of girls has made some “BIG” noise in the Northern Tier and in District IV Play-Offs. The leaders of the team will be three outstanding seniors, Maria Morgan, Abby Ransom and Alaina Tripp who will play respectively 1-3 seed in singles. They have set a mark in Lady Bucks Tennis that will be hard to match in years to come. When the coaches asked the tennis team what is our goal this season, they all said win the Heartland.
The two doubles team will have two juniors Bridget Gardner and Leela Singh and two sophomores Hailey Risley and Emalea Mills. The Lady Bucks have the biggest roster with six new girls: Junior Brandy Gregory and sophomores Amanda Tyrrell, Renee Werts, Alanna Tripp, Ebonee Spriggs and Cassie Shook. These younger players have to work extra hard at practice.
This group of seniors is 35-1 in the last two regular seasons. Morgan, Ransom and Tripp will all be pushed to the test of endurance during some of their Heartland League matches in which Morgan and Tripp have played a three set match already in just two matches. Ransom has been in a tough one already in a two set match. It will not be easy for the Lady Bucks this season. One of the double teams has to step up during these matches but which team is it or does some new player step up to the challenge this year.
For the Heisers it is going to be a sad year to see players like this come to an end. Just six years ago Coach Dan, you were teaching this group of girls in the classroom and talking to them about tennis. There is not much more you can ask this team to do. Just go out and play your best at each match and we will see where the Lady Bucks are in October.
Next scheduled match is this Thursday at South Williamsport at 3 p.m.
