Armstrong Girls Tennis Roster is Going to Look a Bit Different in 2016

by Jake DeLuca

The Armstrong Girls Tennis team will have a new look this season as they lost six seniors from last year from graduation.

High School tennis matches are a best of five sets and are decided by three singles matches and two doubles matches. Juniors Ashleigh Bowser, Lauren Virostek, and sophomore Eva Crawford round out the three singles competitors; while Sophomores Sylvia Hamilton and Brooklyn Graham make up one doubles team and Juniors Paige Johns and Trista Bowser round out the seven starters.

Reserves inlcude freshman Tonya Velcko, sophomores Reese Jordan and Megan McClafferty, along with the lone senior on the team Jaisa Wolfe.

The top two players for Armstrong last year are actually returning this year in Ashleigh Bowser and Lauren Virostek, which will provide a solid base for the team to build upon since this will be a lot of players first year.

The players are not the only thing for the Armstrong tennis team, as they are breaking in two brand new courts for singles and doubles matches. The new courts are very exciting for everyone on the team according to Head Coach Doug Flanders

“We got brand new courts so we have a really good attitude - we are excited, the girls are excited to come up here and play. We have a nice team, we had a good summer work out and we worked out all summer. I’m just excited to see how we do against these big schools with the new girls we have,” said Flanders.

The Armstrong girls have a tough task ahead of them heading into a larger conference than what they are use to, but Assistant Head Coach Sue Ochs believes Bowser and Virostek can make the new players lives easier.

“This is a tough section, it is a higher section for us and it will be our second year in the section. It’s tough, last year we ended up in the middle of the pack. This year we are a little bit less experienced. We lost five seniors last year, but we still have our number one and number two (players) back. Those two are going to hold their own very well,” Ochs explained.

Flanders weighed in with his expectations and gave a prediction as to how he hopes the season goes.

“I think (we will finish) middle of the pack. I think as the year goes on we will get better. We are very inexperienced (playoffs) are always a goal, but I think .500 would be realistic,” Flanders stated.

The girls will play at Norwin today. For a full team schedule Armstrong River Hawks website, www.RiverHawksAthletics.com.