Trojans fall 7-2, will travel to face Creston Thursday
By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor/April 3, 2013
ATLANTIC – A year ago, the Atlantic girls tennis squad opened up against Carroll Kuemper with pretty much the same lineup as they put on the courts Tuesday evening at Washington Elementary.
Last year, Kuemper rolled to a 9-0 victory that Atlantic Tennis coach Shawn Petersen felt could have been even more lopsided.
So when the Trojans put up a more cogent fight against Kuemper on Tuesday, coach Petersen saw plenty of silver linings despite the 7-2 defeat.
“I was pleased with the effort of the girls and of the performance, particularly in singles,” he said. “We had a chance to win at No. 2 and No. 3 as both matches were very close late. Kuemper did a better job of closing those matches, which ultimately swung the duel in their favor.”
In singles play, Atlantic picked up victories at No. 4 and No. 5 where seniors Hope Bowker and Libby Gifford worked their way to individual wins.
Bowker handled Kuemper’s Karla Knobbe 8-4 to win at No. 4, and Gifford edged CK’s Corynn Steinkamp 9-8 on a 7-4 tiebreak to provide Atlantic’s two team points.
“Hope got off to a 5-0 lead and really played well from the baseline and with her serve in getting us our first point,” coach Petersen says. “Libby had to hold serve twice to stay in the match, before prevailing in the tiebreaker. It was terrific win for her.”
In doubles play, Kuemper flexed its muscle to pick up one-sided victories 8-4, 8-1 and 8-4.
“I thought we played hard in doubles but not particularly well,” coach Petersen says. “It definitely will be a point of emphasis the rest of the week in practice…doubles positioning and closing out points that should be put-aways. We played volleyball too many times at the net, rather than tennis.”
“Overall I was encouraged, although we obviously have lots to work on.”
The Trojan girls fall to 0-1, and will travel to Creston to play on Thursday.
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