With one of the best players in the state – Christina Riley – and a solid senior class moving on, the Orioles will have big shoes to fill this season.

“Her playing ability cannot be replaced,” head coach Stan Malless said. “All five seniors equally shared the leadership roles that helped the other players – that will be the hardest thing to replace. My returning letter winners are all used to leadership roles though.”

Key returners for the Orioles will be juniors Caroline Bennett and Bethany Harris and sophomore Danielle Edwards, who all started varsity last season.

Harris finished seventh at No. 3 singles at the Hoosier Crossroads Conference (HCC) tournament last season. Bennett and Edwards teamed at No. 2 doubles and placed eighth at conference. The duo also earned a victory in sectional play.

Others in the mix are junior Bree Sawyer and senior RaeAnna Barnes, who have both spent time as varsity substitutes. Senior Emily Grupp, sophomore Megan Locke, and freshmen Heather Riley and Mikala Hillis are also competing for varsity spots.

“The competition is very intense, which hopefully will carry over into the team matches,” Malless said. The Orioles went 8-6 last season and fell 3-2 to Plainfield in the opening round of sectional.



Plainfield

A new coach will lead the Plainfield girls’ tennis team this season, but he is no stranger to the program.

Keith Bradley was heavily involved in Quaker tennis last year, serving as an assistant coach for the boys’ team and helping out at practices for the girls’ squad.

He said that the experience he gained will be a great asset in the season ahead.

“I think being able to work with the boys last year will give me a big plus in the decision making and setting the line-up,” Bradley said. “It’s about setting up a line-up where you’re balanced, and you don’t necessarily line the players up one through seven and let them just have at it.”

Bradley will have some familiar faces back.

Junior Hannah Knust returns at No. 1 singles after winning a sectional title at that spot a year ago. Another sectional champion — No. 3 singles player Becca Brock — is also back for her senior season.

Fellow senior Olivia East is expected to be in the mix. East played tennis as a sophomore, but sat out her junior year.

In doubles, the Quakers return both No. 1 singles players in junior Lindsey Fouty and sophomore Courtney Siepman.

Other juniors competing for varsity spots are Anum Ahmed, Megan Dunlap, Jessica Espino, Sarah Janssen, and Megan Marko.

Last year, Plainfield took back-to-back sectional and Mid-State titles, and advanced to the regional championship match. The Quakers finished the year ranked No. 24 in the state postseason poll.

While Bradley said winning third straight sectional and conference titles remains an objective, he simply wants his Quakers to get better every time they step on the court.



Brownsburg

Brownsburg enters the 2010 season mostly intact, losing just two varsity players from last year’s team.

With so much experience returning in addition to several newcomers, Bulldogs coach Karen Starkey said the team’s depth will be a strength.

“We’re pretty versatile too,” Starkey said. “I’ve got girls I feel would be comfortable doing either singles or doubles.”

The Bulldogs will be led by senior Erin Mehringer at No. 1 singles. Mehringer went 10-11 at that position and was an all-Hoosier Crossroads Conference selection a year ago.

Half of Brownsburg’s No. 1 doubles team from last year is back in senior Hannah Kenninger. The Bulldogs return their entire all-conference No. 2 doubles team, as juniors Sarah Zabel (13-3) and Kyndra Trammel (17-4) are both back. Zabel and Trammel recorded Brownsburg’s lone victory in last season’s sectional final.

Other players expected to contribute are senior Michelle Kolanowski and sophomores Katie Bullock and Natalie Weisman.

Starkey said the line-up has yet to be finalized.

“We’ve always relied a lot on doubles teams for the success of the overall team,” Starkey said. “That’s one of those things where we’re working with those players to see who’s going to fit best and have the best chemistry.”

Brownsburg finished last season 12-6, placing runner-up at sectional and third in the HCC. Starkey knows the HCC will be tough again, after three teams finished 2009 ranked in the state’s top 30.

“Last year we finished third and conference and we’d like to at least repeat that,” Starkey said. “We’d really like to notch it up one and it would be great obviously to take the whole thing.”



Danville

New head coach Todd Davis knows he has his work cut out for him when it comes to rebuilding the Danville tennis team, but he’s up for the challenge.

“We pretty much have to start from scratch and go over the basic fundamentals of everything,” said Davis, who previously coached tennis at Lawrence North. “Right now it’s just getting to know the kids and their abilities. They are smart kids, but haven’t had a lot of instruction.”

Three players return from last season’s team, all of them juniors – Hayley Smith, Anne Furlong, and Kacie Cornelius.

“They definitely have to be the ones to push the other kids,” Davis said. “We’ll look to them for leadership and they’ve done that so far.”

To Davis ’ advantage, he inherits a young team with only one senior on the roster. He also had a good number of athletes come out this season.

“It’s a positive, we have a lot of younger kids interested in playing,” Davis said. “We’ll have a full JV team and a lot of kids out which is encouraging.”

Senior Sarah Meirer, Julia Marsh, Lydia Marsh, and Staci Thompson will also be among those in the mix for varsity spots.