CENTURY
Head coach: Kyle Anderson. Assistant:Kris Allen.
Last year:8-1 Big Nine, 14-4 overall. It fell 5-2 to Mayo in the Section 1AA championship.
Key departures:Mary Ellen Donovan and Jori Kircher. They finished second in doubles in the state tournament.
Strengths:The Panthers are loaded at the top of their lineup. At No. 1 singles, Frechette is one of the top two players in the state. At No. 2 singles, seventh-grader Jessie Aney is one of the top players of her age group in the country.
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The rest of the lineup:Madison Kircher looks to have nailed down the No. 3 single spot. The rest is up for grabs.
Concern:Developing strong doubles teams might take time.
Player to watch:Anderson likes the improvement of Katie Smet, a senior. She’ll play either No. 4 singles or No. 1 doubles.
New coach:Kyle Anderson replaces last year's interim coach Scott Boyer. Anderson has coached the John Marshall boys team the last few years.
Coach says:"We’ve got good leadership and team cohesion. Our expectation is to be at the top of the conference and to compete for a chance to make state." — Kyle Anderson
CENTURY ROSTER
Returning lettermen
Seniors: Katie Smet. Junior:Kelsey Frechette. Sophomores:Anastasia Bruss, Sara Manulik. Freshmen:Madison Kircher, Katie Aney, Sherry Hawkins, Nicole Phillips.
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Other varsity candidates
Junior:Kristina Smith. Sophomores:Jennifer Kim, Ankitha Madde, Yukun Wang. Freshmen:Ali Miller. Eighth grade:Bri Demaray. Seventh grade:Jessie Aney.
CENTURY SCHEDULE
(all duals at 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted)
Aug. 20 — at Stillwater invitational, 9 a.m.
Aug. 25 — at Lakeville North invitational, TBD
Aug. 28 — at Northfield invitational, 9 a.m.
Aug. 31 — at Albert Lea
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Sept. 2 — Austin
Sept 7 — Winona
Sept. 9 — at Mayo
Sept. 11 — Wayzata, 10 a.m.
Sept. 14 — Mankato West
Sept. 16 — at Owatonna
Sept. 18 — at Edina invitational, 8:30 a.m.
Sept. 21 — Faribault
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Sept. 23 — at John Marshall
Sept. 27 — Red Wing
Sept. 28 — at Mankato East
Oct. 2 — at Big Nine Conference meet, Rochester Outdoor Tennis Center, 9 a.m.
Oct. 5 — at Section 1AA team tournament, TBD, 4 p.m.
Oct. 7 — at Section 1AA team tournament, TBD, 4 p.m.
Oct. 12 — at Section 1AA team tournament, TBD, 9 a.m.
Oct. 14 — at Section 1A individual tournament, TBD, 9 a.m.
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Oct. 19 — at Section 1A individual tournament, TBD, 9 a.m.
Oct. 26-27 — at state team tournament, U of M’s Baseball Tennis Center, TBD
Oct. 28-29 — at state individual tournament, U of M’s Baseball Tennis Center, TBD
LOURDES
Head coach: Steve Tacl. Assistant:None.
Last year:Unbeaten in the HVL, 15-4 overall. Fourth at the state Class A tournament after finishing first 11 of the previous 12 years.
Key departure:Courtney Rust, who finished second in singles at last year's state tournament.
New coach:Steve Tacl has replaced Kevin Rust as Lourdes head coach.
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Rust's legacy:Rust guided the Eagles to 10 straight state team championships, and 11 titles in the past 13 years. The 26-year-old Tacl is a graduate of St. Cloud Cathedral and St. John’s University in Collegeville. Tacl was an assistant to Rust in the Lourdes boys tennis program the last two years.
A different feel:For the first time in a long time, there is no obvious No. 1 player for the Eagles.
They’re back:Brittany Alexander and Margaret Pearson return. They fell in the state doubles quarterfinals last year.
More lineup:Pearson is at No. 1 singles, Sofia Terzic No. 2 and Megan Jans No. 3. Alexander is likely to stay in doubles.
Coach says:"Everyone feels equally important on this team. In the past we’ve always had superstars (at Lourdes). But the girls are excited. They know there are so many spots in the lineup that are up for grabs." — Steve Tacl
LOURDES ROSTER
Returning lettermen
Seniors:Brittany Alexander, Annie Wente, Chloe Piepho. Juniors:Margaret Pearson, Kristin Brandhagen. Sophomore:Rachel Morice. Freshmen: Sofia Terzic, Lucy Hanson. Eighth-grader:Magen Jans.
Other varsity candidates
Freshman: Jessica Alexander. Eighth-grader:Elizabeth Hart. Seventh-grader:Rachel Kamath.
LOURDES SCHEDULE
(all duals at 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted)
Aug. 20 — at Stillwater invitational, 9 a.m.
Aug. 23 — at Pine City invitational, 9 a.m.
Agu. 25 — at Waseca, 2 p.m.
Sept. 2 — at Stewartville
Sept. 9 — Cotter
Sept. 10 — at John Marshall
Sept. 11 — at Mayo invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 13 — at Mayo, 4:30 p.m.
Sept. 16 — Cannon Falls
Sept. 18 — at Saint James invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 20 — at Mayo
Sept. 21 — Stewartville
Sept. 27 — at Cannon Falls
Sept. 28 — at Cotter
Sept. 30 — Lake City
Oct. 7 — Section 1A team tournament
Oct. 12 — at Section 1A team tournament, Rochester Athletic Club, 11:30 a.m.
Oct. 15 — Section 1A individual tournament, 9 a.m.
Oct. 19 — at Section 1A individual tournament, Rochester Athletic Club, 8:30 a.m.
Oct. 26-27 — at state team tournament, U of M’s Baseball Tennis Center, TBD
Oct. 28-29 — at state individual tournament, U of M’s Baseball Tennis Center, TBD
JOHN MARSHALL
Head coach: Dwight Miller. Assistant:Justin Howard.
Last year:1-9 Big Nine, 1-17 overall.
Strengths:JM has experience with eight returning letterwinners. The Rockets have players who have performed in singles and doubles.
The lineup:No. 1 singles will be junior Katie Krull, No. 2 seventh-grader Stefanie Tetzloff and No. 3 junior Susie Han. Melissa Parry and Claire Kingsley are contending for No. 4 singles.
Hope :JM coach Dwight Miller wants his Rockets to beat the teams they’re capable of.
Concerns:No seniors return, which can be a detriment in terms of leadership. JM also lacks depth past its top 10.
Player to watch:Seventh-grader Stefanie Tetzloff is off to a promising start and may play as high as No. 2 singles.
Coach says:"Players worked hard over the summer on their own time — I see that as a strong commitment to the program and the girls wanting to improve the team record from last year. The girls have pride, a positive attitude and want to do better. That I like." — Dwight Miller
JOHN MARSHALL ROSTER
ROSTER
Returning lettermen
Juniors: Katie Krull, Susie Han, Rachel Yadloski, Laura VanVooren, Rachel Lehman. Sophomores:Christen Gorman, Melissa Parry, Claire Kingsley. Freshman:Ashley Jochum.
Other varsity candidates
Seventh-grader: Stefanie Tetzloff.
JOHN MARSHALL SCHEDULE
(all duals at 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted)
Aug. 24 — Lake City
Aug. 26 — at Red Wing, 11 a.m.
Aug. 30 — at Mankato West
Aug. 31 — Mayo
Sept. 7 — Owatonna
Sept. 9 — at Faribault
Sept. 10 — Lourdes
Sept. 14 — at Austin, 4 p.m.
Sept. 16 — Mankato East
Sept. 18 — JM invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 21 — at Albert Lea
Sept. 23 — Century
Sept. 28 — at Winona
Oct. 2 — at Big Nine Conference meet, Rochester Outdoor Tennis Center, 9 a.m.
Oct. 5 — at Section 1AA team tournament, TBD, 4 p.m.
Oct. 7 — at Section 1AA team tournament, TBD, 4 p.m.
Oct. 12 — at Section 1AA team tournament, TBD, 9 a.m.
Oct. 14 — at Section 1A individual tournament, TBD, 9 a.m.
Oct. 19 — at Section 1A individual tournament, TBD, 9 a.m.
Oct. 26-27 — at state team tournament, U of M’s Baseball Tennis Center, TBD
Oct. 28-29 — at state individual tournament, U of M’s Baseball Tennis Center, TBD
MAYO
Head coach: Dave Edwards. Assistant:Jeff Demaray.
Last year:9-0 Big Nine, 19-4 overall. Beat Century 5-2 in the Section 1AA finals.
Key departure:Emilie Renault, who was the state consolation singles champion in singles.
Strengths:Mayo has terrific balance, which may be enough as it looks to get to the state tournament for the 14th straight year. The Spartans return nine full-time letterwinners.
The lineup:Mayo doesn’t have an obvious No. 1 singles player, and the rest of the lineup is up for grabs.
Concern:Finding someone who can handle the rigors of the No. 1 singles spot.
Standouts:Jacqueline Cliby, a junior, and Paige Becher, a sophomore, combined to make it to the state tournament in doubles last year. They reached the quarterfinals.
Player to watch:A rising star is eighth-grader Kylie Boyer.
Coach says:"This will be one of the stonger teams we have ever put on the court." — Dave Edwards
MAYO ROSTER
Returning lettermen
Seniors: Jessica Edwards, Hannah Strobel. Juniors: Marika Pitot, Jacqueline Cliby. Sophomores:Paige Becher. Freshmen:Delany Edwards, Meryl Nath. Eighth-grader:Kylie Boyer, Kate Rosenow.
Other varsity candidates
Juniors: Christina Hagan, Marion Renault. Sophomore: Samantha Francis. Freshmen:Laura Cattaneo.
MAYO SCHEDULE
(all duals at 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted)
Aug. 20 — at University of Wisconsin invitational, 8 a.m.
Aug. 21 — at University of Wisconsin invitational, 8 a.m.
Aug. 26 — Edina, 10:30 a.m.
Aug. 27 — Mayo invitational, 9 a.m.
Aug. 31 — at John Marshall
Sept. 2 — Mankato East
Sept. 7 — at Albert Lea
Sept. 9 — Century
Sept. 11 — Mayo invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 14 — at Winona, 4 p.m.
Sept. 16 — Austin
Sept. 18 — at Edina invitational, 8:30 a.m.
Sept. 20 — Lourdes
Sept. 21 — Mankato West
Sept. 23 — at Owatonna
Sept. 28 — Faribault
Oct. 2 — at Big Nine Conference meet, Rochester Outdoor Tennis Center, 9 a.m.
Oct. 5 — at Section 1AA team tournament, TBD, 4 p.m.
Oct. 7 — at Section 1AA team tournament, TBD, 4 p.m.
Oct. 12 — at Section 1AA team tournament, TBD, 9 a.m.
Oct. 14 — at Section 1A individual tournament, TBD, 9 a.m.
Oct. 19 — at Section 1A individual tournament, TBD, 9 a.m.
Oct. 26-27 — at state team tournament, U of M’s Baseball Tennis Center, TBD
Oct. 28-29 — at state individual tournament, U of M’s Baseball Tennis Center, TBD
— Pat Ruff
