Sports
Clawson Tennis Team Aims for Second Division Title
Their coach says the seniors' experience will be a big advantage.
So far, so good.
The girls varsity tennis team is picking up where it left off last season with a strong 2-0 start. The girls finished 5-5-1 last year but dominated in the Macomb Silver Division. The Trojans finished 3-1-1 and won the divisional tournament.
The 2011 season started last week with two wins at home. The Trojans won 8-0 over Utica on March 28 and then beat South Lake 7-1 on March 30. Seniors Sarah Allen and Olivia Stenzel, along with junior Jenna Ziegler, are 2-0 in singles. In doubles, all four Clawson teams are undefeated.
Find out what's happening in Clawsonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The quick start is no surprise to third-year coach AnnMarie Jasieniecki. The squad includes a huge senior class of 10 girls, and Jasieniecki said the Trojans' experience is a huge advantage.
“Many of my current seniors came out their freshman year, never having played tennis or even picked up a tennis racquet,” Jasieniecki said. “The fact they enjoyed the sport and enjoyed the team aspect kept them with the game and has brought us to where we are today — defending Silver Division champs, with a good chance to repeat this year due to the strong senior presence back.”
Find out what's happening in Clawsonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
It doesn’t hurt that the Trojans graduated only two players from last year’s team or that the group is a dedicated bunch.
“The girls play hard, practice hard and really want to improve,” Jasieniecki said.
The girls don’t like to lose and that drives them, their coach said. After losses, Jasieniecki said the girls are harder on themselves than she is. With that competitive drive, it’s easy to see why they’ve improved so much.
Last year, South Lake tied the Trojans in division play, and this year, the match wasn’t even close. The next measuring stick for the girls will be their match against Marine City on April 20. Marine City was the only team to beat Clawson in divisional play last year, and the Trojans have the date circled on their schedule.
Before they face Marine City, Clawson has a full week of practice and one of its busiest weeks of the season. The Trojans don’t play again until Tuesday against Lamphere, but that’s the first of four games next week.
“This season should be another great season, and I am excited to see how it all plays out,” Jasieniecki said. “It has been great to see this group of seniors grow as players the past few years, and I’m excited to see where they are able to end up.”
