LAPEL — The Lapel tennis team is coming off another successful season. The Bulldogs won their third-straight Madison County tournament and a fourth consecutive sectional title in 2016. They also cruised to a 20-win season that came to an end only in the regional final, in a crushing 5-0 loss to state power Delta.
The seven players who primarily comprised that roster are all back and, barring injury, are primed to make a run at Delta in this year’s regional and make a deep run in the tournament.
“Obviously, it’s going to take a lot to get there,” coach Justin Coomer said. “Over the years, we’ve worked our way from winning sectional to getting past first round of regional. You don’t want to overlook anyone, but expectations are high.”
A big reason why the expectations for 2017 are so high is the dynamic 1-2 punch at the top of the Bulldog lineup. Senior Joseph Conrad was 21-6 last year in his first season as No. 1 singles player, and sophomore Jesse McCurdy’s 25-2 record at the No. 2 slot made for an impressive freshman campaign.
Coomer said he will be looking for this duo to get the team matches off to good starts again this season.
“Maybe not so much the vocals, but how they work and prepare and go about each point,” Coomer said. “That’s a nice one-two punch to have at the top of the lineup. Hopefully, they can get us off to some quick starts, and we’re looking for big years from both of them.”
Senior Austin Lyons was 19-5 last year, primarily playing the No. 3 singles matches. But he was also 2-0 as a doubles player, and his athleticism allows Coomer some flexibility with his lineup.
“He’s athletic enough to do anything, really,” Coomer said. “We don’t have a lot of kids with his length and athleticism, so he’ll be a big asset for us.”
The Bulldogs have plenty of experience to fill the doubles teams as well. Senior Zach Krebs was 13-10 last season at No. 1 doubles, paired primarily with junior Reid Ratzlaff. Junior Ross Hagen and senior Noah Wolfgang, who have enjoyed a good summer, were 13-5 last season at the No. 2 doubles slot.
“Whoever is playing the five matches, I have confidence we can get to three points,” Coomer said. “But (Hagen and Wolfgang) did a nice job stepping in on varsity last year; hopefully they can keep it going.”
The Bulldogs also have depth. In the event of injury, Coomer has players waiting in the wings who are ready to step in.
“We have a couple juniors who have played a bunch, Ian Vipperman and Cole Metzger,” Coomer said. “We have a freshman, Dawson Allen, who is going to be a real nice player. He’ll be in the mix there, too.”
While winning regional is a definite goal for the Bulldogs this season, Coomer said it will be important for the team to stay focused and continue to improve throughout the season.
“Whether you’re playing Marion or Westfield or someone not quite that caliber, you’ve got to treat every match the same,” he said. “We still want to win the county, sectional and invitationals. We just want to improve throughout the year and get ready for the postseason.”
Lapel tennis opens the season at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16, with a home match against Anderson.
