Rocori joins CLC for tennis

High school tennis teams are permitted 16 competition dates, even though more than one meet may be played on the same day.

The Minnesota State High School League will permit Brainerd and other members of the Central Lakes Conference to play one more meet than is permissible this fall since Rocori will sponsor a varsity team for the first time. The Warriors will host Rocori Sept. 20.

"Rocori has had a club team for the last couple years as far as I know," Warriors coach Bruce Thompson said. "This year they're on our schedule. The MSHSL allows us to schedule them over and above what we already have so we are exceeding our schedule by one game.

"When we have to add them to our double rotation what we might do is play so many in a double round-robin. With the exception of a few teams we would play others one time."

Girls' tennis

Head coach -- Bruce Thompson, eighth season

Career record -- 63-57-1 (.525)

2000 finish -- 1-11 in CLC, 1-13 overall.

Returning players -- Megan Whalen, Megan Steiger, Liz Schulte, Katie Watland, Lyndsey Travica, Heidi Johnson, Becca Clemens, Erica Nelson, Ashley Ryan.

Assistant coaches -- Marnie Whalen, Chuck Whalen.

Schedule

(Meets 4:30 p.m. unless noted.)

AUGUST

28-at Willmar

SEPTEMBER

4-LITTLE FALLS

6-at St. Cloud Apollo

7-at Camp Lake Hubert Inv., 9 a.m.

8-at Camp Lake Hubert Inv., TBA

10-ST. CLOUD TECH

11-SARTELL

13-ALEXANDRIA

18-WILLMAR

22-BRD INV., 9 a.m.

24-at Little Falls

25-ST. CLOUD APOLLO

27-at St. Cloud Tech

OCTOBER

1-at Sartell

2-at Alexandria

4-STAPLES/MOTLEY

The Megans, Steiger and Whalen, return. The senior All-Central Lakes Conference selections enter their second season as captains. They finished fourth in the subsection and lost their only match in the section tournament last year. Steiger was voted the team's most valuable player.

"They are our two best players and our two best competitors," Thompson said. "They're mature leaders. They do a nice job leading. That's a real plus for us.

"As the season goes on they get better. They work on their game as hard as they can. They leave everything on the court."

The two will likely rotate between the first and second singles positions and become a doubles team for the postseason.

"We use Megan and Megan almost interchangeably," Thompson said. "(Whalen) is a good competitor. She takes the game seriously. She's a great leader on and off the court.

"(Steiger) is another good three-sport athlete. She shows great leadership, has good tenacity on the court and scraps point in and point out."

Additional returning letterwinners are senior Liz Schulte, juniors Heidi Johnson, Lyndsey Travica and Katie Watland and sophomores Becca Clemens and Ashley Ryan.

Schulte and Johnson will likely play singles and Travica, Watland, Clemens and Ryan at doubles.

The Warriors' roster:

Seniors -- Jennifer Huseth, Amy Kittelson, Schulte, Steiger, Whalen.

Juniors -- Jessica DeYoung, Heidi Johnson, Travica, Watland.

Sophomores -- Clemens, Kassy Dallmann, Jackie DeYoung, Kali Gardner, Jeanette Jones, Maya Kuehn, Ann Mitchell, Erica Nelson, Quinn Nystrom, Erica Ruen, Ryan, Stephanie White.

Freshmen -- Carolyn Despot, Teresa Fogal, Lisa Jewison, Katie Johnson, Sarah Koecheler, Jessica Lofrano, Kirsten Newstrom, Megan Owens, Kelcie Parrish, Nicole Smith.

"We've got a lot of unknowns," Thompson said. "We've got to do a better job than last year, yet we're pretty inexperienced. I hope we can take a step up from last year."

The Warriors will play in North Subsection 8AA for the first time after years in the South. They will join Alexandria, Moorhead, Bemidji, Thief River Falls and Detroit Lakes in the North.