2019 Pine City Tennis Season Preview with head coach Kristin Unverzagt:
What are you most excited for this year?
I am most excited to work with the girls and see them improve throughout the season. It is so fun to be with them on the court. They have great energy and are an amazing group of young women! They set high goals and bring a hard working energy to practice and matches.
How is the roster shaping up? Do you have a lot of new players? Are you returning a lot of players? Younger? Older? Etc.
We have eight returning players with varsity experience. This will help the team and build on the strong finish that they had last season. We will be a younger team this year with only one senior, Emily Guzik.
Who are a couple athletes that will stand out?
Co-captain Lydia Adams had a solid showing at the state tournament last year and will continue to improve and create a challenge for her opponents. Co-captain Katie Miller will also be a strong leader as her varsity experience and versatility with singles and doubles will be an asset for our team.
Any upcoming milestones for your team?
We host our first home even at the Dragon Power Tournament on Monday, August 19th. Our conference play starts with a home match versus Mora on Monday, August 26th.
What are your goals?
Our goal is to continue to improve each time we are on the court. We want the players to push themselves and each other. The players have their sights on the conference and section titles. With a team goal to improve something each time we are on the court, they will be a competitive team and have a lot of fun this season.
Favorite upcoming games, matches, or meets?
The team will kick off their season by heading to Park Rapids on Friday, August 16. We will host the Dragon Power Tournament on Monday, August 19 and a quad invitational with Princeton, Eveleth-Gilbert, and White Bear Lake on Friday, August 23. We will also head to Pierz on August 22 to play section teams of Pequot Lakes and Pierz. The busy start to our season gives the girls a lot of opportunities to play and set goals for the season.
Anything else you want people to know about your team?
This team is young, but brings high goals and energy to the season. Their team chemistry, smiles, and work ethic will be the key to our success this season. The players are great role models and have high expectations both on the court and in the classroom!
Photo Credit Lancelot Furber
