2012 Fall Preview: Young Woodbury team will take aim on the tennis court

The 2012-13 season looks to be a learning year for several members of the Woodbury girls tennis team, as it looks to improve on a 5-17 record from a year ago.

The Royals will be captained by seniors Yssa Yasis and Patricia Maglalang. Woodbury head girls tennis coach Derek Otto said the team is young and lacking in experience, but “we have a lot of girls who want badly to improve and get better.”

Still, the players possess focus and are gaining in confidence and experience.

“Throughout the course of the season I expect to see much progress and improvement as the weeks go by and they adjust to the speed of things at the varsity level,” Otto said.

The team fields just three seniors on the roster.

“Several top players have limited experience competing against the level of competition we will see week in and week out,” Otto said.

He named juniors Taylor Monkman and Katie Kreibich, along with Yasis as key returning players. The team lost Hannah Robbins, Rachel Eisenrich, CoCo Vizoli, Rae Zellmer and Kristin Chu to graduation.

Looking to carry the torch will be newcomers Brooke Hayes, MacKenzie Schurhamer, Angie Drehmel and Greta Eisenrich.

Otto sized up the top Suburban East Conference contenders as Mounds View, Stillwater, Roseville and Forest Lake. In section action, he said he expected Stillwater, Mahtomedi, Roseville and Hill-Murray to pose the biggest threats.

Key games this season in conference action include matches against Cretin-Derham Hall and Forest Lake, Otto said.

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