STAC GIRLS TENNIS: OWEGO SEES BIG BOOST IN NUMBERS (2024-08-21)

By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
OWEGO — The Owego girls tennis team has 10 players on its preseason roster. That’s impressive. In fact, that’s more players than the River Hawks started the season with the past two seasons combined (nine).

“It's great to be headed back in the right direction size-wise and having more energy with the program,” coach Erica Haray said. “We've had players who've really enjoyed it and recruited friends to play, and now they're really enjoying it. I think the lesson is really exposing as many kids to tennis as possible because once they start playing it they really do start to enjoy it.

“We also have a few athletes on the team who have played other sports who are out with us now, which is also a great addition.”

There is some experience on the Owego courts, although not a lot at the varsity level.

“We have three returners that are coming back and then we have several girls who played modified,” Haray said. “Two of them took a year off and then returned to tennis, and we have a couple of athletes who haven't played tennis before, but are picking it up super quick because they have agility, and they're strong and they're athletic. We kind of have a mixture, which is going to be a fun season to see how they all pan out in the lineup.”

Who will be filling the four singles slots and three doubles teams is yet to be determined.

“We have to do a round robin where all the players play each other and the top four based on the outcome of the round robin determines the top four singles players,” Haray said. “It's all based on their scores and who they beat and who beat who, and then the next six, I get to pair up, and then those doubles teams have to play each other to determine one, two and three in the doubles lineup.

“It's very structured in how we can determine the lineup. The top four have to be determined strictly by round robin and then the next six I could pair up however, and often, they do wind up playing with a friend because they have good chemistry on the court and they do well together, but I pair them up as best as I can, and then they all play each other for the doubles lineup.

“At the end of the season, at tournament time, you've got some girls that may have played singles during the year, but then you put them together as doubles. For sectionals, we do get to change things. We get to put in two singles players and two doubles teams however we think we want to. There are some singles players who are dedicated singles players who will never play doubles, and there are others who we know if we pair them up in doubles, they do outstanding, and they'd get further in the doubles tournament. It really depends on our number one player and where I think they play best at. Sometimes it's singles, sometimes it's doubles. It really depends on the season and the players.”

Owego opens the season Wednesday at Chenango Forks.

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IN PHOTO 1: Owego will be able to fill its four singles and three doubles slots this season. IN TOP PHOTO: Erica Haray talks with a couple of her players. … PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.

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