Carroll tennis in good position heading into City League meet
It’s nice to be on top, and that’s right where Bishop Carroll sits going into the City League boys tennis tournament on Saturday. Coach Darren Huslig doesn’t take being in first for granted.
“It’s really important because it gives you a little bit of wiggle room as far as the City League tournament goes,” Huslig said.
Carroll finished with an 8-0 record in league play, something that Huslig believes will provide the team some confidence heading into Saturday’s tournament.
“You go in with the thought that you’ve beaten everybody already,” Huslig said.
Some of those matches, however, were too close for comfort. Carroll squeaked out a 5-4 victory over Northwest at the beginning of the season, and its 6-3 win over Kapaun could have gone the other way.
If it had, Kapaun would be in first with the perfect record.
Huslig knows his team was just a few matches away from falling out of that top spot and credits his team’s focus for its ability to get to first and stay there.
“Everybody fought as hard as they could for every match,” Huslig said.
They will have to do the same thing on Saturday if they want to clinch the City League title, as the tournament accounts for half of the points that determine league standings.
West is in unfamiliar territory this year heading into the City League tournament. Its 4-4 record puts the Pioneers in fifth place going into Saturday, and sophomore Derek Drew is a big reason.
Drew is West’s top singles player, a position he also held last year as a freshman. Coach Tom Wilcox sees Drew as an integral part of the team’s success this year, as he’s brought his knowledge from playing tennis year-round and brought it back to the team.
“He’s helped integrate that into our practice,” Wilcox said. “I think it’s made a big difference.”
Drew’s personality is something that makes him all the more valuable.
“He just gets along with people,” Wilcox said.
Wilcox hopes Drew is part of a group of West players to go to state.
“If we play our game and don’t get nervous, we should have two people in singles and possibly a group in doubles go to state,” Wilcox said. “That’s what we’re hoping for.”