News File Photo Alpena senior Tilly Williams readies herself to serve during a one doubles matchup in this April 2022 News archive photo.

ALPENA — The courts are dry, the early season rust is shaken off, and the Alpena High girls tennis team has returned for another fun and productive season. The top of the lineup for the 2022 season includes seniors Arlene Dai at one singles, Maddi Speaks at two singles, and Emilee Spomer at three singles.

“The top end of the lineup is definitely where our leadership comes from.” Alpena coach Charlie Giordano said. “I’ve got six seniors this year: five were here last year, one’s an exchange student. And out of my six seniors, five of them are in the top 10% of the school. So tennis obviously is not a sport for dummies.”

The rest of the lineup includes Tilly Williams and Bekah Carlson at one doubles, sister duo Audrey and Karlin Decker at two doubles, and Maddy Tolan and Elise Roper at three doubles. Megan Brown, Olivia Burdinie, Aliccia Carroll, Grace Edgekoski, Kynzie Frank, Kaylie Hincka, Kara Short, and Gracie Tulgetska will platoon at four doubles so that everyone gets a chance to play.

The 2022 season, thus far, has been a challenge. Most prominently, the team has struggled with finding its legs outside after a month of indoor practices.

“We’ve gotten rained out a lot.” Giordano said. “Once you start playing outdoors, to go back inside…it’s different. Once you get used to the wind and the sun and you go back inside, you get that false sense of security.”

Giordano also acknowledged the stiff competition the team will face in the Big North Conference, including teams from Traverse City and Petoskey.

“It’s tough. A lot of these kids have been playing tennis for, you know, eight, ten, eleven years; they take lessons in the summer; they play tournaments. We can’t compete with that all the time,” Giordano said.

Regardless of the competition, Giordano remains optimistic about the team’s desire to improve. He said their ambition is preparing for the regional competition.

“They don’t quit when they’re out there.” Giordano said. “We kind of work through the season to get ready for Regionals. I’ve told the girls several times, I said, ‘You will be shocked at how much better we do at Regionals than we do at our Big North.'”

To Giordano, the name of the game is patience and perseverance. As the weather becomes more regular and the season kicks up, Giordano is confident in the players’ dedication and competitive spirit.

“I see the growth every year in these players. Even if we’re not on-paper competitive, you can still compete; you can still go out there and put out your best effort and make sure that you keep the other players on the court longer than they wanna be out there,” he said.

Fittingly, Giordano sent a clear message to his players: “Work hard, never quit, and be gracious in victory and defeat.”