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Wildcats improving despite loss to Titans

News Photo by James Andersen Alpena one singles player Kayla Bullock serves the ball during a match against Traverse City West on Tuesday at Alpena High School.

Alpena tennis coach Charlie Giordano had a good feeling about Yuka Yamato on Tuesday.

Before her three singles match on Tuesday, Giordano joked with Yamato that she was going to win for the second straight day, something Giordano admitted doesn’t happen very often.

“I was joking with her that she was going to win,” Giordano said. “I said, ‘Are you going to go back-to-back? and she said ‘I don’t know.'”

Yamato defeated her Traverse City West opponent 6-3, 6-4 during a Big North Conference tilt on Tuesday at Alpena High School, making her Alpena’s only winner in a 7-1 loss to the Titans.

It also made Yamato a winner for the second day in a row after she defeated her Cadillac opponent 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Monday and was one of two players to win a flight for the Wildcats.

Yamato may have been Alpena’s only winner, but a day after showing some fight against Cadillac, the Wildcats continued to show their improvement against West.

“We had much more solid play. We were more consistent and more confident and we dealt with the wind better,” Giordano said. “They aren’t happy when they lose, but I want them to understand I’m proud of them each and every time out.”

At one singles, Kayla Bullock bounced back from a 1-6 loss in the first set with a 6-4 win in the second set. Bullock ultimately lost the tie breaking set 0-6, but Giordano was pleased with the way Bullock battled.

“She played a girl who’s a solid player. She moves well, she’s strong and Kayla didn’t back down. I’m super proud of the way she played,” Giordano said. “She was pretty excited and I told her the third set was a bonus because she battled.”

Kaitlyn Schultz lost at two singles for Alpena 1-6, 0-6 and Brynna Smith lost at four singles 2-6, 4-6.

Alpena’s one doubles team of Emily Kozlowski and Katherine Sharp lost 3-6, 1-6 and Alpena’s two doubles team of Breann Kieliszewski and Taylor Belanger lost 4-6, 4-6. Alpena’s three singles team of Marissa Centala and Angela Salacata lost 4-6, 3-6 and Alpena’s four doubles team of Emeline Hanna and Claire Butch lost 4-6, 4-6.

Giordano remembers times when the Wildcats fell in all eight flights to West in an hour and a half, so he’s understandably encouraged by the progress Alpena’s continuing to make against one of the conference’s toughest teams.

“They are realizing that we are doing better against these teams,” Giordano said. “They’re attempting to play a certain way and the girls have enough variety in their games to force the opponent to change the way they play and adjust.”

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