NTL GIRLS' TENNIS: YOUTHFUL TOWANDA LOOKS TO REBUILD (2022-08-23)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
It will be a new era for Towanda girls’ tennis, one in which the younger players from last year will have to step up into leadership roles with the two stalwarts of the last two years having graduated.

“The kids have not practiced as much this summer as they did last year, but we have a very young team,” said coach Lucy Snyder. “We have four juniors, I think, a couple sophomores, and everybody else is freshmen, so, it’s what you say is a ‘building year.’”

As for leadership, she’s not too worried as she expects the junior class to step up.

“Jocelyn Stroud has been here since she was in eighth grade,” Snyder remarked. “She’s a good leader, a good person, involved in other things, very good with the kids.”

As for Stroud’s part she’s ready to step into the role left behind by the two Hannah’s. 

“I wish the Hannahs were still here, but I like taking the leadership role when it comes to this type of stuff,” Stroud remarked. 

Now, taking over the number one spot left by outgoing Hannah Ryck, who was undefeated during the regular season a year ago, is a tall order for the former number three singles player.

“It’s nerve-wracking,” admitted Stroud, whose shooting to have a winning record on the year. “It’s definitely way different because the 1-2 are stronger…hopefully it will make me a better player.”

Teamwise they know it could be slow going as they get everybody up to speed, but Snyder sees a lot of depth in her roster.

“I’ve got a lot of threes and fours,” she said. “If we win at three and the two doubles, then we win, so that’s what I have to look at. We’re strong at the bottom, you don’t necessarily have to be strong at the top - last year it was just the opposite.”

Stroud has been doing her part in working with the younger players.

“I’ve been teaching the girls forehands, backhands, overheads, that kind of stuff,” she said. “I recently started a new grip for my serve, so I’m working on getting that better.”

Working on strokes has been the theme early this season, but Snyder believes everybody in the league is in the same boat.

“From what I’m understanding the whole NTL is not that strong this year,” she said. “You never know, but that’s the word I got from the Wellsboro coach. Cowanesque, she had a building year last year, we’ll see how strong she is. North Penn had a building year last year, so I think we’ll probably be about even, so we’ll have some good competition.”

The team that develops the fastest may be the one that gets on top.

“We just want to get the whole team confident enough to where we can go out there and win,” Stroud said.

SCHEDULE

Aug. 23 - Towanda at CV, 4 p.m.

Aug. 25 - Towanda at Montgomery Tournament

Aug. 27 - Towanda at Montgomery Tournament

Aug. 31 - Tunkhannock at Towanda, 4 p.m.

Sep. 1 - Towanda at Bucktail, 4 p.m.

Sep. 6 - Towanda at South Williamsport, 4 p.m.

Sep. 7 - Wellsboro at Towanda, 4 p.m.

Sep. 10 - NPL at Towanda, 10 a.m.

Sep. 12 - CV at Towanda, 4 p.m.

Sep. 17 - Bloomsburg at Towanda, 11 a.m.

Sep. 20 - Bucktail at Towanda, 4 p.m.

Sep. 22 - Towanda at Wellsboro, 4 p.m.

Sep. 24 - NPL at Towanda, 11 a.m.

Sep. 27 - Towanda at NPL, 4 p.m.

Oct. 1 - Montgomery at Towanda, 11 a.m.