BOYS TENNIS
BEAR CREEK GRIZZLIES
• Head coach: Dennis Sherrer, second season
• Last year: 0-7, last in the league; 0-8 overall
• 2010 turnout: 10
KEY RETURNER
• Soph. Jake Imam: Won the singles state title as a freshman; will play doubles this year with good friend Jamie Meyer, a basketball standout in the winter.
TOP NEWCOMERS
• Sr. Jamie Meyer: Will pair with Imam to form one of the top doubles teams in the league. Three-time league MVP on the basketball court for the Grizzlies.
• Soph. Michael Chang: Another young talent will be one of the Grizzlies’ top singles stars.
• Srs. Alex Finkelson and Hui Kim: Doubles team should make some noise this spring.
BIG MATCH
• Tuesday, April 20, 3:30 p.m. vs. The Overlake School: Which ever team wins this one will be in the driver’s seat for the league crown.
DID YOU KNOW?
Imam convinced Meyer, his best friend, to come out for the tennis team so they can pair up for a possible state run as a doubles team. Meyer has never played tennis before, but has been training with Imam since last summer.
GIRLS TENNIS
REDMOND MUSTANGS
• Head coach: Marceil Whitney, 16th season
• 2010 turnout: 20
KEY RETURNER
• Jr. Raluca Ifrim: Steady, consistent player “gave all her opponents a tough match” last year, according to Whitney. “She is ready to go at it again this year.”
TOP NEWCOMER
• Soph. Sarah Du: First-year Redmond High player is talented and one to watch as the team’s top singles player.
BIG MATCH
• Tuesday, May 4, 3:45 p.m. vs. Eastlake: It always a battle against Redmond’s school district rival.
DID YOU KNOW?
Coach Whitney has 40 years of experience teaching and coaching tennis. Currently, she is the USPTA Professional at Central Park Tennis Club. She also teaches summer camps through the Redmond and Kirkland Parks and Recreation Departments.
OVERLAKE OWLS
• Head coach: Jim Uyesugi, fourth season
• Last year: 8-0, Emerald City League champions; 9-0 overall
• 2010 turnout: 18
KEY RETURNERS
• Soph. Lana Robins: Top singles player in the league; placed third at state last spring as freshman
• Sr. Stephanie Roush: Fourth-year varsity player will be part of No. 1 doubles team with younger sister, Caroline.
• Soph. Caroline Roush: Talented underclassman will team with her older sister, Stephanie, to make a formidable doubles squad.
TOP NEWCOMERS
• Fresh. Julia Robins: Newcomer has great potential; will play No. 2 singles.
• Fresh. Emily Walter: Another freshman with unlimited talent; will play No. 2 or 3 doubles.
BIG MATCH
• Thursday, April 22, 3:30 p.m. at Seattle Academy: The Cardinals are always tough. The Owls beat the Cardinals, 4-1, in their season opener last week, but Uyesugi expects a much better battle the second time around.
DID YOU KNOW?
Lana Robins only lost two sets during last spring’s Class 1A state tournament as a freshman, when she placed third.
COACH’S QUOTE
“With our six strongest returning varsity players from 2009 and the addition of two new and talented freshmen players, we expect to have a team even stronger than our undefeated team of 2009.” — Coach Uyesugi
BEAR CREEK GRIZZLIES
• Head coach: Susie Imam, first season
• 2010 turnout: 16
KEY RETURNERS
• Jr. Jenny Price: Possesses strong skills and will play No. 1 singles.
• Jr. Amy Hammond: Has “beautiful technique,” according to Imam and will play a mix of No. 2 singles and doubles.
• Sr. Angela Martucci: Third-year player will be part of the No. 1 doubles team.
• Sr. Georgina Wadhwani-Napp: Experienced with a solid game; she will play a mix of singles and doubles.
BIG MATCH
• Thursday, April 29, 4 p.m. vs. The Overlake School: The Owls have one of the best players in the league in Lana Robins. This match will be a good measuring stick for the rebuilding Grizzlies.
DID YOU KNOW?
After a three-year absence, The Bear Creek School girls’ program returns to Emerald City League action under Imam, a first-year coach who stepped forward and encouraged the Bear Creek athletic director to consider re-building the girls program. “We are a K-12 school, so opportunity abounds,” said Imam, the mother of Jake Imam, the defending singles state champion for the boys’ program.
