GIRLS TENNIS: Despite losing 5 seniors, Fort stays strong

FORT DEFIANCE — Last season Fort Defiance ran away with the Southern Valley District, led by a core group of five seniors. Today, those seniors are gone, but the machine that is the Indians’ girls tennis program keeps chugging along.

“I think the season had been pretty good far as losing a good deal of our ladder,” said senior Lauren Remis. “I think we’ve worked it out pretty well.”

Three new seniors rose to the occasion and a new ladder has been established as Fort looks to retain its Southern Valley crown.

“Our goal was to be in the thick of things again,” said coach John Edgecomb. “I feel that this is a very good district if you look at all the teams, they all have outstanding players and you can’t take any team lightly and I don’t think there is any team that is weak.”

The Indians’ No. 1 singles player on the ladder, Amanda MacKenzie, had to jump from her No. 4 position last season and Kayla Pleskonko went from No. 5 to No. 2.

“We are continuing to improve,” Edgecomb said. “We lost five seniors from last year’s team, that hurt us. We have girls that are rising to the occasion.”

Remis, who moved from off-ladder into the Indians’ No. 4 roll, said that the team has adjusted well to this season’s ladder.

“I think I was ready for it,” she said. “I think everyone shifted really well.”

Like the rest of the Southern Valley District, the Indians have had to fight the weather since their season began in March. Numerous postponements, cancellations and short practices have made it even harder for the new team to find a groove on the court, but Edgecomb thinks that the team has responded nicely.

“When you have new players the thing you want to do is get them out and work with them,” he said. “If it’s raining or snowing or the wind is blowing it’s hard to accomplish all of that, but every team has that.”

Edgecomb said that one of the reasons for the Indians’ sustained success is the amount of underclassmen and middle school students that come out to practice.

“I have a number of underclassman that come out and work as managers and gain experience hitting the ball during practice and I think that is key to generating that interest,” he said.

The seniors help work out the underclassman as well.

“One of our main goals is getting them focused and having them work on their different swings, because a lot of them are new,” Remis said.

“Any time you lose a senior, especially when you lose five, you aren’t worrying about the experience but the leadership,” Edgecomb said. “Every coach is looks to their seniors to mentor the younger players.”

Fort Defiance will host Harrisonburg on Tuesday.