BROWNSTOWN
Brownstown Central girls tennis coach Erik Stangland said he thinks his team needs to play with more urgency at the start of matches.
The Braves struggled to find their footing, as they fell to Paoli 5-0 on Monday.
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“We need to see the girls play with more heart,” Stangland said. “Right now, they’re just going through the motions. We need to see more fight. They need to go after tennis balls rather than letting the ball come to them. If we can get that turned around, going for points, that would be a good start (looking at) next year.”
At No. 1 singles, Brownstown’s Laken Reynolds took an early 2-1 lead in the first set.
However, those would be the only games for Reynolds, as she fell 6-2, 6-0.
In the No. 2 singles spot, Claudia Sibrel fell 6-0, 6-0 to the Rams’ Jessica Fullington.
The Braves’ Miranda McClusky won a single game in a 6-1, 6-0 to Emma Osborn.
Shelby Meredith and Alyssa Osborn topped Bridget Hall and Maddy Jones 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 doubles.
The closest the Braves got to winning a set was at No. 2 doubles on the afternoon.
In that spot, Sydney Cockerham and Brooklyn Wingler fell to Chloe Elliot and Lexi Osborn 6-1, 6-2.
Stangland said his players need go after their shots and come in mentally prepared.
“We need to play more aggressive and get into the match right away,” Stangland said. “I’m not sure if we ever got into the match at any of our positions. We have to fire up. The ground strokes were our biggest weakness tonight. Hopefully (today) we can be more prepared and hit the ball a little harder.”
The Braves (3-7) will host Jennings County today and play at Seymour in a makeup match at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Stangland said that the lack of practices, due to weather, has hindered the progression of some of his varsity lineup and the team should have been more prepared prior to the start of the season.
“Right now, it’s hurting us,” Stangland said of the weather. “Our challenge matches needed to be at the beginning of the season. The girls weren’t prepared for that. They have to come in first day ready to play challenge matches.”