By Jim Newell
Review Editor
When the Lady Dragons take to the tennis courts it’s with a sense teamwork, that feeling of “We’re in this together.”
“The season has been going pretty well so far. The girls have really been working great together and we have a lot of senior leadership this year,” said head Coach Eric Bracciano.
The Dragons compete in the OAA White Division, which also includes Rochester, Farmington, Troy Athens, Berkley, Farmington Hills Harrison and Rochester Hills Stoney Creek.
The team played Royal Oak on Tuesday after Lake Orion Review press time, and Farmington at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
This year’s team captains are Kaila McCormack, Jessica Laconis and Alyssa Bowden.
Bracciano said the team works hard in practice and for each victory and is balanced across the singles and doubles players.
“I would say the strengths of our team this year are their work ethic, senior leadership, and just an overall balanced lineup from top to bottom. I don’t think any particular position is any stronger than the others with this particular team, whereas in the past, I have traditionally had better singles players to help pave our way to wins,” Bracciano said.
And while the team has a solid foundation, Bracciano said they are always examining ways to improve and fine-tune their game.
“We are looking to improve our skills on the court to help strengthen certain positions. We have been working on speeding up our serves and doing more damage on our return games as well,” Bracciano said.
The goal for any team is to make the post-season, and the tennis team has the elements to be competitive in the league.
“As far as goals for the season, we are hoping to finish towards the top of our league in the OAA White, and finish in the top two in our weekend tournaments. We have a great shot at both goals for the season,” Bracciano said. See page 17 for more photos.