Sydney Moyle was the surprise state champion in Flight 1 one year ago. This season, she knows the target is on her back as she leads a talented Raiders squad. (Photo Seth A. McConnell/IDS)
One year ago, they were just one doubles win away from a state title. This year, the Rapid City Stevens Raiders tennis team has everyone back and they think this could be the season to knock off the perennial powerhouse Sioux Falls O’Gorman.
In 2010, at the state tennis tournament, Lexie Hammerquist and Lindsey Tibbles captured the Flight 3 doubles championship, but the Raiders’ Flight 1 and 2 teams fell short in the championship rounds – both to O’Gorman – as Stevens lost the team race by eight measly points.
With that pain of last year’s defeat still firmly in their heads the Raiders have started the 2011 campaign with a record of 4-0, the first small steps in their quest of breaking the string of four consecutive titles for O’Gorman.
The improvement since last year, which was spectacular on many accounts, is already showing this young season. The Raiders return Flight 1 state champion Sydney Moyle, Tibbles, Hammerquist and her younger sister, Kristina, all back after winning singles titles at state last year, and No. 2 Taylor Messinger coming off a loss in the Flight 3 singles championship match. This team is definitely stacked.
“There’s definitely pressure coming back after winning state. But I think that in itself is pushing me in practice this year,” she said.
Olson however is quick to remind anyone that will listen that the Raiders’ state championship hopes rest not on the higher varsity spots but on the Flight 6 singles and Flight 3 doubles team.
“I told the girls that the six spot is going to be so key for us. If we’re going to have a chance to compete with O’Gorman, that six spot is going to have to be really solid,” he said. “I know that we’re pretty solid in those top five spots, but we got a lot of work to go from No. 6 on. There are probably four or five girls out for that last spot, and I won’t have any idea until probably after the first week of the season.”
Luckily for the Raiders there is no shortage of quality competition they can face during any given practice. That was illustrated during the summer Common Cents Open, in which Tibbles, expected to be the No. 3 seed, defeated Moyle, only to fall to Messinger, expected to be the No. 2 player, later on in the tournament.
The pressure-cooker environment may just elevate a relative unknown into that coveted sixth spot. Olson has one name to keep an eye on.
“Sarah Kelly was a JV kid that was about No. 18 last year,” he said. “She might not make varsity but she’s moved up to at least 8 or 9.”
Breaking through against the Knights this year was made that much harder when two of Iowa’s better players transferred to O’Gorman when their father moved his dentist practice.
“I rank (O’Gorman) No. 1 with the two girls coming in, plus a couple of the returning girls put in a lot of work. Sioux Falls Roosevelt is going to be solid, Aberdeen Central is going to be solid, and St. Thomas More. In our rankings that I’ll turn in for our preseason rankings I have St. Thomas More ranked third, Roosevelt four, and Aberdeen Central five,” Olson said.
But it starts and ends with O’Gorman. Every team in the state will be gunning to knock them off their perch.
“They have a lot of depth and they have a lot of kids,” Olson said. “That’s their sport, tennis is what they do and they’re kind of known for that.”
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