Sisterhood of winning matches

Thu, May 15, 2008

The Grand Haven girls tennis squad can be considered a sisterhood — literally and figuratively.

The fact that there are three sets of sisters on the squad is one obvious reason, but the larger factor is that the entire team actually acts like one big family.

They're loud, proud, often goofy, and among the six seniors on the squad, each has her own nickname, often handed down from one another and many times, too strange to even pronounce.

But when it comes to the tennis court, the team knows when to get down to business. And their success has spoken for itself this season.

"All of us grew up playing tennis together," senior Bree Smolen said Wednesday after the team's practice at Norton Pines Athletic Club in Spring Lake — on the eve of today's Division 1 regional at Holland High School.

"Yeah, a lot of us started right here at Norton Pines," added fellow senior Josie Birkett, the older sister of sophomore Megan and freshman Haley.

There's little doubt that what the squad has accomplished they've done it together. Those accomplishments include an undefeated mark (plus two ties) in all of their dual matches this season, which includes their trek through the O-K Red Conference. Their play in tournaments has been impressive as well, including a runner-up showing at a home quad on April 21, where every single opponent was state-ranked.

Most recently, they proved once again they're a team to be reckoned with, as they captured the conference tournament title, winning four flight championships in the process and gaining revenge against West Ottawa, the squad the Bucs tied against earlier in the season.

"It proved that we have a lot of talent and all (of the wins) wasn't a fluke," said senior Alyssa Sruba, who teams with fellow senior Kyle Power at No. 1 doubles. Power is apart of another set of sisters, as sophomore Robyn is the Bucs' No. 1 singles player.

The victory Saturday marked the second O-K Red championship in three years under coach Kevin Polston.

"It's hard to compare different teams, because each has its own identity," Polston said. "But with this team, the thing that sticks out is their great chemistry. They really play right to the end. It doesn't matter how many points they're behind, they never give up. They always believe they have a chance to win. And most importantly, they have a lot of fun together."

Polston knew he'd have a lot of returning talent for this season, it just took a little while longer to get that talent on the court. The order of the change in athletic seasons through the Michigan High School Athletic Association gave girls tennis and boys golf an extended off-season of nearly 17 months. Aside from the fact that the team members had to find a way to practice on their own, the switch from fall to spring also left some tough choices for several on the team concerning which sport to play. For senior and No. 2 singles player Audrey Schultz, the choice boiled down to soccer or tennis.

"It was very tough," she admitted. "But the bond in tennis is really close and I love that. It's like everyone's my sister. We have sleep-overs all the time."

"We really didn't lose too many people," added No. 3 singles player Jackie Kukulski, a four-year player whose freshman sister Gina stars at No. 4 singles. "We have a lot more depth than in past years. All the lineups are good from top to bottom."

The Bucs hope that fact carries them to a regional crown, an accomplishment that Smolen said "would blow my mind." Before that, she'll need to take care of business with sophomore teammate Audrey Austin at No. 3 doubles.

"Everyone has a No. 1 or No. 2 seed, but we still have a lot of work to do," Sruba said.

In other flights Thursday, Haley and Megan Birkett will battle at No. 4 doubles and Josie Birkett will team with sophomore Mallory Smith at No. 2 doubles.

The Bucs have the reassurance in that if one flight may struggle, they have a talented enough lineup to pick it up in other areas.

Because really, that's what sisters do.