Brainerd Girls Tennis Off to a Perfect Start

The girls Brainerd tennis team is serving up success in 2018. The Warriors are 12-0, but the wins and losses are not really on the team’s mind.

“We don’t focus on that,“ Lisa Salo, Brainerd’s Head Coach, said. “It’s what did we learn from our last match, what do we have to work on for our next match, preparing adequately for that next opponent, and going out there and doing what we do.”

Brainerd has been extremely successful over the past few seasons, but they have been overshadowed by one team.

“Tech is a perennial power, we know that,” Salo said. “We respect their program tremendously; their coaching staff is very good. We really look to compete against them.”

The Warriors are looking forward to their match against St. Cloud Tech, and this could be the year Brainerd comes out on top.

“It’s going to be really close this year,” Britney Fletcher, first singles senior captain, said. “They lost a lot of girls as well last year, so I think they are a little worried, and we really just need to bring our “A” game, and we will do very well against them.”

But the team is staying focused on the task at hand each week.

“I treat every match the same,” Audrey Collins, Brainerd Senior Captain, said. “Don’t underestimate, don’t get too ahead of yourself, just play each point to win.”

“You just can’t underestimate any other team.” Taya Person, first doubles senior captain, said.

“We got to focus on each one just as we would be if we were playing Tech.” Heidi Jacobsen, first doubles senior captain, said.

The team is looking for their first trip to state in eight years, and they’re hoping the success the boys team had in the spring, will carry over to them.

“Having the success that the boys did in making it to the state tournament, the trickle down from that the excitement from that comes to our season in the fall,” Salo said. “We will just do the best we can do.”

Brainerd’s next match is tomorrow, September 13^th, on the road against Alexandria, and then they have matches over the weekend before St. Cloud Tech comes to town on Tuesday, September 18^th.