By Andrew Horschak
Sports Correspondent
Boasting two of the best singles players in the Southern Lakes Conference in senior Lacey Londre and sophomore May Jagodzinski, the Burlington girls tennis team has the potential to pile up victories once the lineup gets squared away.
“We’re splitting up our doubles teams,” 28th-year coach Rose Dolatowski said. “It’s kind of a work in progress.”
Londre teamed with Hannah Cook in doubles last year, and the pair advanced to the WIAA State Tournament after being the team’s lone sectional qualifier. En route to posting a 20-9 overall record, the duo won the SLC’s No. 1 doubles crown and earned first-team all-league honors.
With the graduation of Cook, the decision to send Londre back to singles was a no-brainer. In her first two varsity seasons, she held down the No. 1 singles spot for the Demons and was a state qualifier as a freshman.
“I think her strategy has improved,” Dolatowski said. “She’s always had good, solid strokes, but I think she’s playing the game and setting up points better.”
As a freshman, Jagodzinski won the No. 3 singles title in the SLC tourney after notching a three-set comeback victory in the final. She will move up to No. 2 this year.
“She’s playing very well,” Dolatowski said. “(Londre) is No. 1, but the other kids have gotten better. There’s not such a gap between the players anymore.”
In last year’s SLC tourney, Kate Daujotas and Whitney Miller finished as the runner-up at No. 2 doubles as did Grace Boyle and Adrianna Castillo at No. 3.
Senior Alyssa Caliva, a second-team All-SLC performer at No. 2 singles last year, will play No. 1 doubles with Daujotas, who is also a senior.
Other doubles teams could feature Miller pairing up with Boyle, and Castillo playing with newcomer Josie Klein. All four are juniors.
Senior Emily Johnson or Klein will most likely play No. 3 singles.
Other players in the mix for varsity positions are seniors Emily Crabtree and Chloe Ohlfs and sophomore Meghan Savaglia.
The Demons, who captured the SLC championship in 2014, ended up third in the overall standings a year ago. Burlington, Badger and Union Grove finished with identical 6-1 records in the dual meet season, but Union Grove won the conference tournament and Badger edged Burlington for second place.
Dolatowski, who has 33 players in the program, expects her team to be among the top teams in the conference again, but tabbed Badger as the early favorite.
“Badger is absolutely going to be loaded this year,” she noted.
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