By David Paulsen
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
Hoping to do some damage at the WIAA State Individual Tennis Championships last week, juniors Bridget Brockmann and Alyssa Schimelfenyg showed some strength in winning their opening match, before losing in the second round. The individual championships were held at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison Oct. 17-19.
“I knew this doubles team could do well,” head coach Linda Jones said. “They have the strokes. It was getting them to work as a team, and keep their nerves in check.”
The pair opened on Oct. 17 with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Coeli Merrill and Maddie Riedl of Whitefish Bay.
“We started off rough, but once the girls realized they could certainly play with this team, their confidence came through,” Jones said.
Jones added that it is never easy getting through the first day of the state tournament and does not know if a Waterford player or pairing has ever done that.
The next day, Brockmann and Schimelfenyg almost pulled off a second victory. In a match against Katherine Bosio and Christina Price of Neenah, the duo won the opening set 6-4, but dropped the next two sets by identical 6-2 scores. Neenah came in one of the seeded teams.
“Taking that team to three sets was a mini-victory for us,” Jones said.
With that loss, the pair ended their doubles portion of the season with a 10-2 record.
“I am very proud of Bridget and Alyssa,” Jones added. “I am looking forward to them improving their doubles game for next year.”
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