Revamped lineup working just fine for Neuqua

This season is a whole new dynamic for Neuqua Valley girls tennis doubles player Ali Peters.

For the past two years Peters and her partner, Sarah Eid, went to state and finished top 32 and then top 16.

With Eid graduated, Peters is hoping to finish even higher and believes that she and new partner Aileen Hoffman can go that extra step.

On Tuesday Peters and Hoffman, both seniors, won their first-doubles match 6-0, 6-2 to help the Wildcats (7-3, 3-0 Upstate Eight Conference) remain undefeated in conference with a 7-0 win over visiting Lake Park.

"While Sarah was a great 1-2 punch and great at the net," Peters said. "Aileen is more consistent. She can stay in a point longer. She's also great at the net, but I'm trying to be more aggressive this year and share some of the work there. We're taking a few more risks this year. Today, we had great returns and our serving was strong."

"I was really happy with our doubles teams today," said Neuqua Valley coach Trudy Bennorth. "We were relaxed and aggressive at the net. We really started playing doubles today."

Bennorth has been shuffling her first two doubles teams trying to find the right combinations. But it seems to have worked out to be Peters with Hoffman and Lexi Szmanda and Alexa Geist working together.

Szmanda and Geist also won their match 6-0, 6-2.

All Bennorth has to decide now is which duo will play first doubles.

"They still need to challenge each other for the No. 1 spot," she said.

Szmanda, who started the season as the senior alternate, has shown such dynamic improvement that she's been promoted to one of the top two doubles teams in just two weeks.

"I was so happy just being a senior alternate," Szmanda said. "I worked hard and it feels great to be in the doubles lineup. I enjoy playing with all the other girls, so it will be great no matter how it works out."

Lake Park coach Deb Vogel knew it would be a rough day for the Lancers (1-3, 1-2), but prior to the match she urged her team to take at least one game in every match. The Lancers accomplished that in all the matches but third singles where Robin Harland of Neuqua won 6-0, 6-0.

At second-singles Jacqueline Vitale of Lake Park pushed returning state qualifier Natalie Peters to a third set. Vitale was shut out 6-0 in the first and third sets but took the middle set 6-2.

"Jacqueline played Natalie tough," Vogel said. "She's worked hard all winter and summer, and you can really see how she's improved. She may play doubles later on depending on who's in our sectional."