Hanover
Two matches into their final season in D-II, Hanover is continuing to show why that change is appropriate. The Marauders steamrolled visiting Souhegan on Tuesday at Storrs Pond Recreation Area, 9-0, extending their unbeaten streak to 36 matches dating to the start of the 2014 season.
They haven’t lost an individual match through two games this spring, dispatching Kennett in the season opener two weeks ago by a snow-shortened 7-0 final before winning on Tuesday by an average match score of 8-1. That included three singles shutouts, by Izzi Davis, Bri Laycock and Mindy Wu at Nos. 2, 4 and 5, respectively, and an 8-0 win at No. 1 doubles by Rine Uhm and Davis.
Uhm (No. 1 singles) and Laycock-Wu (No. 3 doubles) won by 8-1 counts in fair conditions that turned chilly in the shadows of Storrs’ pines.
“(Entering Division I) is going to be a challenge, but a good challenge, and one I think that this team needs,” said Murray, a Hanover High social studies teacher who spent three seasons as Hanover’s junior varsity coach under former head coach Glen Eastridge prior to last year. “We want to be able to play other teams that are more developed.”
Known for their aggressive play, the Marauders aren’t concerned about staying motivated in D-II. Their top two from a year ago, juniors Uhm and Davis, are back, with classmate and co-captain Margaret Werner moving up three spots to No. 3 singles after the losses of Zoe Yu and Liza Goss to graduation as well as junior Maggie Birkmeyer to a boarding-school transfer.
Ellen Lamm (absent Tuesday), started in doubles play last season and will move into the No. 4 spot, with Laycock at No. 5 and Wu at No. 6 when all are present and healthy. Wu, Lamm, Laycock and No. 7 Grace Li are all sophomores, the latter two first-year varsity players. Hanover’s two seniors, Emma Riessen and Marion Miller, are also newcomers, along with freshman Emma Watson.
“We have a really good core back, but we’re also young and have a lot of new faces,” said Murray, an Enfield native who didn’t discover tennis in earnest until college. “We have a lot of good athletes and, more importantly, a lot of good teammates who really get along and support each other.”
Uhm, who attended a tennis camp at Dartmouth College last summer and appears a bit speedier this year, has been working on forehand volleys and setting up points. She and Werner were voted co-captains by teammates, giving her somewhat of a different outlook this season.
“I do feel a little bit of pressure to play the game the right way and be a good role model,” said Uhm, who beat the Sabers’ Lila Morgan, 8-1. “I’m really not concerned about (a lack of competition) this year because the thing is, these girls in D-II all know how to play, too. (Morgan) was actually a good player, had a strong forehand. You always have to get a feel for your opponent before you have a strategy.”
Uhm is also looking forward to continued development at No. 1 doubles with partner Davis, with whom her on-court relationship is increasingly complementary.
“I think, last year, we kind of relied on the fact that she had a strong forehand and I had a strong backhand, but now I think we have enough trust together to where we can take it a step further,” Uhm said. “There will probably be some more things like poaching and setting each other up with volleys, more strategy.”
Werner, who plays squash the rest of the year, always needs a few matches to rediscover her rhythm at the start of each tennis season.
“In both sports, you’re looking for consistency, and footwork always helps,” said Werner, U.S. Squash’s No. 63-ranked U-19 player who — much like former Lebanon High standout Max Reed did before attending the University of Pennsylvania — works with Dartmouth squash coach Hansi Wiens. “Other than that, they’re completely different sports.”
Laycock, who spent the first half of the school year at Stowe, Vt.’s North American Hockey Academy, didn’t even play tennis as a freshman, but already is getting swept up in the team’s culture of success.
“We really want to keep it going, no matter what division we’re in,” said Laycock, who blanked Souhegan’s Sophie Knight at No. 4 singles before joining Wu for an 8-1 win at No. 3 doubles. “That’s what’s going to keep us on our feet.”
Return Shots: Werner won her No. 3 singles match, 8-2, while Grace Li won at No. 6, 8-4. The pair later combined for an 8-5 victory at No. 2 doubles. … Murray is a 2000 Mascoma High graduate who performed tap dance and taekwondo during high school, not discovering tennis until later, while a student at Syracuse University. … the Marauders’ migration to NHIAA Division I will come two years after Hanover’s boys tennis team did the same. … The Marauders had 13 days between their season opener and Tuesday. They’ll now have three matches in four days, continuing this afternoon at Trinity.
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.