The Bremerton girls tennis team improved to .500 with a 4-3 victory against Klahowya on the road Tuesday, sweeping all four doubles matches to overcome three setbacks in singles action.
No. 1 doubles tandem Sarah Streutker and Megan Arriola improved to 4-0 on the season with a 6-3, 6-4 win against Nina Frando and Katy Seal. Breanna Casias, who has seen action at singles, improved to 4-0 as well, teaming with Nikolina Vrkigan to top Nicole Lewandowski and Hanna Hoglund, 6-1, 6-0.
The Lady Knights had dropped two consecutive matches — against Port Angeles and North Kitsap — prior to Tuesday’s win.
“We very easily could be 4-0, really,” said first-year coach Casey Lindberg, who also coaches the Bremerton boys basketball team. “Both the Port Angeles and North Kitsap matches were really close.”
Lindberg said he’s still learning the ins and outs of coaching tennis, but both he and the players are enjoying the season.
Tuesday, he shuffled his lineup to counter Klahowya’s singles-loaded roster. The Lady Eagles’ No. 1 and No. 2 singles hitters, Tracy Landram and Maggie Becker, respectively, are undefeated on the season.
Lindberg dropped Casias from singles to No. 2 doubles, seemingly conceding the singles matches to give the team a better shot in doubles.
“Just learning how to coach tennis in general,” said Lindberg when asked about the learning curve of coaching tennis as opposed to basketball. “Not even necessarily fundamentals, but how to manage a match — who you’re going to play and where. We’re trying to figure that out. The strategy is pretty interesting.”
Celine Torrella and Jasmine Battle teamed at No. 3 doubles to win 6-2, 6-3. Ashley Schroeder and Shannon Deneson won at No. 4, 6-3, 6-1.
“We’re having fun. I hope the girls are having fun,” Lindberg said. “I’m learning and enjoying myself.”
Streutker and Arriola played doubles together last year and neither has missed a beat thus far in 2009. With Streutker a net player and Arriola a baseline hitter, Streutker said the duo compliments each other well.
“We played together last year and we work really good together,” Streutker said. “We talk a lot and we know what each other is going to do all the time. We just play really good together.”
Added Lindberg, “They are very competitive, which I love.”
And while Lindberg admits he’s no expert in terms of the technicalities of the game, his coaching style has seemingly struck a chord with the Lady Knights.
“(Coach) Lindberg helps us because he’s really competitive and he brings out everybody’s competitive side,” Streutker said. “He makes you want to work really hard … He’s just got that edge to him.”
Courtney Wasserburger, Ahria Fosdyck and Callie Wilson played No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 singles Tuesday, respectively. Wasserburger and Fosdyck lost in straight sets 0-6, 0-6, while Wilson lost 4-6, 1-6.
The Lady Knights (2-2) faced Sequim on the road Wednesday, but results from that game were unavailable at press time. The team hosts Kingston at 4 p.m. today.
