LONDON — North Laurel coach Bob Smith is excited for the tennis season to begin for his North Laurel Lady Jaguars squad, and he has plenty of reasons why.
Smith’s squad returns numerous players off last season’s 19-2 squad that finished as regional runner-ups.
“We’re looking forward to another strong season from our girls,” he said. “It will be tough to top last season’s 19-2 record and region team runner-up with our difficult schedule, but we have several girls back with multiple years of experience who will serve us well.
“The one we don’t have back is a big loss in Eva Clark, region singles runner-up from last year,” Smith added. “She is playing at Transylvania now, and we’ll definitely miss her maturity and attitude on the court. But we have several talented girls returning, led by seniors Meg Brock, Molly Hamm, and Charlotte Griffin. Meg and Molly are two-time state participants in doubles, and we also return juniors Erin Cheek and Jayci Phelps. They are a quality doubles team as well. So we have a very solid five girls who have played a lot of matches.
The talent doesn’t stop there, though.
Smith has several players that are working for more playing time.
“We have several vying for playing time at No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles,” Smith said. “They include seniors Marlie McDaniel, Lyla Durham, Mikaela Barnett, sophomores Brooke Hubbard, Taylor Vaughn, Alyssa Lowe, Areej Ali, freshmen Sofia Begley, Lexi Hildebrand, Natalie Robinson, Kaylee Moore, and Amber Bryant.
“We also have three newcomers to the team in freshmen Mak Gilbert, Adelyn Maxey, and Mabrie McDaniel,” he added. “We’re looking forward to getting started and striving toward another successful season.”
