CEC team aces hard work to improve their game

A young Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls tennis team has seen steady improvement since the season began a few weeks ago. The ’Jacks have been in a lot of close matches and are starting to see their hard work pay off.

“As a team we’ve been playing very well,” said head coach Derek Johnson. “We’ve had a lot of close matches; some have gone our way, and some that we’ve let slip away.”

According to Johnson, communication between players and coaches is strong this season and the Lumberjacks are seeing positive results because of that effort.

“The girls have been very coachable,” Johnson said. “When I go out during a match to talk with them, they’ve been willing to try new things to improve their game. It’s been really enjoyable as a coach to see them try new things on the court during the match and have it work for them on the court. They’re understanding better positioning and different tactics to use during match play.”

In singles play both Addie Loeb and Winnie Benjamin have played well and shined for the ’Jacks.

“Those two have been solid in our singles lineup,” said Johnson. “They have been consistent in their ground strokes where their opponent will have to hit winners to beat them.”

Lexi Norrgard has been a steady figure in doubles play for the Lumberjacks this season as well.

“Lexi has always been a good doubles players,” Johnson said. “She’s been with different partners at No. 1 doubles all year and it doesn’t faze her. This year she has really improved her serve and awareness at the net. At No. 2 and No. 3 doubles we’ve mixed the pairs a lot, but it doesn’t seem to matter because we always show up and battle at those spots.”

A big key to the recent improvement for CEC has been better positioning, which in turn results in longer rallies and better ball contact.

“We’ve improved a lot since last year, and a lot since the season started four weeks ago,” Johnson said. “We are hitting with better contact, having longer rallies and our doubles teams are putting away the ball at the net when they get the opportunities. When we do make mistakes the girls realize what they did wrong or what they need to do better without me having to tell them. They’re listening and understanding what needs to be done.”

If working hard is any indication of what the team can become by the end of the season, then this group will be a tough one in the playoffs.

“This is a great group of girls. After having a lot of beginners last year, those beginners are now playing quality time on varsity and they understand what it takes to get better each day and win,” Johnson said. “You can’t just show up and expect to win. You have to work toward it each day and then the results will follow. That is the case so far this season and I’m ready to see what happens in the second half of the season. The effort is definitely there with this group and that’s all I can ask for.”

On Tuesday the ’Jacks played in Virginia against the Blue Devils, a perennial powerhouse in Section 7, and fell by a score of 7-0.