Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 13, 1990 TAG: 9004120180
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV8 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JEFF MOTLEY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In 1980, under the coaching of Chris Garber, the Bobcats won the Region IV title and advanced to the state Group AA tournament. They haven't missed a state tournament since.
Now the team is under a new leader, Betty Branch. Branch, in her second year at the helm, is one person who doesn't like to talk dynasty.
"You can't live on the past year's records," she said. "Last year is past and gone. I don't want the newcomers to have to live up to what the others have done. This is a new team, as it is every year."
Branch tries to keep a low-profile facade on her squad, but that is impossible.
"There is no question that Radford is the perennial champions," said Blacksburg coach Wayne Zellers. "You have to respect them."
Leading the way for the 1990 edition of Radford tennis is senior Beth King. Up from second seed last year, she will play the top spot this season. Junior Sara Young will play No. 2 and another junior, Cathryn Johnson, will play third.
Despite the Radford mystique and the return of several quality players, the ever-so-humble Branch is not ready to make reservations for the state match yet.
"I really don't know how strong we are going to be," she said. "I do know we have a great attitude and the girls work really well together and pull for each other, but I don't know anything about the other teams in our district."
\ BLACKSBURG: The Indians appear to be the team that could give Radford its best challenge. Zellers knows his team will have to play very well to win the district, but he is determined not to let his squad be intimidated by the mighty Bobcats.
"We respect Radford but we don't fear them," Zellers said.
The Indians' hopes will ride with sophomore Jenny Oh, one of the top young players in the New River Valley. She played the top spot as a freshman and needs to look no further than Zellers for an ego boost.
"When Jenny is on top of her game, she is the best player in the district," Zellers said. "I'm not sure about the region, but when she is playing well, she is awfully tough."
A pair of seniors will hold down the second and third spots. Christine Glasser returns at second and Deanna Ragnow moves up two slots to third.
\ NARROWS: First-year coach Jeff Ayres returns the top three players from last season's team but that is it. The fourth, fifth and sixth spots are filled by newcomers and could have Ayres in for a tough year.
Junior Laura Gentry will play No. 1; another junior, Christine Breckenridge is the No. 2 player and sophomore Elaine Harvey has the third slot.
\ FLOYD COUNTY: For the second straight year, the Buffaloes' hopes will come down to their final match against Grayson County. Floyd returns its entire team from last year. Unfortunately, so do the Blue Devils, who defeated the Buffaloes for the title last year.
Floyd's hopes will lie with a pair of seniors: Kim Reece at No. 1 and Kelly Miller at No. 2.
\ CHRISTIANSBURG: Amy Greer-Knowles could be in for a tough road in her first season as coach of the Demons. Only one of the top six players returns from last year's squad and Knowles has already deemed this a rebuilding year.
Junior Terri Clark, who played No. 6 last year, will play the top spot. Tammy Calloway, another junior, will play No. 2 and sophomore Neelam Ijaz has the third spot.
"We are really young," Greer-Knowles said. "Other than the top two spots, we will have sophomores and freshmen at the other places. We are just building for the future and I have really high hopes for the future."
\ AUBURN: Coach Cathy Duncan has a young team but a positive outlook.
After having only six players on the entire team last year, she has 10 people out this year despite losing three of her top six players. Top seed Leigh Ann Teel returns and Sharon Francis and Dee Phillips move up from the fifth and six spots to play second and third respectively.
"We did lose our 2, 3 and 4 players from last year and that is tough," Duncan said. "Our biggest problem becomes doubles, because when you lose the middle of your lineup it messes up all the doubles."
\ GILES: This is only the third year of the Giles program and already coach Kay Rakes is having to rebuild. Only two players return from last year's team and they hold down the top two spots. Junior Dana Moye moves up from No. 4 into the first spot and another junior, Michelle Jennings, is up from six to second. Positions 3 through 6 are filled with freshmen and sophomores who have never competed on the high school level before.
"We'll just take it match by match and game by game and see what happens," Rakes said. "I think we're building some confidence, and we want to build for the future because we will hopefully have everyone back for next season."
by CNB