RETURN OF THE ACE — Members of the Fairmont Cardinals spring tennis team who will play against Worthington in the season opener on April 9 at Fairmont's Cardinal Court are: Front row (left to right): Daniela Becerra; , Simone Castro, Colton Schroeder, Lily Ortega and Juan Arias Ramirez. Middle row: Assistant coaches Lara Ellis, Wiley Frederiksen, Anthony Stegge, Matthew Maro, Oliver Sedens, Tyler Slama, Carter Quist, and assistant coach Tim Slama. Back row: Assistant coaches Olivia Ortega, Sebastian Castro, Jonah Vetter, Leon Yang, Dominic Land-May, Levi Loughmiller, Zachary Ashland, Jonathan Heinze, head coach Laura Olsen. Not pictured: Reid Wagner. (Photo courtesy of Charlie Sorrells)
FAIRMONT — Fairmont's spring tennis program has a new head coach, but she's definitely a familiar face for the Cardinal faithful as they continue playing tennis in the fall.
Laura Olsen, who transformed the Fairmont girls' lineup into a state qualifier and perennial sectional contender, will fill the void left by Eric Johnson's departure after a long coaching stint.
“I was an assistant coach under Eric last spring and I know the players well, so it's not a huge change.” said Olsen. “Just like in the fall, we have Tim (Slama) helping us coach the national team, so that’s a big plus as well.
“Olivia Ortega went from being a player last spring to becoming a coach this year after graduating, and we also added Lara Ellis to the staff, so it should be a good mix.”
Olsen and the Cardinals will face Worthington in the season opener on April 9 at Cardinal Courts in Fairmont.
“The schedule on the home side is pretty tough.” Olsen said, referring to the 10 total tennis lineup scheduled for Fairmont.
Olsen and his coaching staff will rely on seven returning national team veterans and another netter with national team experience who missed all of last season due to injury to create match points.
Sebastian Castro and Carter Quist will be the senior pair serving again after playing No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles, respectively, in the 2023 Fairmont University Section 2A Team Meet quarterfinals.
“Carter and Sebastian took the initiative early on and did a great job of planning practices and teaching the game to our young, inexperienced players.” said Olsen. “Carter is a great strategist no matter who his playing partners are, so he'll probably play the top doubles position in our lineup again.
“We are working with Sebastian to get more comfortable playing singles, but he has the versatility to play doubles as well.”
Olsen sees junior Dominick Land-May in a similar situation to Sebastian Castro, but he knows the left-hander will. “He plays well no matter where you put him in the lineup.”
Lundmay matched Quist's court skills for the No. 1 doubles spot in the Cardinals' sectional team tournament.
Junior Simone Castro and sophomore Wiley Frederiksen will also return to the Fairmont court after competing in third and fourth singles, respectively, during the postseason team tournament.
“Simone is a strong doubles player and can play well with almost anyone she's paired with.” said Olsen. “Wiley is a player we are developing as both a singles and doubles player to give us flexibility throughout our lineup.”
Freshman Anthony Stegge and eighth-grader Tyler Slama complete the core of the returning netters since teaming up at No. 3 doubles in sectional action a year ago.
“Tyler and Anthony both really love tennis and play a lot throughout the year. They each have the ability to play any position, whether it's singles or doubles.” said Olsen.
Junior Oliver Sedence will return to the court this spring after missing the entire 2023 season due to injury.
A senior quartet of Daniela Becerra, Matthew Maro, Jonathan Heinze and Reid Wagner will compete for playing time, as will junior Juan Arias Ramirez.
Sophomores Levi Loughmiller and Zachary Ashland, freshman Leon Yang, eighth-grader Jonah Vetter, and seventh-graders Lily Ortega and Colton Schroder will complete the Cardinals' roster this spring.
“Now it's just a matter of going out and hitting in those conditions to figure out where everyone fits in the lineup.” said Olsen. “It's nice to see the older players teaching the younger players all aspects of the game.
“We encourage our players to lead in their own way and believe they all bring something skill-wise.”
