LAST YEAR: With a very inexpereinced team, featuring a lot of first-year varsity players, the Trojans struggled, posting a 2-6 overall record and a 1-3 mark in the O-K Silver conference standings, good for fifth place.
While the team expected to take its lumps while learning, there were some bright moments. The two dual match victories came in September – a 5-3 conference win over Kelloggsville and a 7-0 drubbing of Fremont a few weeks later.
“Playing so many newcomers last year was bound to produce some growing pains,” said veteran Fruitport head coach Brad Busscher. “But instead, we fought through some of those growing pains and notched a couple of wins. Now, it is time to ascend and take another step up as a team. We intend to challenge the top teams in the area and continue our success.”
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THIS YEAR: The good news is that the Trojans have 11 players returning from last season, when all of them gained very valuable varsity experience. The returners comprise the full roster.
While exact spots in the lineup have not been announced, the Trojans will have players who have been through the battles in both singles and doubles.
One thing is certain – senior Remy Parker will return for his second year at No. 1 singles and will anchor the lineup.
The Trojans also return three other players who gained a ton of experience playing singles last year – sophomores Nathan Medema and Tucker Gholson and senior Dominik Kooy. That means the Trojans will very likely field a battle-tested singles lineup, which would be a big plus.
The rest of the roster is comprised of players who gained experience in doubles play last year – seniors Jackson Yandell, Evan Olson, Landon McMullin, Jonathon Quigg and Carson Vallie and sophomores Brian Meeuwenberg and Elijah Wierenga.
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ROSTER BREAKDOWN: The Trojans are definitely on the clock in one way, because seven of the players are seniors who are determined to cash in and do as well as they can before their varsity careers are over. The future still looks bright for the team, however, with four sophomores playing their second seasons of varsity as they prepare to lead the team next year.
There are no juniors or freshmen on the squad.
TEAMS TO BEAT IN THE CONFERENCE: NorthPointe Christian and Calvin Christian finished first and second, respectively, in the O-K Silver last season, and will be the teams to beat again this year, according to Busscher. Matches against both of those opponents should be a good measuring stick for Fruitport.
FIRST COMPETITION: Wednesday at home against Fremont.
COACH QUOTE: “We are excited to return a team that finally has some experience under their belt. We have a good mix of seniors and sophomores that we intend to blend together into a successful team. Remy Parker returns to anchor down the No. 1 singles flight, but beyond that we expect great competition to fill in our lineup.” – Brad Busscher
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