By Tyler Maheu, Staff Sportswriter
Monday marked the first day of practice for both the boys and girls tennis teams at the Woodstock Athletic Club.
Returning for his second year at the helm of the girls team is Derek Pierce, who took the job last year at the behest of his daughters. “I coached last year, my oldest daughter was captain,” he said. “My youngest is a junior (Jess Pierce), and they begged me to take the job and got me at the eleventh hour.”
Last year’s team of 12 girls had a successful season, good enough for a seven-seed in the Vermont Principals’ Association’s Division II tournament, and a trip to the quarterfinals, where they fell to eventual state runner-up Burr & Burton Academy. According to Pierce, this year’s squad is set up for another quality run at the title.
“We have real strength in our one, two and three singles players, and our four and five starters will be competitive,” he said. “We have seven girls returning, with all of our one-through-five singles set, and a couple who have played doubles in the past.”
Pierce will rely on his two senior captains, Mia Zilian and Chiara Winawer-Stein, to anchor the team on the court and off. Both captains said an emphasis for them this year will be in returning the team’s sense of camaraderie.
“When both of us first came on the team in ninth grade, there was a sense of inclusiveness and community,” said Zilian. “As captains, we want to bring that back.” This was echoed by Winawer-Stein. “I was intimidated by the sport in ninth grade, so my big goal is to make this a space where new people can learn in a non-judgmental way and to help build a close team.” Winawer-Stein said her individual focus will be on taking a more offensive approach to the game by putting balls away to end points, instead of getting trapped in endless rallies.
For Zilian, the joy of tennis is what keeps her coming back. “It’s the excitement of hitting the ball,” she said about what she loves most about tennis. “I have been playing for a long period of my life; there’s a comfortability and it reminds me of childhood. The sport keeps me fulfilled, and the courts are a fun place to come back to.”
More than 20 athletes come out for the girls team on Monday, making cuts inevitable. Both Pierce and boys coach Michael Malik preached the importance of the school’s junior varsity program as a place where athletes who don’t make the varsity cut can learn and thrive. “We would like to keep the program’s momentum going by keeping the community alive with JV,” said Pierce. “It really helps the newer girls get into the sport. We want to make tennis as fun as possible while still being competitive.”
“We have 20 kids trying out for 11 spots,” said Malik. “Eliot Szwajkowski (junior varsity coach) takes the kids that don’t make it and helps them. The kids that didn’t make the team keep coming back stronger.”
On the boys side of the court, Malik is returning for his third year with the program, hoping for another leap in progress. The former college tennis player said that in his first season, the team featured one or two kids with experience while the rest had never played. “Then, last year, everyone came back to get better, and they are back again this year,” he said.
Last year’s team finished around .500, which earned them a nine-seed in the state tournament. After a first-round upset of South Burlington, they were eliminated by the number-one-seeded Burr & Burton Academy. “It was a good outcome for a young team with a lot of new talent,” said Malik. “We hope to win more this year.”
His team will be led by two standouts from last year’s junior varsity team in freshmen Arlo Clark and Keller Murphy, as well as his son, junior Vasco Malik. “We have a big new group,” said Vasco Malik, who will take on a substantial leadership role as the team’s top player. “We are going to focus on skills and focus on the little details in order to be well-rounded.” Individually, the junior is looking for growth more than results. “I will hopefully get a lot better,” he said. “I think improving all around is a goal.”
Like Pierce, Michael Malik preached the importance of keeping the sport fun. “It is great to see the kids coming back year after year,” he said. “The key to coming back is loving the sport. Then you can get better and see more wins.”
The boys tennis team will open the season on Tuesday, April 14, at 4 p.m. in Rutland, while the girls will begin on Monday, March 13, at Mount Saint Joseph Academy at 4 p.m.
