The Alpena Wildcats boys’ tennis team faced a tough opponent in Cadillac on Thursday, losing the match 8-0.
Despite the score, Coach Charlie Giordano found positive aspects in his team’s performance. “The team played well. We had many good points and games. The kids fought hard and did not quit,” Giordano said.
In singles matches, Landen Gagnon, Nathan Pokorzynski, Dillan Gagnon, and Juan Meno put up a fight but ultimately fell to Cadillac’s strong play. Senior Landen Gagnon lost a close match to Connor Hill, finishing 6-4, 6-4. Pokorzynski also faced a tough match, losing 6-3, 6-2 against Keeston Johnson.
Cadillac continued its dominance throughout the singles matches, with Mason Freeman and Kyle Ross adding victories to the team’s score.
The doubles teams struggled as well. Evan McDonald and Hunter Orr fought hard but lost 6-4, 6-0. Austin Derosia and Jack Caplis faced a 6-0, 6-0 defeat, while Maddox Chabot and Liam Kieliszewski also lost by the same score.
Coach Giordano noted Cadillac’s consistency as a key factor in their victory. “Cadillac is a very consistent team with many good athletes. We will face many of them Wednesday at our Big North Conference match,” he said. “Our plan remains the same: keep the ball in play and make the other team beat you with better shots.”
Reflecting on the season, Giordano acknowledged the team’s improvement despite facing tougher opponents. “The team has improved tremendously this year. Unfortunately, as the year goes on, we seem to play tougher opponents, so the growth is difficult to see in our results. Players are more consistent and play with more confidence than they did at the start of the year,” he explained.
The Wildcats plan to focus on consistency and reducing unforced errors as they prepare for their upcoming matches. Giordano emphasized, “We plan on focusing on consistency and eliminating mistakes in their game.”
With their sights set on the Big North Conference matches on Wednesday, the Wildcats aim to apply their hard-earned lessons in their next round of competition.
