2022 finish: 15-3, second in Mid-State League Buckeye Division
Key returnees: Senior McKinley Perkins and junior Allie Berger
Key newcomers: Sophomore Karina Atwood and senior Aubrey Justus
Season outlook: The Braves had another successful campaign a season ago, winning 15 matches, finishing second in the league and advancing a pair of doubles teams to the district tournament.
Long-time coach Tony Clouse faces the prospect of replacing five of his top seven players from last season, who were lost to graduation.
“With no returning singles players, that will hurt us at the beginning of the season, but I’m certain our players can adjust as we progress through the fall,” Clouse said. “Even though we are short on experienced players, we had commitments over the summer from some key players, which will help us at the beginning of the season.
“We will be competitive with coachable and scrappy players. We hope this season can help us get some inexperienced players more quality court time to improve their all-around game.”
The Braves return senior first doubles player McKinley Perkins, who will make the transition to singles this fall and junior Allie Berger, who played second doubles a year ago and will likely play either first doubles or one of the singles courts.
“We will lean heavily on these two as our only returning players with varsity experience,” Clouse said. “They have both stepped their games and are ready to lead us into the upcoming season.”
Clouse has taken note of two players — Karina Atwood and Aubrey Justus — in the opening days of practice who are competing for one of those vacant spots in Karina Atwood and
“Karina has put in work in the off season and has shown improvement. I’m sure she will continue to grow as the season progresses,” Clouse said. “Karina wants to get better and that might one of her biggest attributes. We are looking forward her being competitive throughout the fall and her being an integral member of the team this season.
“Aubrey played junior varsity for us last season and worked her way into a varsity position this year. We like her work ethic and determination. Aubrey is a good teammate and will be a big part of our team this season.”
