Lily Abdoo, girls tennis
Gillian Gallagher, girls tennis
FREMONT – As the girls tennis season gets going, few, if any, teams should be as battle-tested in their singles ranks as Fremont Ross. Or deeper, for that matter.
Throughout the preseason the Lady Giants’ singles depth chart has been in a continuous state of flux, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The uncertainty at singles stems from a three-way competition where no one has been able to make a definitive claim as to No. 1, 2 or 3 singles.
Lily Abdoo, Gillian Gallagher and Olivia Henry have been taking turns in practice this summer defeating one another and making coach Lisa Wolfe’s job difficult, but it’s a good problem to have.
“In my singles lineup, I have to play my best at No. 1, 2 and 3 which, any given day, may switch,” Wolfe said. “They can have challenges throughout the season to get that No. 1 spot, so you may see a continuing rotation at No.1, but it’s going to be legit.”
Olivia Henry, girls tennis
Gallagher, a junior, played at No. 1 singles last year and finished fifth in the TRAC tournament while Henry, a senior and last season’s No. 2, also finished fifth in her bracket in the TRAC. Abdoo is making the switch to singles player after playing No. 1 doubles a year ago where she and Kaity Kelly took fourth in the TRAC.
Playing against each other so frequently, and possessing similar skill levels, the trio are continuously helping one another improve as the season opens.
“I think we’ve definitely strengthened each other, since we’re so close,” Gallagher said. “We’ve played each other so much this season, to see who can beat who, and every day it changes. I was 1 singles last year and I would love to be again, but I know we’re all fighting for that spot.”
Abdoo said part of the reason for the back-and-forth is each player has her own specific skill set that requires the others to improve their games in key areas.
“Gillian is very good with slices,” Abdoo said. “Olivia is very consistent, she very rarely, ever messes up, which is very annoying when playing (against). They’re both very good with serves.
“Personally, I like being up at the net, because I was a doubles player,” she added. “So we all have different strengths and weaknesses, and usually the matches go on forever.”
In addition to the singles lineup being up in the air, so too is the doubles portion of the team. Wolfe said the squad has been experimenting with various personnel groups to decide which combinations give the Lady Giants their best doubles lineup.
“They have to be able to jive together and have to want to play together,” Wolfe said. “You may be a great singles player but not have great doubles knowledge. You have to know how to play doubles.”
With so much competition throughout the lineup, Wolfe said the team’s overall success this season could hinge on how supportive the girls can be for each other, without reserving hard feelings over who was placed where in the lineup.
Henry, however, doesn’t believe such animosities will be an issue.
“You want to be put where you can play,” Henry said. “I would never want to play first singles if I couldn’t handle the pressure and (with) my opponent was being the better player they are. You need to appreciate where you’re put, either first, second or third, because you’re playing to your potential.”
The tennis team hosts Clyde today at 4:30.