ACES RETURN — Members of the Fairmont Cardinal tennis team opening the season by traveling to Worthington on Tuesday include, front row (l-r): Jensen Schomberg, Daniela Becerra, Jangabriel Berrios and Simone Castro. Middle row: Johanna Petschke, Noah Vetter, Tyler Slama, Olivia Ortega, Anthony Stegge, Carter Quist and Levi Loughmiller. Back row: Assistant coach Laura Olsen, Reed Wagner, Sebastian Castro, Jack Hagen, Dominick Lund-May, Blake Hatfield, Wylee Frederiksen, Zachary Ashland and head coach Eric Johnson. Not pictured: Oliver Thedens. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — Head coach Eric Johnson and his Fairmont tennis team are cautiously optimistic heading into the 2023 season.

So far this spring, the team has been indoors working on drills as the weather hasn’t cooperated.

“We can do drills indoors and get some work in, but it’s not like being outside and on the courts,” Johnson said. “We’ve had some years where we were shoveling the snow off the courts and this year it looks like it’s ‘wait and see’ with the weather. We want to be outside and working out on the courts, but at least we can work in the gym. It’s better than nothing at all.”

Johnson returns most of his players from last season, which bodes well for the impending schedule.

“We have pretty much everyone back. Several of the kids grew bigger and stronger in the offseason, while some worked on their game. We’re hoping the extra work put in by the kids and the year of experience pay off.”

This year’s group includes varsity veterans Anthony Stegge, Carter Quist, Dominick Lund-May, Jack Hagen, Noah Vetter, Oliver Thedens, Olivia Ortega, Sebastian Castro and Simone Castro.

Others who played junior varsity were Levi Loughmiller, Reed Wagner, Wylee Frederiksen and Zachary Ashland.

Watch for newcomers Tyler Slama, Jensen Schomberg, Daniela Becerra, Blake Hatfield and Jangabriel Berrios as they try to crack the varsity lineup this season.

Johnson’s assistant coach is Laura Olsen, the Fairmont girls varsity coach during the fall season.

The team finished 2-12 overall a year ago, losing a 6-1 decision to St. Peter in the section team tournament’s first round.

In sectional individual play, Hagen went 1-1 during singles competition to lead the Fairmont players. Sebastian Castro also competed in the singles bracket, while Quist and Ortega, plus Vetter and Lund-May, played in the doubles bracket to gain postseason experience.

Hagen, who’s a team captain, has the upperhand at playing the No. 1 singles spot after competing there last spring.

Johnson likes the versatility that Ortega, Vetter and Thedens bring to the team as he said each can play either singles or doubles.

“We have a bigger roster than last season, which is great to add some depth to the team,” Johnson said. “We didn’t have a big roster last year, and that hurt us when we had some kids miss with injuries and illness.

“We want to win, but did you get a little better with every match and that is what we’re concerned with. We preach that every day we’re in practice or in a match.”

The first scheduled meet is Tuesday, April 11, at Worthington, followed by another away dual Friday, April 14, at Luverne. The Cardinals then play a tournament on Saturday, April 15, against Cotter, Luverne and the host Saints in St. James.

The Cardinals play their home opener Tuesday, April 18, against Pipestone Area.

“This is a great group of kids,” Johnson said. “They really work hard and we’re confident we will win more matches than last season.

“We try not to think about the score, but about what shot we’re going to hit and make that the best shot. If they make it, great, but if they miss it, then they try to make the next shot.”

The Cardinals are once again in Section 2A and the first round is Thursday, May 18, at the higher seeded school.

The section semifinals and finals are Monday, May 22, at Gustavus Adolphus College. The section individual tournament begins May 24 at GAC. The section individual semifinals and finals are slated for May 25 at the same site.

Johnson said some section favorites include Litchfield, St. Peter and Southwest Christian. He also cited solid teams coming from Waseca, Luverne and Blue Earth Area.

“They have traditionally fielded strong teams, but you never know what each year brings,” Johnson said. “We’re aiming to do our best each and every match, win or lose.”