RHS boys tennis looking to rebuild, girls looking for trip to state tourney

By Staff
Scot Beard
What a difference a year makes.
Last season the Russellville varsity boys tennis team was loaded with experienced talent and the Golden Tigers won its fourth consecutive section title and competed in the state tournament.
This year's team looks quite a bit different.
Coach Jimmy Rea lost five of his six doubles players and four of his six singles players. He isn't worried though, because he has been through this before.
When he first arrived at Russellville he turned a program that had not won a match in several years into a yearly contender. This year's team should not be as much of a challenge, but the lack of experience is a concern.
"We don't have varsity game experience," Rea said. "That will hurt us at first."
His top two singles players – Kiefer Rea, the team's lone senior, at the No.1 slot and Bret Malone at the No.2 slot – return from last season's team.
Joining them for the 2010 campaign are No.3 Brandon King, No.4 Brad Hall, No.5 Austin Martindale, No.6 Drew Malone, No.7 Evan Hargett, No.8 Freddy Arguada, No.9 Hayden James and No.10 Dakota Brown.
The doubles pairings will be Kiefer Rea and Bret Malone at the No.1 slot, King and Hall at No.2 and Drew Malone and Martindale playing in the third slot.
Jimmy Rea said although the team is young, it is showing promise.
"We are looking good, we are just young," he said. "We played a mens team for experience. Kiefer Bret and Austin won in singles and the other guys kept it close."
It will be a tough road for the Golden Tigers, who are in the same section as Athens, Butler, Hartselle, Lee-Huntsville and Muscle Shoals.
Jimmy Rea said Muscle Shoals did not lose any of its players, Athens lost its No.1 and No.2 players and Hartselle lost its No.6 player.
He is hoping a tough non-section schedule will prepare the Golden Tigers for success at the Section Tournament April 20.
Russellville's non-section opponents include Bob Jones, Huntsville and Walker, which won the state title last year and did not lose a single player from the squad. The Golden Tigers will also play Corinth, a four-time defending state champion from Mississippi.
In the end, Jimmy Rea feels his team will be able to match the success of his previous squads – which have a combined record of 67-15 in the last six years.
"We would like to make it five (section titles) in a row," Rea said.
Girls showing potential
While the boys squad is experiencing a bit of a youth movement, the varsity girls are returning several players from last season.
With a pair of seniors, four juniors and two freshmen, coach Charlotte Dollar expects good things for her team in 2010.
"They've worked hard," Dollar said. "We have a much tougher schedule to prepare for the Sectional Tournament."
The team showed quite a bit of promise last season and finished third in the Sectional Tournament. They came close to qualifying for the State Tournament, but the Lady Golden Tigers were two points behind the section's second-place team.
Freshman Kalee Jones qualified for the state tournament for Russellville as a singles player last year. She was the only representative for the Lady Golden Tigers.
She will lead the team this year from the No.1 singles position. Senior Olivia Turner will play in the No.2 slot.
Ashley Askew will play No.3, Millie Fisher will play No.4, Cortney Wray will play in the No.5 slot, Janae Dollar will play the No.6 position and Caroline Hollimon will play in the No.7 position.
The doubles teams will be Jones and Wray at No.1, Fisher and Turner at No.2 and Dollar and Askew will play in the third slot.
These assignments will change in a few weeks when Abbey Harbin returns to the lineup after recovering from a tear to the Achilles Tendon. Dollar expects her to be near the top of the lineup.
Overall Dollar thinks this will be a good year for her squad. With a tougher schedule and the strong finish last year, Russellville could have one of its best seasons yet.