Excitement Palpable For Crimson Girls Tennis In 2022 | Sports

(FILE PHOTO BY SAM JOHNSON)

Maple Grove senior Bethany Smith celebrates a point with senior partner Avery Spratt last October during a section playoff match against Orono. Smith and Spratt should be staples of the doubles lineup again this season for the Crimson.

(FILE PHOTO BY SAM JOHNSON)

Maple Grove senior Gabi Parker hits a forehand return at Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis last October during the state tournament. Parker is expected to be one of the singles players this season for the Crimson.

(Photo courtesy of Maple Grove Girls Tennis)

The 2021 Maple Grove girls tennis team celebrates winning their first-ever Section 5AA championship last season. “We all hope we can get back to state if everything happens to fall into place. That is our goal. But it will be tough and competitive,” head coach Dan Haertl said.

(FILE PHOTO BY SAM JOHNSON)

(Photo courtesy of Maple Grove Girls Tennis)

Mid-August couldn’t come soon enough for Dan Haertl. The Maple Grove girls tennis head coach, now in his 15th year leading the Crimson, is as excited as ever for the 2022 campaign.

And 15 seems to be a magic number for the 75-year-old as his 15th season began with official practices on Aug. 15.

“These girls are so much fun to work with,” Haertl said. “I probably should be retired, but I can’t wait for the season to start,” he joked.

And Haertl has every right to be ecstatic coming into the fall. Last season, the Crimson won their first-ever section title as the number four seed, defeating top-seeded Wayzata in the semifinals before knocking off third-seeded Delano in the championship.

“Last year was the most exciting year we’ve had,” Haertl said. “We all hope we can get back to state if everything happens to fall into place. That is our goal. But it will be tough and competitive.”

Returning to lead Maple Grove this season will be four talented players who will probably be staples of singles matches: sophomores Maddie Larsen and Charlotte Bakke, eighth-grader Summer Ode, and senior Gabi Parker. Seniors Bethany Smith, who is also a captain, and Avery Spratt are two of the returners in the doubles rotation, but Haertl is still looking to fill out that portion of the lineup.

“Those two are strong players,” Haertl said.

Other contributors to watch include seventh-grader Millie Larsen and senior captain Eve Miller. “We have some young talented kids that should be competitive,” Haertl said.

Another addition to the program in 2022 is Brian Rusche, the longtime Osseo tennis head coach, who will be assuming the role of junior varsity coach at Maple Grove.

“I have a lot of respect for Brian’s knowledge and passion for the game, which will spill over to the kids,” Haertl said. “His experience is so invaluable. The kids will learn a lot under his tutelage.”

Along with Rusche, Maple Grove will add two new ‘C’ coaches to their program for this year: Mark Deretich, who used to be an assistant tennis coach at Osseo, and Mark Schatza, who formerly played tennis at Anoka High School.

This year, around 70 girls came to tryouts, a large number for only four teams: varsity, junior varsity, and two C teams. A staple of Haertl’s program is that they don’t cut anyone. Instead, they use their resources to the best of their ability to grow the love of the game for each one of the girls.

“My goal is to help all of the kids, whether they have played before or not, to fall in love with the game if they haven’t already so they can play the rest of their lives,” Haertl said.

One glaring subtraction from last year’s squad is star Zoe Adkins, who is now playing collegiate tennis at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. For the last six seasons, Adkins had been the top singles player at every match. Now, that role needs to be filled by someone new. “

Losing Zoe is difficult because she was so dominant,” Haertl said. So far, the leader in the clubhouse to assume Adkins’ role is Maddie Larsen. “She has a strong chance to get in that position,” Haertl said.

The Crimson begin their season with a home match against Centennial on Saturday, the catalyst of excitement for Haertl. “I think we have a really good team,” he said. “The girls have worked hard in the off-season and summer. I’m excited for a great year.”

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