Eagles hold experience edge over Bulldogs

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on March 31, 2015 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

A pair of first-year head coaches -- Rosewood's Daniel Baynes and Princeton's Christy Klein -- remain in "teaching" mode each time they put their respective boys' tennis teams on the court.

It's due to lack of practice time.

Baynes' squad improved to 4-2 overall after a 9-0 victory over the Bulldogs on Monday afternoon. Klein's group just came together two weeks ago and continues to learn the "little things" about the game.

"They were giving it what they had (today) and you can't ask for any more than that when you've only been playing less than month," Klein said. "I told them before we stepped off the bus that Rosewood has had a strong program for a very long time and this is where we want to go.

"We're going to learn from it. I was taking notes as we went through the match."

At times, Baynes relaxed in his chair.

Other times, he'd wander over to each court and watch his players for a few minutes. Like Klein, he has seen some progress, but admitted the Eagles have plenty of work to do to "clean up" their performance in the coming weeks.

"I thought today went pretty good," Baynes said. "I don't necessarily think the boys played their best. I think it's where we're still trying to work through our matches because we haven't had much practice time.

"I can see some things skill-wise that will make them better players, can see things they can work on and make immediate improvement."

Rosewood swept the singles and doubles courts.

Jordan Price, Jeremy Lintner, Jake Smith, Lucas Parrish, Chase Bartlett and Jared Bradley each prevailed in straight-set fashion. Smith, Parrish and Bradley did not lose a game.

Price, Lintner and Bartlett combined to drop just three games.

Lintner-Price, Smith-Parrish and Marc Lewis-Dalton Ira each defeated their respective doubles opponents by identical 8-1 scores.

A Charles B. Aycock alum, Klein has four freshmen, one junior and one senior in her lineup. She's noticed frustration from her players once they've completed their matches.

"Today's (dual) match went a lot smoother than their first one," Klein said. "It's just experience ... a matter of getting out there, seeing (other players) and learning from your mistakes. (We) just try to focus on the positives.

"They all seem to be having fun. Their parents tell me they are enjoying it, so to me, that's the most important part."

Rosewood returns home Wednesday for a non-conference match against Clinton. The Darkhorses are directed by head coach Robert Jones, who turned Spring Creek into a 1-A powerhouse and took two teams to the N.C. High School Athletic Association dual-team state finals.