Oct. 18, 2004
SAULT STE. MARIE - Three shooting range targets are hanging in the window of the Lake Superior State tennis office.
The targets are labeled Michigan Tech, Saginaw Valley and Wayne State. On two of the targets - Michigan Tech and SVSU - the Lakers have hit the bullseye. They were a bit off-center when they took their first shot at Wayne State, but will get another shot at the Warriors during the first round of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, which begins Friday in Midland.
"Those are the three teams that we wanted to beat, and we have already beaten two of them," said Alex Beauregard, who is the Lakers' interim head coach. Beauregard replaced fifth-year coach Jon Coles, who left mid-way through the season to become an assistant principal at Big Rapids High School.
"We lost a close match to Wayne State. It's a sign. We get have a chance to get them back and make it all three."
LSSU (5-5) is the No. 6 seed in the tournament and will play third-seeded Wayne State (7-3). The Lakers suffered a 6-3 home loss to the Warriors during the regular season, but two matches went were decided in three sets and the team result could have gone either way.
A victory over WSU this weekend would assure the Lakers of at least a top-four finish in the GLIAC Tournament and an NCAA Regional berth.
Kelli Hammond, who plays No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles, is LSSU's only senior. She helped Beauregard keep the team on track after Coles' departure. Beauregard was a senior on the men's team last year and has had to adjust quickly from teammate to head coach.
"Now I look at them a lot differently," Beauregard said. "They are doing really good. Kelli is helping me a lot. It is hard for me, when everything goes bad, to know what to say. Kelli does that for me. She knows I don't have the control yet to bring them back."
Fortunately, that hasn't happened often. This is a team that knew it had to come together if it was going to survive the upheaval of a coach's departure.
"We still miss having coach around, but we knew it was the right thing for him," Hammond said. "This team is mentally tough and ready to bring on anybody in the conference, even the No. 1 team."
According to Hammond, several upsets have occurred in the GLIAC this season, so anything is possible during the league tournament. Beauregard's challenge will be to come up with a lineup for the Wayne State match that will also work in subsequent matches. He has flip-flopped doubles teams in the Nos. 2 and 3 spots, but can't change his lineup during the tournament.
"There is not much for us to change," Hammond said of her teammates and herself, who will be seeing their competition for the second time this season. "We just have to think about our opponents' game and how we will play against that type of player...We have to step it up at every single position."
The Lakers are a young team. Freshman Megan LaMothe at No. 4 singles and sophomore Alex Chiakmakis at No. 6 singles are both 7-3 in singles and 8-2 in doubles. Freshman Celina Grondin and Hammond are 6-4 in doubles. Grondin also plays No. 1 singles.
LSSU's lineup also includes sophomore Sophie Bedard at No. 2 singles and sophomore Megan Smith at No. 5 singles. They are also doubles teammates.
"I knew when they were coming that this was going to be a good year," Hammond said. "We played in a couple tournaments this summer, got to hang out, talk to each other and play. This group will grow as a team."
Prior to leaving, Coles instilled the same regard for team success in an individual sport that made his men's team a success last year. Beauregard, who was last year's captain, has picked up where Coles left off.
"Jon really improved the spirit of this team," Beauregard said. "We get along and cheer for each other. Now I see this team from a different point of view. I've tried to work with their mental game more than their technique. I'm not really a technical coach, but I can play with their head."
