Preps: Youthful tennis players already serving notice

Apparently, the days when freshmen athletes were expected to be seen and not heard from are long gone. At least, that's the case when it comes to girls tennis in Las Vegas.

Three of the area's top prep teams are counting heavily on ninth graders to carry them into the postseason in 1998.

For Bishop Gorman, it's the freshman duo of Lauren Martines and Kirsten Turner. Despite playing on a Gaels' squad that returned most of last year's 4A state championship lineup, Martines is one of the team's top three singles players and Turner is half of its No. 1 doubles pair.

Bonanza, which barely missed out on a state berth in 1997, also is expecting big things from two ninth graders: Trisha Piercy and Beverly Thomas, already the Benglas' top two singles players.

And Silverado, one of the up-and-coming programs on the prep tennis scene, has freshman Jamie Marshall -- one of the top-rated young players in Nevada -- in its No. 1 singles slot.

"(The freshmen) are good for tennis, and it's really good for competition here," Gorman coach Cindy Bennett said.

For Bennett, the arrival of Martines and Turner meant re-shuffling a lineup that featured juniors Jennifer Kuhle and Vivian Shin, two of the zone's top two finishers in 1997.

Martines -- a nationally ranked USTA 14s player -- joined Kuhle and Shin in the Gaels' singles rotation, with Turner teaming up with senior Amy Freidlander to form the club's top doubles combo.

And according to Bennett, Gorman's established players welcomed the newcomers with open arms.

"They know we're a team, and there's no animosity at all," Bennett said. "They know (Martines and Turner) will help us be a top contender to get through to state."

Having a highly-touted ninth grader on his club isn't a new experience for Silverado coach Bob Clements. Last year, his Skyhawks were led by then-freshman Kim Cavan, who finished third in the zone.

Now, with the nationally ranked Marshall at No. 1 and Cavan at No. 2, Clements' charges look like a contender for years to come.

"With those two working together, that will make both of them even stronger," Clements said. "My goal is to get both to the state tournament."

At Bonanza, coach Sean Seiler's squad also underwent a major transformation with the arrival of Piercy in the preseason and Thomas, a transfer from Chicago, just a week before the first regular season match.

"It's exciting for our future to have young girls like that," Seiler said. "Our girls were ecstatic because they knew we were a player or two away from competing with the Gormans and Green Valleys."

Of course, success at the freshman level is nothing new in Nevada. Just two years ago, Bishop Manogue's Lara Burgarello won the state title in her first year of high school.

Whether one of this year's fabulous frosh achieves that feat in the coming months remains to be seen. But it's already clear that the area's top veteran prep tennis players had better not underestimate their younger opponents this season.

"I think they might take them lightly, being juniors and seniors," Clements said. "And these girls have played so much tennis that they could be better than anyone else in town."

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