Lady Wave eyes return to state tournament

A stacked lineup and determination to boot, the Fallon girls tennis team is on a mission to return to the state tournament.

This time around, however, the Lady Wave expects to improve after being dismissed by Faith Lutheran, 15-3, in the team tournament last year.

Fallon opens the season Tuesday at 3 p.m. at North Tahoe.

“I’m sure the girls are putting a lot of pressure on themselves to do the same thing as they did last year,” first-year coach Jesse Nuckolls said.

But first, Fallon must navigate the Northern Division I-A along with a coaching change.

Taking over for longtime coaches John and Julie Moore are Jesse and Jessica Nuckolls. The Nuckolls, however, will be assisted by the Moore’s in a move the players said they feel comfortable due to the Nuckolls’ familiarity with the program.

Still, it’s been a learning process for the rookies, even after watching their daughter, Melanie, compete for the Lady Wave the past two seasons.

“John and Julie have been great and we want to model their enthusiasm,” Jesse Nuckolls said.

As for the lineup, Jesse Nuckolls’ philosophy boils down to competition breads success. Players can challenge one another with the winner taking the starting spot.

However, the coaches have a big advantage. The roster is loaded with juniors who have state experience.

In fact, only one senior — Haley Lindsay — is on the roster, although Paige Thorn is listed as a junior (academic purposes), but her eligibility expires after this school year.

There will be several changes as well, with Melanie Nuckolls moving to No. 2 singles and Izzy Martinez partnering with Paige Thorn in doubles.

Holding down the No. 1 singles spot, meanwhile, is veteran Sarah Inglis, who was one of the Lady Wave’s best players last season.

Joining Inglis are returners Kayla Bekiares, Paola Duenas, Mikaela MCormick and Delaney Young. Freshman Jamie Bekiares will also see time on the court.

“John and Julie influence coach Jesse and Jessica,” Inglis explained. “They (the Nuckolls) are pretty much the same.”

For the third-year player, Inglis said her serve has become a weapon as a result of offseason workouts. She added more power instead of lobbing the ball over to avoid second serves and double faults.

“It’s not so wimpy,” she added. “Overall, I have gotten better.”

On the doubles court, Kayla Bekiares and Lindsay are slooted as the No. 1 team, but Martinez and Thron are making a push for the top spot, Jesse Nuckolls said.

The loaded lineup is one of the league’s best as Fallon aims to capture a regional title.

“We want to go to state again,” Inglis said.