Bismarck Demons Tennis

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Nobody wants to lose, but there is a lot to learn when taking some lumps. The Bismarck tennis team is an excellent example of that. The Demons are sitting in 3rd place in the W.D.A.

Just a few years ago, B.H.S. was closer to the cellar than it was to the top. That same group of athletes is now 6-2 in the conference and they’re on a two-match winning streak.

Erik Hanson, Bismarck Head Coach: “We have a group that’s been together for a long time. They started in the 7th grade when they were young, and they stuck together putting in a lot of time in the off-seasons. The thing with that is we didn’t have a lot of upperclassmen for a number of years so this group kind of took their lumps for quite a few of those years and it’s really paying off now that they are upperclassmen and better students of the game.”

Hanson says now that his group has gained some experience and they’re enjoying some success, his approach with his team has had to change as well.

Hanson: “Coaching in that situation is more maintaining that mental and emotional strength and I think that develops a little bit faster sometimes than the physical gifts of the game and now that everything is coming together it’s really paying off and they’re confident and they’re playing to the best of their ability.”

We also asked Hanson if he could pick a player or two that have been consistent performers so far this spring.

Hanson: “I can say any of the top six of the varsity girls. They all have solid records, especially the bottom half of the roster, solid singles records. Everybody is contributing whether that be both in singles and doubles or maybe just in doubles, but all of the girls have winning records with the exception of one which is a tough position.”

Bismarck finished the regular season with a sweep of St. Mary’s earlier this week. The West Region starts a week from today in Mandan.

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