Nerves? Laurie Alonso and Amy Kelly don’t have time for ’em.

Thursday, October 26, 2000

Nerves? Laurie Alonso and Amy Kelly don’t have time for ’em.

They’re a little too busy focusing on winning a state Class AA tennis doubles championship at the moment.

After playing the entire regular season with Alonso at first singles and Kelly at second, the Austin High girls teamed up to take second place in the section doubles tournament. Now their focus is squarely on teamwork and a first round matchup Friday against Cretin-Derham Hall’s Lauren Patient and Emily Palmer.

"We have to play our game and not let the nerves get to us," Kelly said.

Alonso, a junior, and Kelly, a sophomore, each have state tournament experience – Kelly in last spring’s state softball tournament and Alonso in singles competition at last year’s state tennis meet.

"I’ll be a little more relaxed (than last year)," Alonso said. "It’s nice to have someone out there with me."

Packer coach Levon Larson said he continues to see steady improvement in the team as they prepare for Friday’s first round. Larson said it helps that Alonso and Kelly often worked as a team in practice during the season.

"They’ve improved a lot in their ability to move on the court together," Larson said. "We’re finally getting them to take advantage of some slow-moving balls they can hit cross-court and win some quick points."

The Packer duo knows little about its first round opponent, which has helped them focus on improving their own game.

"We don’t know anything about them, so we can’t be intimidated," Alonso said. "We have to go out and play with confidence."

Kelly and Alonso need to win three matches to reach the championship match. Should they win their first round match Friday morning, they will play again at 3 p.m. Friday.