Cardinal Gibbons Preparing for Move to 4-A in Preseason Practices

Cardinal Gibbons High School head coach Andrew Tuttle has 35 players trying out for his varsity and junior varsity squads as he begins to prepare the team for moving to the 4-A PAC 6 Conference this year.

The varsity team returns 11 players from last year, including four starters, and has added two players up from junior varsity and two freshmen to round out the roster.

The Lady Crusaders lost two top players from last year to graduation, the winningest two players in school history.   Natalie Freeman posted 171 wins in singles and doubles over her career while Devin Knors won 158.

"While it will be challenging to replace these two four-year starters, we return a solid core of experienced tournamet players, said Coach Tuttle.

The top returnees include Lizzie Galush, a state singles semifinalist last year, and Jenna Knors, a state doubles champion with her sister Devin last year.   Freshmen Karly Fitzgerald and Lily Ruocchio have shown a lot of potential and may be able to contribute to the lineup this season.

"Our team looks forward to the challenge of joining a new conference at the 4-A level this season," said Coach Tuttle.   "East Chapel Hill is a perennial power, and we hope to challenge them for the PAC 6 title, and at the state level, two-time defending champion Panther Creek should be the team to beat again this year.   We hope to be competitive with the top teams when it comes playoff time."