Schneringer eyes spot on first tennis team

BENTONVILLE -- Sarah Schneringer wants to be part of the inaugural Bentonville West girls tennis team, and she'll have the opportunity to do that when she takes part in a tryout later this month. In the meantime, the rising freshman continues to focus on herself and work on her tennis game, no matter how long it takes. "I'm playing pretty much every day and playing between three and seven hours a day," Schneringer said. "On the weekends, I'm playing in tournaments. "Being on that first tennis team, we'll be setting the standards for those that are coming up. I know some younger girls and guys that are wanting to try out for the team in the future, and we need to set the expectations. I already know two or three that will be on the team, so I can't wait." Schneringer took a positive step Friday afternoon during the Serena Smith Junior Open state tennis tournament, which takes place this weekend at Memorial Park and the Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers. She moved up to the girls' 16 singles division for the tournament and came away with a 6-2, 6-2, first-round victory over Rachna Paruchuri, who could be her teammate at West next month. The victory moved Schneringer into a 9 a.m. quarterfinal match against Katelyn Joubert, who will be on Bentonville High's team in the fall. "It's always hard playing against your friends," she said. "But I've been in enough tournaments to know I can handle that kind of competition." Schneringer spent most of her summer not knowing who would be her coach at West since Hunter Alexander wasn't hired until the June 20 school board meeting, just before the two-week athletic dead period. That meant she's had to do much of her work by herself. Most of the work has been centered toward improvement on her backhand, and the work has paid off in tournaments. "I've been working trying to get my backhand on the same level with my forehand, so it doesn't look like I have an obvious weakness," Schneringer said. "My coach tells me that both swings are now on the same level now, and I played well in this match. "I want to be able to play doubles and singles this fall. With me being a freshman, that's a lot to take in because I'll be playing against a lot of good girls, and I'm hoping I can come away with a winning record."

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SCHNERINGER EYES SPOT ON FIRST TENNIS TEAM

HENRY APPLE

ArkansasOnline | 7/16/2016