Pugh wants to relax, give it her all

By JEN SEAVEY

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- The section tennis championship game against Courtney Dirks of St. Peter last week was possibly the only time sophomore Jenny Pugh didn't mind losing too much.

Dirks, a senior, beat Pugh in a hard-fought match, and since each each section sends two players to state, Pugh finds herself preparing for the state tournament instead of looking to next year

"I'm trying not to let state get to me," said Pugh. "I'm not putting any pressure on myself. I want to be relaxed and give it my best shot."

Pugh, a sophomore on the New Ulm High School tennis team, faces Mounds View's Erin Humphrey at 8:30 a.m. Friday in the first round of the Class 2AA Singles State Tournament at the Northwest Athletic Club in Bloomington.

If she wins, she will play again at 1 p.m. against either Jane Anderson of Edina or Beret Remak of Minneapolis South.

Preparing for state, Pugh has been practicing under the direction of Coach Pat Reedy, who has coached for 23 years and knows something of state competition.

"The only thing that some of these girls do is play tennis," said Reedy. "When they are at that level, it is tough for us to compete."

Pugh herself has a long history in playing tennis, starting when she moved to town in the 80's. She has been in tennis ever since, playing through junior high, and made varsity as a freshman.

"I starting playing when I was really young in the summer programs," Pugh said. "We had those big rackets with dinky handles and just tried to hit the ball over the net."

She has come a long way from that. What Pugh would like to concentrate on during her match is her net game. That is what she does best, according to Pugh and her friend John Hildebrandt, with whom she often practices.

"Jenny is the only girl I know who plays up in the net," said Hildebrandt. "That is how she kills people when she plays."

Another way that Pugh frustrates her opponents is to change the speed on the ball, hitting it differently to throw the other player off guard.

Even considering Pugh's abilities, and that this year was Pugh's second year on varsity, she is young for a state participant.

"To go to state, you have to be a strong player, which she is," said Reedy. "Most of the kids who have gone to state from New Ulm have been in their senior year, so this bodes well for Jenny."

Reedy also says that along with hitting the ball with spin to take the opponent out of their game, Pugh's athleticism and analytical mind will be an asset against some tough competition.

"She is quite a competitor," said Reedy. "Regardless of who she comes up against, she will give it her all."