The Spectrum Daily News •
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• Published: April 19. 2011 4:55AM
| Hurricane's Duncan Alger is as laid back as a California surfer.
The No. 1 singles tennis player carries a smile and care-free attitude on the tennis court. The junior will often talk throughout matches, but it's not so much trash-talking; rather a way to maintain his edge.
Although this isn't his last campaign at the prep level, Alger is playing like it. He wants to be the best in both region and state. The task is certainly not easy to accomplish with friend and No. 1 singles player Jordan Lyden from Desert Hills vying for the same result.
"I have to beat him," said Alger following Thursday's 6-0 and 6-1 win over Pine View's Peter Neve. "Don't get me wrong, we're good friends. But we're also both competitive. He wants to win just as much as I do."
Alger will square off against the three-time defending state champion April 26.
The Tigers junior said Lyden's versatility poses many challenges not just for him, but to a lot of players. One area of emphasis for Alger is to counter Lyden's ability to attack the net with consistency.
With Alger's strength in ground strokes, the key to victory for the Tigers' co-captain will be his ability to be consistent down the lines and with accurate volleys over Lyden.
Alger and Lyden are real familiar with each other's style of play. The duo competes and train with one another often at Bloomington CC. If their scrimmages are any indication, their upcoming match will be highly entertaining.
GROWING PAINS: With freshmen and sophomores comprising a good portion of the starting lineup, Canyon View softball coach Melanie Nelson knew there would be challenging moments. Although a five-run sixth-inning rally fell just short in Friday's 8-7 loss to Cedar, Nelson never lost faith that her team was capable of such a comeback.
"We've scored that many before in an inning," Nelson said. "I never doubted we could come back.
"We're such a young team, we have to develop toughness and an attitude with how we take a loss. These kids are amazing athletes, and they're starting to learn that."
REPORT SCORES, KEEP US APPRISED OF SCHEDULING CHANGES: We invite all of our prep coaches and/or scorekeepers to report the scores of their games - home and away; win or lose. Also, if there has been a scheduling change, please notify us at
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