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Sports

Age Doesn't Matter to Rising Tennis Star

Berkley High School freshman Alexis Northcross has shown you're never too young to play No. 2 singles.

Coach Lenny Waldman has seen freshmen make the varsity cut on the girls tennis team in the past.

However, it’s not every day that a freshman is talented enough to grab hold of a singles flight and keep that spot for the duration.

Then again, Waldman hadn't met Alexis Northcross until this season.

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The 14-year-old not only made the varsity squad out of the gate, she won the No. 2 singles spot for the girls tennis team.

“It was pretty exciting,” Alexis said of the beginning of her high school career. “It was a new experience. There was hard competition, and it was quite fun.”

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She has excelled at the flight.

Waldman had a chance to watch Alexis play prior to the high school season, but her level of play still has been a pleasant surprise this spring.

“I had a pretty good feeling that she was going come out for the team and walk on to varsity, it was just a matter of where,” Waldman said.

“Then when she came out, I was able to really start seeing what her strengths are," he said. "One of her key strengths is her speed. She’s very fast on the court and really moves around well and attacks the ball.”

Alexis and her older sister, Erika, have proven to be a powerful punch at the No. 1 and 2 singles flights this season.

“(Alexis) did real well during our tryout week,” said Waldman, who is in his fifth season as Berkley's head coach. “She really showed a lot of character and a lot of tenacity for a ninth-grader. She’s real calm when she plays, and she’s real focused, and she’s really driven.

“It was almost a bonus, I call it, because I didn’t anticipate her coming out and playing two singles," Waldman said. "I just figured, ‘Hey, if she comes out and she’s at four singles or even in doubles, that’ll be fine.’ ”

Erika, a senior, played at No. 2 singles last season but was moved up and opened the door for her sister.

“I knew she had the potential to do it,” Erika said of her younger sister winning the No. 2 spot.

Starting out at No. 2 singles could only mean good things in the future.

“Having a ninth-grader is such a treat because it’s that opportunity to have them with you, hopefully, for four years,” Waldman said. “I’ve never had a ninth-grader start at varsity and then go down to JV (junior varsity), so this is an opportunity to cultivate that player and have them grow with the team.”

Marla Krasnick, the team’s only other freshman player, competed at No. 4 doubles this season.

The Northcross sisters and the rest of their teammates are preparing for a chance to advance to next month’s Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 2 finals when they compete in regionals next week.

Berkley, Birmingham Groves, Birmingham Seaholm, Bloomfield Hills Marian, Detroit Cody, Detroit Henry Ford, Detroit Renaissance, Garden City, Redford Union, Redford-Thurston and Southfield will compete in Division 2 regional action beginning at 8:30 a.m. Thursday at Marian.

Getting out of regionals will be quite the challenge for the Bears, considering that Marian and Seaholm were ranked in the top five in the May 9 Michigan High School Tennis Coaches’ Association rankings.

The top two teams and those that score at least 18 points will advance from the regional tournament to the state finals. The Bears fell 1 point short of qualifying for the state tournament last season.

Then again, Alexis has proven that anything is possible.

She was introduced to the game of tennis by her grandmother, Shirley Northcross, who played the sport. In fact, Grandma got Alexis, Erika and their older brother, Colin, involved.

Alexis also plays volleyball, but tennis is where her heart is.

Erika and Alexis play the sport year-round and have teamed up for some doubles tournaments in the high school offseason.

During practices, the two typically take warm-up swings and compete against each other.

“She’s a very generous player,” Erika said with a chuckle about her sister. “She’s not really shy off the court, but when it comes to playing, she’s either down on herself or she’s not really outgoing with it.”

Generous or not, Alexis has shown that hard work has its benefits.

“She’s proven herself at this position,” Waldman said. “Selfishly, I wish I could keep her at the position another year or two, but if she’s strong enough, then she might have the opportunity to move up to No. 1 singles next year.”

Alexis aspires to earn a college scholarship and continue her playing career beyond her days at Berkley.

In the meantime, she offered some encouragement for the youngsters who have yet to make their way into the Berkley High hallways.

“If you really want to play the sport, you should try your hardest to make it and work for it,” Alexis said.

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