Bria Lampen surges to No. 1 singles, leads Holland Christian past Hamilton
HOLLAND - Bria Lampen knew she was ready for No. 1 singles - but a little validation never hurts.
The Holland Christian senior moved up from No. 2 to No. 1 in the tennis lineup for the first time this season.
Lampen worked hard to prepare for the increased talent level she would face. In turn, her talent level grew - so much that she landed a spot on the Cornerstone University tennis team.
"I really liked the faith aspect, and that is really important to me. Seeing them incorporate that into school and sports was something I really liked," she said. "They push community and that is important. I am really excited to play tennis there next year. It feels really good having it figured out. The stresses and questions are out of the way and I can finish out my senior year strong."
Lampen led the Maroons to an 8-0 win over Hamilton on Wednesday at home.
"Coming out and playing good competition and getting in the groove early on, I think everyone played well for it being so early in the season, the first match," Lampen said.
Lampen defeated Hamilton's Izzy Troost 6-0, 6-2 at No. 1.
"I played the wind and had to think less about going for bigger shots and just kept the ball on the court," she said.
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That is different to her mantra heading into the season at the top of the lineup.
"I have been working on moving the ball a little more. Playing at No. 4 and No. 2 the past two years, I was more trying to be a wall and get everything back," she said. "This year, I am trying to develop a bigger ball with more force and trying to move my opponent around to make the points a little shorter."
At No. 2, Holland Christian's Eva VanKlompenberg defeated Maya Wetlauffer 6-1, 6-0.
Monika Diaz defeated Natalie Grunst 6-2, 6-2 at No. 3 and Gabi Rooks defeated Kenzie Eding 6-2, 6-0 at No. 4.
"We have a lot of depth top to bottom," Holland Christian coach Lynn Bender said. "There are not a lot of gaps in our lineup and that is going to be great for the girls to push each other. The team spirit is super fun with the seniors."
In doubles, Holland Christian's Ainsley VandenBrink and Lilly DeVries defeated Joelle Boeskool and Haylie Peterman 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1.
At No. 2, Kayla VandenBerg and Esmay Klingenberg defeated Ally Pelon and Abby Atwood 6-2, 6-2.
At No. 3, Larissa Bol and Abi Kraal defeated Dani Wedeven and Drew VanHouten 6-2, 6-3.
Nicole Genzink and Cortney Leep defeated Lydia Lucas and Em Kapinga 6-2, 6-0 at No. 4.
"We have a lot of returning seniors and juniors. We really push each other at practice," Lampen said. "There is no standout. Each singles player will hit a good ball and push me to grow. I like that we are all that equal."
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Bria Lampen surges to No. 1 singles, leads Holland Christian past Hamilton
