The Milbank High School boys’ tennis team starts its 2016 season with the motto Believe To Achieve. Jim Dahl is in his twelfth season leading the team and has a 71-109 overall coaching record. He is 59-46 against Class A schools. He will be assisted by Abbey Trapp.
Chris Loutsch is the lone senior on the team. He, along with returning letter winners junior Matt Lenards and sophomores Adam Thomas and Mitch Quade, will lead the Bulldogs. Other players vying for varsity positions include juniors Riley Folk and David Basillio and sophomores Caden Ebsen, Ethan Paysen, Noah Pillatzki, and Alex Popowski. Newcomers to the tennis world are sophomore James Weber and freshmen Zack Aker, Ethan Bohn, Keaton Hagen, Nathan Loutsch, and Connor VanVooren. Eighth-grader Max McCulloch has also joined the team.
“Our motto this season is Believe to Achieve,” said coach Dahl. “We hope to have the confidence in our game to compete on every point and play to the best of our abilities. We need to learn from the past and move on to play with confidence.”
Aberdeen Roncalli is the only other Northeast Conference member to field a team, so the Bulldogs will face a majority of larger schools. There is no class system for tennis in South Dakota. Milbank will face Brookings, Watertown, Brandon Valley, Rapid City, and Sioux Falls schools.
The first match of the season is scheduled for Tuesday, April 5, at Cantine Courts in Milbank. The locals will host Pipestone, MN, beginning at 4 p.m.
Following is a complete list of matches for the 2016 season:
Milbank Boys Tennis
| Date | Time | Opponent | Location |
| 04/05/16 | 4 p.m. | Pipestone, MN – JV, V | Milbank |
| 04/08/16 | 9 a.m. | Aberdeen Rizatto Invitational – V only | Aberdeen |
| 04/09/16 | 9 a.m. | Aberdeen Rizatto Invitational – V only | Aberdeen |
| 04/12/16 | 4 p.m. | Watertown – JV, V | Watertown |
| 04/18/16 | 4:30 p.m. | Lac Qui Parle Valley, MN – JV, V | Milbank |
| 04/21/16 | 10 a.m. | Brandon Valley Invitational – V only | Brandon |
| 04/26/16 | 1:30 p.m. | Aberdeen Roncalli – JV, V | Aberdeen |
| 04/26/16 | 4 p.m. | Aberdeen Central – JV, V | Aberdeen |
| 04/29/16 | TBD | Watertown – 7/8 grade | Watertown |
| 04/29/16 | 10 a.m. | Brookings Invitational – V only | Brookings |
| 05/02/16 | 1 & 4 p.m. | Aberdeen Central – JV, V | Milbank |
| 05/06/16 | 4:30 p.m. | Yellow Medicine (YME) – JV, V | Granite Falls |
| 05/09/16 | 1 & 4 p.m. | Aberdeen Roncalli – JV, V | Milbank |
| 05/10/16 | 3 p.m. | Benson, MN – 7/8, JV, V | Milbank |
| 05/14/16 | 9 a.m. | Madison Invitational – V only | Madison |
| 05/16/16 | 4 p.m. | Watertown JV – JV only | Milbank |
| 05/19/16 | TBD | State Tennis Tournament | Rapid City |
| 05/20/16 | TBD | State Tennis Tournament | Rapid City |
| 05/21/16 | TBD | State Tennis Tournament | Rapid City |
Staff Writer
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