More league opponents, yet fewer golfers to take them on. That’s the situation that the Meadville girls golf team finds itself in as the Lady Bulldogs head into the 2008 season.

Where last year it was just Meadville and Hickory making up the entirety of Region 2, this year’s realignment of District 10 now finds the Lady ’Dogs sharing Region 1 with four others — Hickory, Rocky Grove, Kennedy Catholic and Reynolds.

Rocky Grove has just recently joined the D-10, defecting from District 9. Kennedy Catholic didn’t field a team last year. And this will be Reynolds’ first go-around with a school-sponsored girls golf team after the program spent last season as a club sport.

Today, the five teams will get to know each other better during the region’s first mega-match of the season, which tees off at 3 p.m. at the Meadville Country Club. But until then, most of Region 1 is an unknown quantity for Meadville golf coach Fred Garvey. Even so, he likes seeing his squad in an actual league to call their own.

“It is nice,” said Garvey. “We have a nice schedule. We play 10 region matches. It will be nice for our girls.”

So, five teams in the league. And, just by coincidence, that’s the same number of girls on Meadville’s team. The Lady Bulldogs lost Emily Ferguson to graduation. The school’s freshman class was a no-show. And no golfers were gained through Meadville’s co-op agreement with Cochranton.

Yet, in high school golf it takes only four golfers to play a match. The Bulldogs have that covered. And Meadville welcomes back a solid top three in seniors Alyssa Gerhart and Ashley Longstreth, and junior Carly Gordon.

Gerhart was third at the District 10 championships, placing in her second straight D-10 meet. Longstreth and Gordon both finished 10th in last year’s district championship. And all three have kept busy on the links this summer.

“They’ve all played in quite a few tournaments this summer,” said Garvey. “Alyssa’s had a pretty extensive schedule. ... Ashley won her age group at the Elks Tournament at Seven Springs. ... Carly has played really well this summer and has really improved her game.”

The team will need one of the remaining two sophomores — Amy Boettiger and Kayla Cochran — to round out the scoring in matches.

“For the other two, we’re going to need someone to step up,” said Garvey.

The Meadville girls are on their home course just three times this season. The Lady Bulldogs will host their second mega-match at the Country Club on Sept. 8. Then on Sept. 19 they will host a girls tournament, drawing teams from throughout District 10.

Pete Chiodo can be reached at 724-6370 ext. 275 or by e-mail at pchiodo@meadvilletribune.com.