By Jason Lawrence
Special to The Citizen
Coming off an 8-9 dual record in head coach Tim Kalis’ first season at the helm, the Park Hill girls’ tennis program is looking to build on a competitive season.
“I am very optimistic as we return four of our top six,” Kalis said. “Collectively, this year’s women’s tennis team must rely on extreme hustle, grit and sound fundamentals to meet our challenges, overcome obstacles and reach our team goals. Our focus during practices has always been, and will continue to be, what we can control once we step out on the court — effort and attitude. If the girls give 100 percent of both, they will see results.”
Returning from the team that went 3-4 in the Suburban Conference Gold Division and lost to St. Teresa’s Academy in the second round of the Class 2 District 15 Tournament are seniors Kansas Dreps, Lauren Steckelberg and Casey Lasater, and junior Elise McFee.
Gone, however, are last year’s No. 1 player Maisie Markowitz, who advanced to the Class 2 Sectionals as a freshman, and No. 5 Lily Cota, who graduated.
Citizen file photo
Park Hill’s Kansas Dreps hits a shot in a dual with Platte County last year in Platte City, Mo.
Kalis, who is assisted by Gretchen Evans and Brian England, expects to fill the void left on the varsity roster with some combination of Jada Ray, Elizabeth Appel, Grace Yu, Taleen Adjemian and Sanjana Kotha, among others.
“It initially appears we are going to have an even larger team this year than last, which is exciting,” Kalis said. “Several new student-athletes are going to be vital to the program’s immediate and future success.”
While Kalis views Lee’s Summit West as the favorite for the conference title this season, he expects his team to compete in every meet.
“We are once again going to face very talented and tough athletes this season,” he said. “We play in a competitive conference. The coaches in our conference all do a fantastic job with their teams. Each meet will challenge the girls … and thus we will need to approach our schedule one meet at a time.”
The Trojans begin the season with back-to-back matches Monday, Aug. 27 and Tuesday, Aug. 28, hosting Staley before traveling to St. Joseph Central the following day.