Park Hill’s boys tennis team is looking to become back-to-back district champions for the third time in the past decade under head coach Rustin Reys.
“Our goals are always the same: win districts, win conference, send players to state,” Reys said. “We did that last year and hope to take the next step this year.”
The Trojans return five of six from varsity last year, providing experience and leadership for a team looking for a deep run into the postseason. Reys likes the depth his team has shown for this year, with senior Jaipreet Singh earning a highly contested final spot on varsity.
“We have really good players at the top of our lineup, proven toughness and experience winning close matches through the middle, and some untested depth at the end,” Reys said. “This is the perfect build for a blue-collar public school team, and I think it will take us far.”
The doubles tandem of Drew Miller and Carter Lovitt are looking for another appearance at the state tournament after their seventh-place finish last year as underclassmen. The doubles duo returns as district champions eager to improve from last year’s finish.
“They have each gotten better and their styles mesh nicely,” Reys said. “If they keep improving and have the toughness to win close matches, the sky is the limit.”
Reys hopes his team doesn’t take last year’s success for granted. He wants his team to be fearless and each player to remain focused on their goals but continue to take the individual steps to reach those goals.
“We have high expectations and goals,” Reys said. “But we need to realize that each season is a new start. Other players have improved, new freshmen have been added and we need to take each match as it comes. We will have a target on our backs and will see the best from each team we face.”