Two years removed from a state berth, the Park Hill girls’ tennis team is back to the drawing board with only one player coming back from last year.
Senior Avery Whalen will enter the fall as the only Lady Trojan who was in the lineup in 2022. Park Hill has seven others who are fighting for the remaining five spots.
“With our young team this season, we’re rebuilding and constructing our lineup,” Park Hill girls’ tennis coach Tim Kalis said. “We’ve already seen great improvement so far. We have several girls who are completely new to the game of tennis, so our focus will revolve around effort and growing our skills and game.”
Junior Ellie Gaddis is looking like she might be the No. 1, with Whalen shaping up as the No. 2. Skylar Scamman, Eladie Marshall, Audrey Bolyard, Josie Marshall, Ava Ciccio and Jessica Yu will be competing for the other four.
“Audrey Bolyard has put in time during the offseason and will most likely play in the top four or five with Eladie Marshall and Skylar Scamman playing in top six. Ava Ciccio is aggressive and will likely play in the top eight, she may also crack the top three with regards to the doubles lineup,” Kalis said.
Park Hill is coming off a 10-6 season, going undefeated at home with six matches. While it will be difficult for the Lady Trojans to match that, Coach Kalis told the Platte County Citizen what it will take to have a good year.
“The key for our team to have a successful season will be to have a growth mindset. Our focus must be on the improvement and not avoiding the challenges. If we’re able to do this, we will have a successful season in my eyes,” Kalis said.