The girls tennis team competed in the Kansas State Championship tournament in Olathe with around 25 other teams, ending with a runner-up finish. The four-person state team was composed of three seniors and freshman Eli Ward, who helped the team out with an individual state title along with an undefeated season.
Free State Girls and Boys Tennis Coach, Aaron Clark, said that tennis is such a unique sport since it is an individual competition. Everyone focuses on themselves until the postseason where the players have to make the switch to the team aspect of the game. Clark said the team was able to prepare for this change throughout the season by all their shared experiences throughout the season.
“It’s a little bit different than most team sports, but it’s that team chemistry that kind of supports us ,” Clark said.
Ward said that the success of the team was largely in part to their level of practice. She said breathing exercises before and during matches as well as proper rest after matches helped her to be mentally prepared for each game.
“We were all focused during practices and trying to get better,” Ward said.
Senior Camille Lee, a four-year varsity team member, said she felt a lot more pressure in the beginning of the season more than any other year because it was her last time playing with Free State. Lee has had a string of knee injuries that required surgeries leading to extended breaks away from the sport, but she said it gave her time to recover and reflect over tennis. Part of the reason for her success, Lee said, was that she discovered certain breathing techniques after working with coaches to get past her mental blocks.
“I was the least nervous at State compared to all the other tournaments, ” Lee said.
Clark said that he knew going into the year that the team was talented, and it was a matter of focusing and staying healthy to be able to perform well at State. He said that after the fourth place regionals finish, the team knew they had things to work on and this led them to build up their success all the way to State.
