Garden City girls favored to repeat WAC title
If the preseason outlook from the five Western Athletic Conference girls tennis coaches is any indication, the Garden City Lady Buffaloes are the favorite to repeat their 2019 league team title.
But to do so, they will have tough battles coming from rival Dodge City, which returns three of its four doubles players from a year ago. Their top player, Jordyn Trombley, graduated and is now playing for Bethany College.
Garden City’s girls will have a new coach in Logan Bevis, who moves up from his assistant’s position to assume the mantle held by Rod Robinson for 17 seasons before he retired at the end of the spring 2020 school year.
DODGE CITY LADY RED DEMONS
Head Coach: David Snodgrass (7th season)
If the Dodge City Lady Red Demons are going to unseat Garden City, it most likely will come from their strong doubles teams, which return three of the four players from 2019, all of whom qualified for the state tournament.
Despite losing No. 1 singles player Jordyn Trombley to graduation (now at Bethany College), seventh-year head coach David Snodgrass welcomes back his No. 1 doubles team intact in senior Jewel Escobar and her court mate Mariana Ortiz, also a senior. Becca Unruh, in just her freshman season, placed third in the 6A regionals doubles to qualify for state and is back from what is expected a stronger sophomore campaign.
Escobar and Ortiz placed third in the WAC championship a year ago while Unruh was runner-up in No. 2 doubles. The Demons eventually placed third behind Garden City and Great Bend in the team race.
Snodgrass is uncertain as to which of that group will retain playing doubles and who might move up into the singles competition for 2020.Postseason Honors: Team 3rd at Class 6A regionals.
Other returning letter winners from a year ago include seniors Sammy Nguyen and Jazmin Rios along with junior Faith Heath.
“We will need to work to get better each and every day in order to compete at the highest level in WAC and Regionals” Snodgrass said. “We have a good core returning that are eager to get out on the courts and play.”
2020 Schedule: Sept. 8—at Great Bend; Sept. 12—at Great Bend Inv.; Sept. 15—DODGE CITY INV.; Sept. 17—at Derby; Sept. 21—at Haysville-Campus; Sept. 26—at Garden City Inv.; Oct. 1—at Hutchinson Inv.; Oct. 5—at WAC, Liberal; Oct. 10—6A Regionals; Oct. 16-17—6A State.
GARDEN CITY LADY BUFFALOES
Head Coach: Logan Bevis (1st season)
Garden City High School didn’t have to look far to find a new tennis coach after the retirement in the spring by Rod Robinson, who led the Buffaloes’ boys and girls programs for 17 seasons before putting the racket and teaching tools away.
While in his first year as the Buffaloes’ head coach, Logan Bevis is no stranger to the GCHS program, having spent the previous two years as Robinson’s assistant. He also has been with the boys’ program for three previous seasons.
Bevis inherits a team that has dominated the WAC in recent years, with 2019 being another strong one as the Lady Buffs claimed the team championship. While he lost his No. 1 singles player, four-year starter Carson Linenberger to graduation, Bevis does return a solid core group with plenty of varsity experience.
Of his six varsity players, three return, including last year’s No. 2 singles Sage Riggs, who posted an impressive 30-6 record to earn a spot a the Class 6A state tournament. Riggs took second in the regional tourney and won the No. 2 singles WAC title. In addition to Linenberger, doubles player Carole Galia also graduated after placing second in WAC.
The Buffs’ No. 2 doubles team of now senior Ashley Chappel and now sophomore Brook Ptacek returns after winning the WAC title in their division and posting a 21-10 record en route to a spot at the state tourney. Bevis also will have returners who saw some varsity action in senior Rilee McGraw and sophomores Sydnee Nanninga and Chloe Powell.
“Replacing three of our top players from last year’s team, we will be a young team with relatively limited experience,” Bevis said. “Sage (Riggs) will be in her third year on varsity and will be looking to become a more vocal leader for the team after her successful sophomore year.”
Bevis said it’s also a positive to have a doubles team that played a full season together in 2019.
“Ashley and Brooke also bring back valuable experience from last year,” Bevis said. “Our summer tennis program was limited due to COVID-19, but the majority of our top 10 returners took advantage of the opportunities they had and improved over the summer.”
2020 Schedule: Sept. 12—at Great Bend; Sept. 15—at Dodge City; Sept. 19—at Valley Center; Sept. 21—at Haysville-Campus; Sept. 26—GARDEN CITY INV.; Oct. 1—at Hutchinson; Oct. 5—WAC Championship; Oct. 9-10e—Class 6A Regionals; Oct. 16-17—Class 6A State.
GREAT BEND LADY PANTHERS
Head Coach: Zachary Bartel (2nd season)
In his first season guiding the Great Bend Lady Panthers tennis program, Zachary Bartel watched his team finish second to league champion Garden City by the thinnest of margins.
Now, with the 2020 season on the horizon for the moment, Bartel is optimistic that the GBHS team is on the rise to better things.
Despite the loss of one-half of the No. 1 doubles team, Alexis Folkerts, to graduation, the Lady Panthers return 2019 Player of the Year and No. 1 singles champ senior Remi Ingram. Other top returners include senior Abbie Moyers, who teamed with Folkerts at No. 1 doubles, to win the WAC while also placing first at five other tournaments. Those two combined to go 27-9. Senior Anna Popp, the No. 2 singles runner-up, won two tourney titles in 2019 while posting a 25-10 won-loss mark.
Two other letter winners are back as well in senior Madison Huslig and sophomore Mya Ward.
“We should be competitive for the WAC championship with the potential for several state qualifiers,” Bartel said.
2020 Schedule: Aug. 27—at Lyons Quad; Sept. 3—at McPherson Inv.; Sept. 8—GREAT BEND ROUND ROBIN; Sept. 12—GREAT BEND INV.; Sept. 15—at Dodge City Inv.; Sept. 24—at Salina South Inv.; Sept. 26—at Garden City Inv.; Oct. 3—at McPherson Inv.; Oct. 5—at WAC (Liberal); Oct. 10—Regional Tournament; Oct. 16-17—State Tournament, Site TBD.
HAYS HIGH LADY INDIANS
Head Coach: Kayla Brown (2nd season)
It was a rough inaugural season for Hays High girls tennis coach Kayla Brown. Finishing at the bottom rung of the WAC ladder, Brown’s second season looms to be much improved since she lost No. 1 singles player Lynsie Hansen to graduation but returns intact the rest of her squad from 2019.
Three seniors, a junior and a sophomore, are among the top five returners for Brown. That group is led by Macey Speier, who took first at the Cimarron tournament in No. 2 singles. Another senior, Taylor Deines, placed second at the Great Bend Invitational in No. 1 doubles with Mylah Potter, another senior returner. Junior Sage Zweifel and sophomore Kaylee Wellbrock.
Two other seniors who earned letters in 2019 are McKena McBride and Maggie Robben.
“This season I have 20 returning players and 20 new players,” Brown said. “I am excited for the senior leadership and my group of returning varsity level players. I am confident each day my players will continue to improve on their individual skills and become competitive athletes.”
2020 Schedule: Aug. 27—at Cimarron; Sept. 3—HAYS HIGH INV.; Sept. 8—at Great Bend; Sept. 15—at Dodge City; Sept. 26—at Garden City; Oct. 3—at McPherson; Oct. 5—at WAC, Liberal; Oct. 10—Class 5A regional; Oct. 16-17—at Class 5A State.
LIBERAL LADY REDSKINS
Head Coach: Bret Irby (13th season)
After a fourth-place team finish in the 2019 Western Athletic Conference tournament, veteran coach Bret Irby, now entering his 13th season, has a veteran cast of returners and looks for his team to make a marked improvement during the 2020 campaign.
Much of that enthusiasm comes from the return of senior singles players Priscilla Vasquez along with starters Riddhi Bombaywala, Brianna Sanders, Jacianna Rivera, Aracely Jurado and Katie Classen.
“We are returning all of our starters and we are optimistic about a successful season,” Irby said.
2020 Schedule: Sept. 3—at Circle; Sept. 8—LIBERAL INV.; Sept. 12—at Great Bend; Sept. 15—at Dodge City; Sept. 21—at Scott City; Sept. 26—at Garden City Inv.; Oct. 3—at McPherson Inv.; Oct. 5—WAC, at Liberal; Oct. 9-10—Class 6A regional; Oct. 16-17—Class 6A state.Preseason Coaches Poll (Predicted Order of Finish): 1. Garden City; 2. Dodge City; 3. Great Bend; 4. (T) Hays, Liberal.
