Favored Lady Buffs remain dominant in WAC girls tennis

GCHS girls capture eighth straight conference crown

Despite not having a single senior on his roster, Garden City High School girls’ tennis coach Logan Bevis was cautiously optimistic about his underclass group of players heading into the fall 2023 season.

His optimism was for good reason since most of his returners saw considerable varsity action a year ago, or had played a full junior varsity schedule against small-class schools’ varsity teams.

Thus, after the opening week at the difficult Wichita Collegiate Invitational, Bevis had three weeks to prepare his team for what would be a fast-paced fall schedule in September and early October.

It all paid off in dividends for the Lady Buffs on Monday (Oct. 2) when Bevis watched his squad capture its eighth straight Western Athletic Conference title on the Lady Buffs’ home courts. It marked the ninth time in 10 seasons for Garden City’s girls to finish atop the conference standings.

The Lady Buffs grabbed the title by having all four of its division competitors finish either first or second in the round-robin format. They finished with 14 points to 11 for runner-up Great Bend.

The Lady Panthers captured the other two divisions – winning No. 1 singles behind Player of the Year Kaylin Wahlmeier and then taking seconds in No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles. The big point differential came in No. 1 doubles where Great Bend’s duo placed fourth.

Garden City sophomore Quincy Nanninga captured the No. 2 singles title with a 4-0 record, the No. 1 doubles team of sophomore Chloe Ptacek and junior Jocelyn Kennedy also swept their four matches while the pair of No. 2 doubles players – juniors Kourtney Kneeland and Sofia Madilo — took second.

“I knew going into WAC that if we played well, we’d have a good chance to win,” Bevis said after his fourth straight as the head coach. “I knew No. 1 singles would be tough with the Wahlmeier girl from Great Bend, but I did feel confident we’d do well in all four divisions.”

Despite the successful defense of the title, there is always added pressure of playing at home and then the expectations of being the odds-on favorite.

“When you look at the way the round-robin was set up, we got Great Bend at the end of the day,” Bevis said. “We went 2-2 with them in the head-to-head matches, but we really did well against everybody else (14-0 against Dodge City, Hays and Liberal).”

Bevis said it is always a time of anxiety when a team is trying to close out the final matches that determine where it will finish.

“It was tough at the end of the day, but our underclassmen really came through and for the most part played well all day,” Bevis said. “I think there were some nerves in the two matches we lost to Great Bend, but it kind of goes with the nature of the schools we face.”

Through the season, Bevis made several line-up changes in an attempt to see where the strength would best serve the team at the WAC and Regionals.

ost com”Honestly, I’ve changed line-ups m, but this year with the experience of singles and doubles, we ended up pretty much with the line-up we started with at the start of the season,” Bevis said.

His No. 1 doubles squad of Kennedy and Ptacek had the best regular season record which helps in regional seedings.

“It’s never just one thing that creates the final decision,” Bevis said. “Jocelyn and Chloe are the most compatible playing together and their styles fit each other. They get along well and they can be a powerful combination against opponents.”

As Bevis even looks to the 2024 season, he knows he’d like his players to compete in more summer tournaments against higher-level opponents in the Wichita and Kansas City areas.

“It’s the one way that we can get better to help the program during the high school season,” Bevis said. “We’re encouraging them to do just that.”

Bevis would also like to take his high school squad to more tournaments outside of playing western Kansas teams.

“It gives us a chance to switch up our lineups and get a better idea of who we want to play in singles or doubles as well as seeing better competition,” Bevis said. “That’s how our program will get better.”

Senior Special

Great Bend’s Wahlmeier is winding down her final high school season in impressive fashion, going 4-0 to capture the WAC No. 1 singles title and being voted Player of the Year by the conference’s coaches.

While she was comfortably ahead in most of her matches, Wahlmeier said she started the day battling some nerves.

“It was such a windy day, so I had to make adjustments for that,” she said. “I consider myself to be a good wind player and I like playing in it. I can use my power with the wind. Today, it really helped.”

Wahlmeier said her senior season has seen a lot of improvement from her junior campaign.

“I’ve been pretty consistent with my first serve and I’ve gotten better at moving my opponent around on the court,” she said. “I spent my summer teaching younger kids and when I do that I end up learning a lot that helps my game, too.”

Wahlmeier won her first two matches by 8-3 scores against Ellie Bunkall of Dodge City and Kellyn Phan of Liberal. She then had her biggest margin in an 8-1 victory over Macie Holdeman of Hays. The toughest match of the day came in the final round against Garden City’s Danica Galia, which produced an 8-4 win for the Lady Panther.

Future plans for Wahlmeier include pursuing some academic career in the medical field, but she also is an outstanding bowler on the Lady Panthers’ squad and hopes to find a college where she can do both.

Winning WAC Player of the Year will be an accomplishment and memory she will cherish, Wahlmeier said.

“I’m just happy that I played so well in this last WAC championship,” she said. “It’s never easy when you have to win four matches in one day. But, yes, this was a good day and I’ll remember it.”

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2023 Girls Tennis – First Team

	Players	School
No.1 Singles	Kaylin Wahlmeier	Great Bend
No.2 Singles	Quincy Nanninga	Garden City
No.1 Doubles	Chloe Ptacek Jocelyn Kennedy	Garden City
No.2 Doubles	Mac Lindberg Darcy Feist	Great Bend