It is with great sadness that I write my final edition of Slōs’s Tennis Corner. I can hardly believe the season is over, but I take pride in knowing that I was able to play a part in getting the students and faculty excited about the tennis program. As readers, you have reveled in our victories, and shared sorrow in our defeats. We were able to improve school spirit, and in turn strengthen the community here at Westside. That, my friends, is the true purpose of Slōs’s Tennis Corner.

Last week, the team competed at the NSAA Boys Tennis State Tournament. Results are as follows:

No. 1 singles: sophomore Dillon Ketcham, fourth place
No. 2 singles: senior Jon Bass, eliminated in second round
No. 1 doubles: seniors Tom Kutilek and Sean Padios, fourth place
No. 2 doubles: seniors Max Slosburg (me) and Teigen Swanson, eliminated in quarterfinals

With tough draws, both No. 2 singles and doubles held their seeds and were eliminated on the first day of the tournament. At No. 1 singles, fifth-seeded Ketcham was able to upset Lincoln East to make it to the second day where he was unable to beat top-seeded Papillion-La Vista South and third-seeded Lincoln Southwest. At No. 1 doubles, the fifth-seeded team of Kutilek and Padios was able to upset Kearney in the quarterfinals to make it to the second day of the tournament. In the semifinals, the team fell to top-seeded Creighton Prep, and then to third-seeded Millard North.

The team was proud to finish in fifth place overall. This was a major improvement from the ninth place finish last season. Of the top six players this year, five are graduating. That will leave Dillon Ketcham as the only returning state tennis player next season, but he will be joined by Nick Pelllet, Ziyu Fan, and perhaps some new varsity members next season.

In the meantime, the players who have next season to look forward to will continue to develop their game in the offseason, while I patiently wait for a letter from ESPN requesting my services to cover Wimbledon. It has been a great season, and I enjoyed covering it for you. Until next season, GO WESTSIDE TENNIS!

Tennis player senior Max Slosburg (Slōs, as the tennis team calls him) has been covering the Westside tennis team from a first person angle in this weekly column. The NSAA Class A Boys Tennis State Tournament was Thursday and Friday, Oct. 16 and 17, and Slosburg is bringing us his final Tennis Corner of the season to recap the tournament. Westside Wired would like to thank Slosburg for his diligent reporting, and we look forward to finding more first-person coverage of activities at Westside.