As the tennis team goes into the state tournament, the team has had great success this season to set up for a good showing, with one of their biggest accolades being a third place finish at the Metro tournament last week.  The players competing at state are junior Dillon Ketcham and senior Ziyu Fan in number one and two singles, respectively. For doubles, the team is sending senior Nicholas Pellett and sophomore Jordan Rhyner in number one doubles and junior Stuart Wentzel and freshman Miltiadis Hatzidakis in number two doubles. Head Coach Shaun McMahon feels confident the team can perform well, as long as they follow the game plan.

“We’ve been talking specific strategy against specific players for singles,” McMahon said. “For doubles guys, lots of strategies as far as making sure the movement on the court is good, staying light on their feet, making sure their racket is up for volleys, just various doubles strategies.”

One of those specific players is William Gleason, a sophomore from Lincoln Southwest, who Ketcham will have to face in number one singles to make it to the finals. After game planning and facing him during the year, Ketcham is more than ready.

“I’ve just got to play aggressive and bring everything I have I guess,” Ketcham said. “If I can get through Gleason, I think I could probably win state if I play at a high level throughout the day.”

Not only is Ketcham ready, but after prepping, the team feels confident as a whole.

“We got some good seeds, so I think we can do alright,” Ketcham said. “We’ve done a lot of competitive hitting and a lot of competitive drills with sprinting and footwork because those two hour matches, sometimes you’ve got to play two or three of those a day, so you’ve got to stay fit.”

With the stage set for Thursday, the team is ready to bring home the wins.