SEASON RECAP: Westside Tennis Finishes Season Strong, Looks Ahead to Future

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Mary Nilius

Sophomore Anna Schmillen was a member of the #1 doubles team at the tournament.

This season, the girls tennis team finished their season with a top 15 finish at the state tournament, placing them in the top half of the teams. Head Coach Jordane Warkentin said that she was very happy with this placement considering the youth of the team and that she was extremely happy with the growth she saw from the beginning of the season until now.

“A lot of the girls really grew in their leadership abilities – we had a pretty young team, so it meant that a lot of them had to ‘grow up fast’ on the court and become responsible athletes,” Warkentin said. “We missed quite a bit of school for invitationals, metro, and state, so the girls had to take it upon themselves to excel in the classroom.”

Although the team had to begin practice indoors because of poor weather, Warkentin said that they were able to quickly prepare for matches.

“I am very happy with how the girls’ season went,” Warkentin said. “Although we started out a little rocky, due to the weather, we were able to get into the swing of things towards the middle of the season. The girls all really improved their game in the short amount of time that we had this season.”

Warkentin said that the team will continue to practice over the summer to prepare for next season.

“The girls plan on putting a lot of hard work in during the off-season and summer,” Warkentin said. “Many [of the players] will be taking private lessons or clinics to continue their growth and technique.”

Warkentin said that she believes that senior Mya Erixon was really able to step up during the state tournament

“As a coach, it was extremely rewarding for all of the players to move on to the second round,” Warkentin said. “Mya Erixon had lost her last match at Metro to the exact same opponent that she played the first round at state. She really stepped it up when it mattered and earned the points for our team.”

At state, all of the players moved onto the second round. This allowed them to place in the top half of the state.

“We ended up getting 13th place out of 33 teams, which is an awesome accomplishment considering how many players are freshmen and sophomores on our lineup,” Warkentin said.

Westside has become a home for Warkentin, and she said that she wouldn’t want to coach anywhere else.

“I feel very lucky to coach such a great group of girls and am very blessed by the support of all of the parents,” Warkentin said. “I couldn’t see myself at any other school than Westside.”

Catch Warkentin and the rest of the girls tennis team next spring sports season. They will look to return to Koch Tennis Center and place top 10 in the state.