The Varsity girls tennis team took runner-up behind Washburn Rural at League on Monday. 

No. 1 singles player junior Jillian Harkin won her third consecutive League title, sweeping her matches 5-0. Junior Maura Wiens, the No. 2 singles player, earned sixth place with a record of 3-2. Wiens took an injury default in her final match. On the doubles side, the No. 1 doubles team of seniors Ava Bahr and Hannah Loub placed 5th (4-1).

“[Ava and I] did a good job of just keeping the ball in play and not giving up, especially in our last match,” Loub said. “We were down 4-6, and we were able to come back and win.”

Finally, the No. 2 duo of juniors Erin Craft and Jessica Zhang finished in seventh, going 3-2. 

Harkin said that repetitions in a short Sunday practice and previous season successes contributed to the team’s confidence going into the competition. 

“We have been League champs for the past three years, and we all have pretty good records this season,” Harkin said. “We had some tough matches, but I think overall it went really well.” 

The team will now set its sights on Regionals, which is scheduled in Topeka this Friday and Saturday. 

“We are getting into the part of the season where less is more,” head coach Tony Ingram said. “[The girls need to] rest their bodies, stay on top of schoolwork, not make things stressful and enjoy the moment.”

Harkin summed up the team’s determination for the rest of the season, stating that the runner-up finish “just leaves us hungry for Regionals.”