The Manhattan High Girls Varsity Tennis team have had a strong start to their season after their first four tournaments. 

After last year’s Varsity squad made up entirely of seniors, this year’s team features players who haven’t gotten the chance to play Varsity before. 

“I’m in a completely different position than last year,” sophomore Keylee Schartz said. “Last year,  I played mostly JV and now since our Varsity all graduated I got bumped up to the top spot at one singles. It has been a challenge but I’ve learned a lot so far and I’m excited to keep playing.”

Their first tournament was a Quad in Junction City on Aug. 31 in which the team came in second place. Sophomore Jackie Hsu went 1-2 and junior Jillian Dechant went 1-2 in the singles division. In the doubles division, seniors Anna Wollenberg and Gabby Turner as well as juniors Averie Thurston and Lia Nickerson went 2-1.

“We were killing it on the courts,” Wollenberg said. “Our communication is super good. We have some things to improve on but we will work it out in practice.”

The second Varsity tournament of the season was at Emporia High School on Sept. 9 where the team tied for seventh place. Schartz and Hsu got 9th and 16th place respectively. Wollenberg and Nickerson got seventh place and seniors Riley Franzen and Helinna Bontrager got 16th place in doubles. 

“It is so fun to play with my bestest friends,” Wollenberg said. “We are rocking and rolling. It’s awesome.” 

Their third tournament of the season was a quad at the K-State Parks and Recreational courts where they placed fourth. Schartz and Hsu both went 0-3 in the singles division, with Wollenberg and Turner as well as Thurston and Nickerson going 1-2 in the doubles division. 

“Getting more reps in and more matchplay can help build our confidence because we are all in new spots,” Schartz said.

On Saturday, the Varsity squad attended the Olathe South Invitational, where they fought hard through the rain. 

“I love my team and we are working as hard as we can,” Thurston said. “Coach [Tony] Ingram is really pushing us to be our best.” 

The team’s next tournament is next Monday at Emporia High School.