Girls tennis placed third in Regionals, qualifying them to State where they tied for 14th place with Centennial League rival Washburn Rural. 

The doubles team of seniors Jaquelin Hsu and Keylee Schartz continued to be the top-placing event for Manhattan High, making it to the second day of State and placing 10th. The duo have been a consistent partnership all season and were a big part of the team’s placement in State.

The team went through many challenges and even though many did not make it to the second day of State, several still placed well on the first day.

“It was very challenging,” Hsu said.

The team played together all season preparing for this moment and developed chemistry throughout the season. 

“We made State within only playing together for eight weeks,” Hsu said.

Hsu and Schartz breezed through their first match against Dodge City (6-2, 6-0), which led them to the second round where they lost a close match to Blue Valley West (6-4, 6-3). This loss did place them in the losing bracket but that did not stop them from winning which they led on to a big win for 10th place against Blue Valley Northwest (8-3). In total Manhattan ended up scoring 5 points, which put them in 14th place. This record couldn’t have been done without keeping their mental state strong.  

”Tennis is a very mental sport, so you have that there,” Hsu said.

The win against BVNW was a big one because BVNW ended up winning State as a team scoring 38 points total.

Both Hsu and Schartz have made State before but Schartz played singles in previous years. Last year Schartz had a positive record in singles going 20-13 for the season and qualified for state. This season she made the change and found her duo.

“Play your hardest and trust your partner,” Hsu said. “Follow the 4 C’s: confidence, consistency, coolness and clinched.”