Girls Varsity tennis swings into a new season after a summer of preparation, where they traveled to Emporia to participate in the Emporia Invitational.

With a second place finish at the Junction City Quad on Aug. 30, the team traveled with high hopes and even higher expectations.

“This is our first time going to this meet,” junior Kate McGee said. “It’s a new tournament for us with some higher quality playing teams.”

The team traveled with Kayla Lei, sophomore, placing second in singles, and Kira Schartz, junior, who placed fourth in second singles, and Jecca Park, freshman, and McGee who placed eighth in doubles.

”Our team finished third, even though we did not have another team there,” head coach Tony Ingram said. “I feel like if we would have taken a second doubles team, we probably would have been second place or maybe even considered for first place.”

The meet included teams from Blue Valley, Conway Springs, Andover, Derby, Emporia and Lawrence high.

Even with the stress of a new meet and lacking a second doubles team the team didn’t let it get to them.

“We all kept pretty positive and it was when the match didn’t go our way we kind of supported each other,” McGee said. “During our off times we would go watch others play and cheer them on, or we were on [the court] and they got done before they would watch us.”

Even though the team didn’t place higher than what they expected they are hopeful for upcoming tournaments in their current season.

“We got a lot more depth than we’ve had in the past. I think there’s a really good lot of young players, the freshmen have a really, really good skill set,” Ingram said.

Even with their lack of senior leaders the upperclassmen players are doing their best teaching the newer players. The team is looking forward to their next meet today at 3:30 p.m. at the Kansas State University tennis facility.