BY RICK PETERSON, JR. 

KSHSAA COVERED

TOPEKA – Heading into the third set of the Class 3-2-1A singles final, Wichita Collegiate coach Dave Hawley implored Emma Mantovani to find the same aggressive form that has made the Spartan senior one of the best players in the state. 

At that point, Mantovani didn’t need much convincing to let loose after finding herself in a tight battle with Sacred Heart junior Katie Weiss. 

“She self-diagnosed. She said, ‘I just started playing tentative,’ ” Hawley said. 

“I had to remind myself: I’m here to win it, I’m not here to play not to lose it,” Mantovani said. 

Mantovani took control in the third set to end her career as a three-time state champion with a 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 victory, holding off a valiant effort from Weiss on Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center. 

“When she turned it back into an aggressive match ... Katie’s a good player,  but Emma had just one or two more strokes every time,” Hawley said. 

“I just remembered to focus on my feet, moving the ball around and just being confident. I think that’s when I play best, when I feel confident in myself," Mantovani said. 

The championship run was a grind for Mantovani, who was still dealing with a bout of bronchitis that forced her to withdraw from the regional final last week. 

She survived a three-set battle in Friday’s quarterfinal with Marysville’s Shea Kramer.

“I really kind of needed that quarterfinal match to get back into it and kind of push myself,” Mantovani said.

Mantovani (27-4) cruised to a straight-set win against Central Plains’ Kyla Metro in the semis on Saturday morning, while Weiss pulled out a grueling three-setter against Larned’s Abby Holt in her semi. 

After Mantovani dominated the first set of the final, Weiss found another gear in the second set, forcing a third after a hold and a break. 

It was an outstanding run for Weiss, who moved to singles this season after two successful seasons playing doubles with Isabella Matteucci, including a runner-up finish in 3-2-1A doubles in 2020. 

“I am very happy,” Weiss said. “I wasn’t coming in here expecting to win in the finals just because Emma’s super good. I’m pretty happy with how I played.

“My serves really helped. I found some angles, found her weaknesses. I think I just got tired toward the end.”
 

It was the second straight 3-2-1A state title for Mantovani, who also won the 4A championship as a freshman. 

“Each one, I’ve had so many different emotions,” said Mantovani, who doesn’t plan on playing tennis in college. “I think I’m just grateful for the experience, grateful for what high school tennis has given me.” 

Metro finished the season 31-2, defeating Holt in the third-place match. 

CONRAD, HERRMAN WIN DOUBLES TITLE IN ALL-COLLEGIATE FINAL 

Collegiate’s top two doubles teams were pitted against each other for the second straight week, but the stakes were even higher this time around. 

Collegiate sophomores Laney Conrad and Julia Herrman avenged a three-set regional final loss to Spartan seniors Tatum Bhargava and Kinsey Nichols in Saturday’s 3-2-1A doubles championship match. 

Conrad and Herrman took the first set 6-1, then rallied to clinch the match with a 6-4 victory in the second set. 

“They’re just very even,” Collegiate co-coach Simon Norman said of the Spartans’ doubles teams. “The great thing was they both stepped up this weekend and beat who was in front of them and got to the final. They did a fantastic job winning the three matches to get there, both teams.

“It’s difficult to get both of your teams to play in a final for a state championship. So at that stage, you can say, ‘Hey, great season,’ and the better team on that day can win, and now we move on. But it’s a great experience for everybody.”

The all-Spartan final was set up after Bhargava and Nichols picked up a 6-3, 6-2 win over Hesston’s Cassie Albin and Kori Kramer, while Conrad and Herrman took a 6-7 (7-9), 6-3, 6-0 win over Sterling’s Kate Rowland and Karissa Jones. 

“For me, it was really hard (to play against teammates),” Conrad said. “They’re seniors, but we just wanted to play like we had nothing to lose and play like it was a regular match, and I think that’s what we did.”

“It’s tough to play a teammate in a match, especially in the state final,” Mantovani said of the doubles final. “All four of them, I know how hard they’ve worked this season, and I’m proud of all them.”

Conrad and Herrman came out sharp in the first set, then fell behind 4-1 in the second before reeling off five straight games to clinch the title. 

“In the previous match, we had kind of been in the same boat,” Conrad said. “When we could just play crosscourt until the net player could pick off the shot, that’s what we tried to do, just have that strategy of consistency. Just try to set the net player up and not try to go for anything too much.”

“It worked really well because we lifted each other up when the moments were bad,” Herrman said. 

Conrad and Herrman finished 22-5 on the season. 

“We definitely clicked right away,” Herrman said. “This is our first year playing together and we’re also best friends off the court, so that helps a lot.”

“I feel like being best friends, we can tell each other stuff that other people couldn’t,” Conrad said. “I think that really was to our advantage.”

Sterling's Rowland and Wilson bounced back to take third place with a win over Hesston's Albin and Kramer.