The Great Bend High School girls’ tennis team is stacking its experience in their doubles teams for the Class 5A regional tournament at Newton on Saturday.
The tournament starts at 10 a.m.
Junior Morgan Francis and sophomore Macy Moyers will combine as one of Great Bend’s doubles teams. They have a 7-1 record of together.
Seniors Brianna Schartz and Jami McVay will be the other doubles combination. They are 9-3 this season, one loss coming against Francis and Moyers and another against a Newton duo that they might meet on Saturday.
“Our four experienced girls from previous state competitions,” GBHS head coach Shannon Schartz said of his doubles teams. “Brianna and Jami the last two years have been regional runners-up, so they have two second-place finishes under their belts.
“Macy was a medalist last year at the state tournament, and Morgan has been to the state tournament her freshman and sophomore years in singles. A lot of experience there.”
Shannon Schartz made several changes to the team’s line up this season, so each of the players had experience as singles and doubles players.
Moyers was 8-1, and Francis was 15-1 in singles competition this year.
Brianna Schartz was 6-1, and McVay was 10-0.
Saturday’s Great Bend singles players will be Carly Boyd, who is 0-3 as a singles player, and Taylor Huslig, who is 1-2 in singles competition.
“They’ve only played singles once and that was at the tournament at the beginning of the year,” Schartz said. “Andover and Kapaun both have some incredibly good singles players, so we’re going for experience for the two sophomores. They’ve got a real good attitude about it. They’re going to learn a lot by being in their first regional ever.”
Also in attendance on Saturday will be Andover, Hays, Newton, Valley Center, Wichita Heights and Kapaun Mt. Carmel.
“It’s going to be really tough,” Shannon Schartz said. “Andover and Wichita Kapaun are in our region and they are the two top-ranked teams in 5A. They have some really good players, so it’s going to be a tough haul this year.”
Aside from those two schools, the Great Bend coach said that there are individuals from other schools that will give them some competition as the top 6 singles and top 6 doubles finishers will qualify for the state tournament, which will start on Friday, Oct. 18, at Arkansas City.
“Besides those two good schools, Newton and Valley Center are tough, and we have wins over both of them,” Shannon Schartz said. “That part of the bracket, we’re looking good.
“Hays and Wichita Heights round it out, and we’re not expecting a whole lot from them.”