After losing its top six players to graduation, the Carthage High School girls tennis team will have a large group of varsity newcomers in big roles this fall.
“We’ll have some fresh faces with very little varsity experience taking over the show this year,” Carthage coach Mark Lingenfelter said. “I’m excited to see how well we step up to the challenges that we’ll face this year, having so little varsity experience. It will be fun watching to see who will step up and make those gains and help put some points on the scoresheet for us. I’m also excited because we’ve got a really great group of young ladies.”
Three players with prior experience who are expected to be key performers this fall are seniors Logan Lee and Rachel Martin and junior Kailie Layman.
Other seniors on the roster are Aneidy Garza, Ava Goade and Emma Seedorf. Juniors listed on the roster are Sheily Calderon, Heaven Chuta-Saquic, Makayla Cochrane, Rozalyn Dunkle, Kambly Elias, Claire Giett, Maddie Goetzinger, Anne Kennedy and Emme Rogers.
Sophomores are Layla Carey, Mya Davison, Sage Gonzalez, Lucy Grissam, Lasha Hernandez and Flannery Shelfer.
Freshmen competing for varsity spots are Adalee Gober, Yaneli Hernandez-Juarez, Aubrey Jewett, Valeria Najarro, Hayden Lawyer, Rylee Wallace, Tristyn Wilson, Lyssette Witherspoon and Vannessa Zamora Gerardo.
Last year’s squad was led by seniors Kianna Yates and Daniela Marquez. The doubles duo took second at the conference tournament, fourth at the district tournament and won tourney titles at both Monett and Thomas Jefferson.
Other key performers from last year, Katie Barton, Beverly Garcia, Abigail Samuel and Mireya Mendez, all graduated.
With so many new faces in big roles, Lingenfelter hopes to see steady progress throughout the fall season.
“This is definitely going to be a growing year,” Lingenfelter said. “You can’t put a value on experience, and so few of my varsity players this year will have any varsity experience. It’s going to be tough, but we’re going to work hard and have fun doing it.”
Despite the team’s lack of varsity experience, Lingenfelter said there’s a lot to like about the group.
“My assistant coach (Maddie Capps) is definitely a strength for us,” he said. “The girls have really taken to her and she makes life easier for all of us. Another strength would be that the whole team gets along and has better chemistry than we did last year. The upperclassmen are really good about cheering on and including the underclassmen, and they’re a very sound bunch academically.”
Asked about a main goal for the season, Lingenfelter said it’s simple.
“Our goal is to be competitive, get better, and have fun doing it,” he said. “I want my kids to get better, refine their technique and abilities. A lot of that relies on being able to let bad habits go and being coachable and malleable. Keys to success will be to keep our chins up, staying positive, staying competitive, and enjoying each other and the process.”
Carthage opens the ’23 season on Aug. 28 at Monett.
