The Joplin High School girls tennis team will be led by six returning letterwinners this fall.
Seniors Mya Ndedi-Ntepe, Alex Carson, Zayda Derganc and Gwenna Street, junior Izzy Zamanzadeh and sophomore Lily Compton return to the courts with prior varsity experience.
“I’m always excited for what a new season brings, such as what new faces we have on the team, how much the players improved over the offseason and the general excitement,” Joplin coach Ben Coltharp said. “I believe we will be close to last season, where we will be around .500 for the season. But adding challenging matches and tournaments to our schedule will only make us stronger, as well as playing in the COC, one of the more challenging conferences in the state.”
The Eagles lost senior starters Emma Watts, Jensen Vowels, Brynn Driver and Bonnie Smith to graduation. Watts captured the singles championship at last year’s Central Ozark Conference Tournament.
Joplin will look to improve upon last year’s 9-13 dual record.
“One of our biggest strengths is our team camaraderie and culture,” Coltharp said. “The girls are supportive and build each other up. Towards the beginning of the season, the upperclassmen pair up with the underclassmen, and this helps with those freshmen and newer players that might be a little scared at first.”
The Eagles will open the season by hosting the annual Joplin Interstate Championships tourney on Aug. 25-26.
