By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden girls tennis coach Christy Sheetz doesn't feel like her sophomore state champ, Ainzley Zulueta, ever displays any real nervousness when she's on the court, a trait that has served her well over the first two seasons of her high school career.
Hayden sophomore Ainzley Zulueta will be shooting for her second straight Class 4A state singles title Friday and Saturday in Prairie Village. [FIle photo/TSN]
"That girl is as cool as a cucumber,'' Sheetz said. "There's something about the way that she is that the more pressure she has the better she does. That's pretty rare. I think she almost thrives in it.''
Zulueta said the truth is that she does get nervous, especially in a big match, but said she is usually able to do a pretty good job of hiding, and controlling, her emotions.
That will certainly be the objective Friday and Saturday when the Hayden star shoots for her second straight Class 4A singles championship at Prairie Village's Harmon Park Tennis Complex.
"I just don't think I show it,'' said Zulueta, who will take a 24-2 record into this year's state meet. "I try to control my emotions whenever I'm out there, but I'm definitely nervous, especially for state this year.''
Zulueta breezed through state as a freshman, but said there's likely to be more pressure this weekend due to last year's success.
"I don't think it was as extreme as it is now because last year no one really knew who I was,'' Zulueta said. "I could kind of play a little bit more freely but this year people are kind of expecting like a repeat so it's more pressure on me to perform even better than I did last year.''
The Hayden star feels like she's up to the task.
"I just try to get over it,'' said Zulueta, whose only two losses this fall came against defending Class 6A state champ Jill Harkin of Manhattan. "I experiennce this whenever I play USTA matches and all that so it's not a new feeling on anything, but it's still a feeling that I have to overcome and it's still tough but I've got to get through it because I realize at the end of the day this is important and I need to just give it my all.''
Zulueta said the easiest way to get rid of the butterflies is to get out on court and pound a few balls.
"The nervousness does disappear after hitting a few balls wiith my opponent or after like two games in,'' she said. "That's when I start to loosen up a little bit more. I think I just need to ease into it.''
Zulueta will have plenty of company in the state tournament, with Hayden sweeping singles, doubles and team championships in last Saturday's regional tournament while qualifying its entire team for state.
Christy Sheetz's Hayden team qualified all six members for the Class 4A state meet, including regional doubles champions Lauren Sandstrom (left) and Emily Sheetz (middle). [File photo/TSN]
The doubles team of junior Lauren Sandstrom and sophomore Emily Sheetz, who placed seventh in 4A last season, are 30-4 on the season while winning city and regional titles.
The Wildcats also qualified freshman singles player Grace Funk (17-5), who placed fifth at regionals, and the senior doubles team of Bri Barnett and Sloane Sims (23-12), who finished fourth at regionals.
Hayden tied for second and finished third in a tiebreaker as a team last season.
The first round of competition will get under way at 10:30 a.m. Friday.
Sweeney, Vikings chasing 5A crowns
Like Zulueta, Seaman senior Lauren Sweeney ended the 2021 season as a state champion, teaming with then-senior Grace Unruh to cap a perfect 36-0 season with the Class 5A doubles title.
After winning a state doubles title last season, Seaman senior Lauren Sweeney will shoot for the Class 5A singles title this weekend in Andover. [File photo/TSN]
On Friday and Saturday at Andover the Seaman star will try to join a select group of Kansas high school players to win singles and doubles state titles.
Sweeney will be making her first state appearance in singles but her fourth overall and is counting on that experience to be an advantage this weekend.
"It's my fourth year at state so I think I know what to expect essentially, but it's a new year every year,'' Sweeney said. "I think every year has helped me gain confidence.''
Sweeney will take a 29-5 record into the state meet and is on the short list of top contenders for the state title.
"I just want to play how I know I can play and just play smart,'' she said.
Sweeney is coming off United Kansas Conference and 5A regional titles, helping the Vikings win team titles in both those events.
"Right now I think I'm playing pretty well overall,'' Sweeney said. "I mean there's always room for improvement in certain aspects, but overall I think I'm playing well.''
Seaman qualified its entire team for state, sweeping the singles, doubles and team championships in last Saturday's regional tournament at Emporia, and is expected to challenge for a state trophy this weekend.
Seaman doubles players Katie Krumins and Molly Gorman are coming off a Class 5A regional title entering this weekend's state meet at Andover. [File photo/TSN]
Viking junior Katie Krumins and freshman Molly Gorman will take a 24-3 record into state after earning a regional doubles title in an all-Seaman final with Viking teammates Kate Eckert and Ella Foxhoven. Eckert, a junior, and senior Foxhoven are 18-10 on the year.
Seaman senior Nina Del-Zio (27-9) posted a fourth-place regional finish to earn a return trip to state after finishing 11th a year ago.
Rural, High well-represented in 6A state tournament
Washburn Rural and Topeka High combined for 10 state qualifiers for this weekend's Class 6A state meet at Wichita's Riverside Tennis Center.
Regional team champion Rural qualified its entire team for state while third-place Topeka High qualified a doubles team and both singles players.
Washburn Rural seniors Meredith Kucera (left) and Kate Fritz won a Class 6A regional doubles championship last Friday, helping Rural win the team title. [File photo/TSN]
Rural seniors Kate Fritz and Meredith Kucera led the Junior Blues with the regional doubles title while senior Hailey Beck and junior Claire Ireland posted a third-place doubles finish and junior Mena Di Marzio and senior Kayla Peter added third and fourth-place finishes in singles.
Fritz and Kucera followed up their Centennial League doubles title with a regional win as the Junior Blues avenged their one-point loss to Manhattan in the league meet with a one-point regional team win over the Indians (21-20).
Fritz and Kucera enter state with a 28-4 record after placing ninth in 6A doubles last season while Beck and Ireland, playing together for the first time, went 3-1 at regionals. DiMarzio is 19-13 on the season in singles while Peter is 16-11.
Topeka High's senior doubles team of Haley Carpenter and Adisyn Caryl (23-6) advanced to the regional final and finished second while freshman Madeline Deters (17-10) and junior McCall Beall (10-9) finished fifth and sixth in singles in the regional tourney.
Caryl is a four-time state qualifier while Carpenter will be competing in her third state meet and Beall making her second state appearance.
Bulldawgs' Sherer looking for second 3A-1A state medal
Rossville senior singles player Alivia Sherer will be looking for her second Class 3A-1A state medal this weekend at Kossover Tennis Center after placing ninth at state as a junior.
Alivia Sherer
Sherer, 19-8 on the season, finished third in the Marysville regional meet with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Smoky Valley senior Magdalena Rauchholz in Saturday's third-place match.
SHAWNEE COUNTY STATE TENNIS QUALIFIERS
Class 6A
Topeka High -- Singles: Madeline Deters, fr., 17-10; McCall Beall, jr., 10-9. Doubles: Haley Carpenter, sr., and Adisyn Caryl, sr., Topeka High, 23-6.
Washburn Rural -- Singles: Mena DiMarzio, jr., 19-13; Kayla Peter, sr., 16-11. Doubles: Kate Fritz, sr., and Meredith Kucera, sr., 28-4; Hailey Beck, sr., and Claire Ireland, jr., 3-1.
Class 5A
Seaman -- Singles: Lauren Sweeney, sr., 29-5; Nina Del-Zio, sr., 27-9. Doubles: Katie Krumins, jr., and Molly Gorman, fr., 24-3; Kate Eckert, jr., and Ella Foxhoven, sr., 18-10.
Class 4A
Hayden -- Singles: Ainzley Zulueta, so., 24-2; Grace Funk, fr., 17-5. Doubles: Lauren Sandstrom, jr., and Emily Sheetz, so., 30-4; Bri Barnett, sr., and Sloane Sims, sr., 23-12.
Class 3A-1A
Rossville -- Singles: Alivia Sherer, sr., 19-8.
