By Anvil Welch
awelch@joplinglobe.com
Joplin High School girls tennis coach Sean McWilliams is expecting another successful season.
But it could be difficult for the Eagles to really turn heads in southwest Missouri.
“We have some talent,” McWilliams said Saturday. “But we also have a lot of inexperience on this team.
“We face another tough schedule. I consider Kickapoo the favorite in the Ozark Conference. That’s despite Glendale returning its top six players. So, we could be competing for No. 3 or No. 4 in the Ozark Conference.
“It isn’t impossible, of course, to pull off an upset,” McWilliams said. “It will be a challenge.”
Joplin, which finished 9-4 in duals last season, returns its top three in singles — junior Rachel Lazenby, senior Denise Moreno and junior Hannah Ingle.
The singles ladder currently has Ingle behind Lazenby and Moreno No. 3, McWilliams said.
Lazenby, who finished in the top eight in Class 2 singles last season, was 28-5 overall. Moreno and Ingle were 7-3 and 8-3, respectively.
“Denise is coming off surgery in the summer from an injury sustained in soccer,” McWilliams said. “It will be difficult for her to return to 100 percent this season.”
The next three in singles are senior Ericka Freeborn and freshmen Siri Ancha and Lexi Willcoxon.
Completing the current top 10 are freshman Abbe Kilgore, senior Noelle Kownslar, senior Chaney Endicott and sophomore Leah Collins.
Completing the ladder are freshman Dana Jacobs, senior Caroline Frogge, senior Christa Perry, sophomore Kristen Stacy, junior Megan McAllister, senior Twinkle Dhawan, junior Allisha England and junior Kari Howard.
“A doubles lineup? I have no idea. But Lazenby and Ingle played some doubles (last season). So did Hannah (Ingle) and Denise (Moreno).”
Glendale won the Ozark Conference Tournament last season held at the Cooper Complex in Springfield. The Falcons had 24.5 points, Kickapoo 23 and 21.5.
Joplin beat Kickapoo 5-3 and lost 6-3 to Glendale during the regular season, McWilliams recalled, before losing 5-2 to Kickapoo in Class 2 team competition at Gillenwaters in Springfield.
“We have some very talented girls in our district,” McWilliams said. “I’d rate Kickapoo as one of the top four Class 2 teams in Missouri.
“Rachel (Lazenby) will have her hands full, too. She’s excited about the competition and the challenge. We look forward to an exciting season for her.”
Joplin, which will play West Plains at 3 p.m. Tuesday in Springfield at Cooper, actually opened the season last Thursday by using its younger players in a 7-2 win at Nevada.
Notes: McWilliams, who’s in his seventh season as head coach, is assisted by Joel McDuffey. “It’s great to have him around,” McWilliams said. “He’s doing a great job and also is a good personality for the girls.” ... Key dates include Sept. 5-6, Southwest Missouri Invitational (hosted by Glendale at Cooper); Sept. 9, Joplin home debut against Parkview and Glendale at new Joplin Athletic Park; Sept. 12, Columbia Rock Bridge Quad; Sept. 23, Springfield Invitational; Oct. 2, Ozark Conference; Oct. 3, Thomas Jefferson Tournament.
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