Liberal Girls Tennis Competes at WAC

Sergio Borjas

Liberal competed in the Western Athletic Conference tennis tournament Monday at Dodge City. The tournament was a round robin format with schools involved being Garden, Dodge, Hays, Great Bend, and Liberal. Liberals team consisted of #1 singles Ava Maxwell who finished 0-4, but playing extremely well against top opponents in Dodge and Garden. #2 singles sophomore Kaylee Velasquez finished 0-4, but still gaining a lot of experience along the way and showing great determination in her first WAC tournament. The #1 doubles team of Lanee Harp & Arely Molina finished 2-2 being able to upset Dodge City in their final match to secure 3rd place and bring home some hardware. The #2 doubles team of Amy Nguyen & Kellyn Phan finished 1-3 and were able to secure a win against Great Bend, finishing 4th overall. Liberal finished 5th overall as a team. Next up liberal will compete at regionals in Garden City on October 7th.

“Today was a mix of emotions for sure. All of ours girls came out extremely aggressive and played well right away. Our singles players put up a fight in every match and we’re in every point till the very end. While their record on the day won’t show it, these teams are definitely improving and giving opponents a challenge. #1 singles Ava Maxwell had some great shots, and never quit on any point. #2 singles Kaylee Velazquez, had a good start and stayed fighting in every point. Our doubles teams played extremely well and gave others teams all they could handle. All these girls are extremely resilient and hard working. We’re extremely proud of these girls and the work they’ve put in. While we aren’t satisfied with getting last, this will be a great opportunity to get better in the off-season and come back stronger than ever. As I always tell the girls, you gotta get beat to get better.”