SALINA – The competitive fire in Brooke Walker was stoked early in Saturday’s Class 5A doubles semifinal. 

After Walker and doubles partner Anna Jittawait dropped the first set to teammates Elizabeth Gaddis and Emma Jittawait in an all-Andover semi, Walker was noticeably amped up.

“We are not losing,” Walker could be overheard saying between sets. 

Indeed, the senior duo wouldn’t be denied, rallying to defeat their fellow Trojans 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the semis. 

Walker and Jittawait kept the momentum going in the final, securing a 30-0 season with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Maize South’s Madelyn Fellows and Sydney Schumaker at Salina Tennis Center. 

The doubles title highlighted a third straight 5A team championship for Andover. 

“I’m always happy with the team title, but having Brooke and Anna win that doubles state title was really important to me,” Andover coach Stephen Alexander said. “Those two girls have worked so hard for four years in high school tennis. That’s probably one of my proudest moments as a coach.”

After the first set loss to start the day, Walker and Jittawait remained in control from there on out, ramping up the intensity after the setback. 

“Her fire definitely catches on to me,” Jittawait said of Walker, a star basketball player who has committed to the University of Utah. “It keeps me confident out there and I feel like I had so much free room to do what I can, because she is fired up.”

“At that moment I was maybe a little too fired up,” Walker said with a chuckle. “My goal was obviously to win it all. I didn’t want anything to get in my way.”

 

Walker and Jittawait were locked in from the get-go in the final against Fellows and Schumaker, who made a tremendous run to the title match after entering the tournament as the No. 6 seed. 

“In the final match, once we got over that mental hurdle in the semifinals, it was smooth and we were calm and collected,” Walker said. “I think it benefited us in the best way possible.”

“I think mentally we stepped it up,” Jittawait said. “We’ve struggled with pressure in the past but this year I think mentally we were better.”

Alexander agreed. 

“They just have a swagger to them, and it really showed up in the finals,” he said. “That swagger is sometimes more intimidating than their actual shots. Because in between the points, they just look like nothing can beat them. That mentality – Brooke shows that in basketball – they showed it as a doubles pairing. They feed off each other so well and they build on their own confidence.”

Anna Jittawait admitted it was a little awkward playing teammates with a spot in the final on the line. 

“Especially playing my own sister,” Anna said of facing Emma. “We play them every day in practice but it’s definitely different on a higher level with more at stake. We had to make sure they’re still opponents in our mind, but at the end of the day we’re teammates.”

Jittawait and Walker finished their four-year doubles partnership with a 99-12 record. They took third-place in each of the previous two seasons after taking sixth as freshmen. 

“I’ve loved playing tennis throughout high school,” said Walker, who will now concentrate on basketball. “I’m actually really sad about it (ending). I love this sport. But it was great ending on this note. I could not be more proud of Anna, the way she stepped up. I couldn’t ask for a better partner.”

“She has so much confidence that I get confidence from her, and then we go out there and get it done together,” Jittawait said of Walker. 
 

 

All in all, Alexander couldn’t have asked for a better way for the doubles semifinal match to unfold, calling it some of the best tennis he’s seen all year. 

Emma Jittawait, a sophomore, and Gaddis, a junior, bounced back from the semifinal loss to take third place with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 victory over St. James’ Holli Kalny and Caroline Kmetz to finish the season 20-8. 

“I think (the semifinal match) gave them a lot of confidence,” Alexander said of his No. 2 doubles team. “They’ve played (Andover’s No. 1) team a lot of times this year and it hasn’t ever gone their way. That match came as close as it could have to going their way. There are just little things they need to work on, and I hope it builds further confidence for next year and maybe they’ll be in that same position next year where they’re winning the state doubles title.”

In their first season as a doubles team, Fellows, a senior, and Schumaker, a sophomore, put together quite the run. They took down Kalny and Kmetz, 7-6 (3), 6-3 in the semifinals and finished ultimately finished 25-6.  

“They exceeded all expectations,” Maize South coach Frank Reyes said. “For never playing doubles together and for (Schumaker) being a sophomore and never playing doubles before this season, coming out here and taking second is just unbelievable.”
 

 

Andover cruised to the team with 49 total points.

Molly Gaddis led the way in singles with a third-place showing. The junior took a 6-0, 6-2 loss to champion Brynn Steven from Carroll in the semifinals before rebounding with a 6-1, 6-3 over Emporia’s Kali Keough in the third-place match. Gaddis took fourth place as a freshman before finishing 11th as a sophomore last year. 

“I couldn’t be prouder of her,” Alexander said. “Last year she really struggled. There were a lot of expectations after her freshman year. There was a lot more pressure coming back in her sophomore year. I think the singles draw got a lot more difficult the last couple years in 5A. 

“She responded this year with a renewed focus. She’s always had the physical game to compete with anybody, but her mental game has really improved this year, and that showed up again.”

Mia Jaramillo also turned in a solid showing for Andover, taking sixth in singles. 

“I love the success we’ve had on the court,  but I’m even prouder of this group of girls for being great team members,” Alexander said. “They all support each other, they’re all positive. We have a bunch of young ladies who are going to be great leaders in this world off the tennis court.”

Salina Central was runner-up with 23 points, edging third-place Bishop Carroll for second on a tiebreaker. Mallory and Addison Renfro took fifth in doubles for the Mustangs while Janae Montoyo was seventh in singles and Claire Renfro and Brooke Banninger were 10th in doubles. 

In addition to Steven’s singles championship, Carroll earned points courtesy of Brooke Steven and Liza Dugan taking eighth in doubles.
 

CLASS 5A CHAMPIONSHIPS 

At Salina Tennis Center

TEAM SCORES 

Andover 49, Salina Central 23, Bishop Carroll 23, Maize South 21, Seaman 15, St. James 14, Shawnee Heights 14, Emporia 11, Blue Valley Southwest 11, Bonner Springs 9, Eisenhower 6, Maize 6, Spring Hill 6, Newton 6, Kapaun 5, De Soto 2, Hutchinson 2, St. Thomas Aquinas 2, Andover Central 1, Lansing 1, Salina South 1. 

SINGLES 

Championship – Steven, Carroll, def. Glasenapp, Shawnee Heights, 6-0, 6-4. Third place – M. Gaddis, Andover, def. Keough, Emporia, 6-1, 6-3. Fifth place – Gibbs, Blue Valley Southwest, def. Jaramillo, Andover, 8-4. Seventh place – Montoya, Salina Central, def. Harrison, Maize South, 8-3. Ninth place – Frye, Maize, def. Judkins, Kapaun, 8-2. 11th place – Sweeney, Seaman, def. Coker, St. James, 8-0. 

DOUBLES 

Championship – A. Jittawait/Walker def. Fellows/Schumaker, Maize South, 6-2, 6-2. Third place – E. Jittawait/E. Gaddis, Andover, def. Kalny/Kmetz, St. James, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1. Fifth place – M. Renfo/A. Renfro, def. Ashford/Kline, Bonner Springs, 8-1. Seventh place – Krumins/Gorman def. Steven/Dugan, Carroll, 8-4. Ninth place – Wilkinson/Kral, Eisenhower, def. Renfro/Banninger, Salina Central (8-3). 11th place – Whitcraft/Infante, Spring HIll, def. Eckert/Lux, Seaman, 8-5.