15 CLASS 6A GIRLS TENNIS PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2024
 

HEIDI BAILLOS, MILL VALLEY
 
Baillos often catches the eye of observers with her style of play. Her ground strokes pack a more powerful punch than is expected based on her height, thanks to a slightly unorthodox swing where the frame of both her racket and herself starts low before rising up on top of the ball to forcefully propel forward with a downward trajectory. Her game has steadily improved over the last two years, even if the results have not been a linear progression. As a sophomore last year, Baillos went into state with a little less momentum than she did during her first high school season the year before. Instead of winning a regional title and leading her team to the same, Baillos settled for runner-up behind Ella Novion and her Olathe Northwest Ravens. But that result, as well as the jump from 5A to 6A, did not stop Baillos from improving on her state performance. Baillos got off on the right start by winning her first match against Wichita Northwest’s Alayna Alvarez 7-5, 6-2. Although she started her quarterfinal match strong against Shawnee Mission East’s Macy Garwood, she ultimately lost 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Baillos was not able to respond with a win, losing to Washburn Rural’s Carolina Chedzoy 8-5, but she powered through her final two matches, concluding with a 8-2 win over Free State’s Cami Lee in the ninth-place match. 
 

ISHYA BHAVSAR, SHAWNEE MISSION EAST
 
Bhavsar turned in a 22-6 season as a junior last year, culminating in her finishing as the 6A state runner-up in singles. She powered through her first two opponents at state before entering a marathon contest in the semifinals against Olathe Northwest’s Ella Novion. Bhavsar found herself down a set before dominating the second. She ultimately put down Novion with a tiebreaker victory of 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4). That match clearly put Bhavsar at a disadvantage in the finals. She eventually found her footing against Blue Valley West’s Sarah Yan, but did not have enough left in the tank in a 6-1, 6-3 loss. Bhavsar returns this year leading a Shawnee Mission East team looking to continue on its five-peat in 6A. But Bhavsar and fellow senior Macy Garwood might have more pressure on them to perform well in singles after the graduation of doubles champs Abby Long and Katie Schmidt, as well as third-place finishers Katie Murphy and Ellie McDermed.
 

 

HANNAH CARNEY AND RILEY TERHUNE, OLATHE NORTHWEST
 
Carney and Terhune finished with a 32-6 record together last year and finished fourth for the second straight season. The duo won their first two matches at state before losing to Blue Valley Northwest’s Wambi sisters 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals. Carney and Terhune dropped their third-place match against Shawnee Mission East’s Katie Murphy and Ellie McDermed 6-3, 6-3. With the Ravens losing third-place finisher in singles Ella Novion to gradation, Carney and Terhune might take a look at one or both switching to singles, or they could try to run it back this year to try and reach the semifinals once again.
 

 
CAROLINA CHEDZOY, WASHBURN RURAL
 
A newcomer to the Junior Blues program a year ago, Chedzoy made an immediate impact as the top performer for the Junior Blues a year ago. After runner-up finishes at No. 1 singles at the Topeka City and Centennial League meet to top-four 5A state finishers Jette Glasenapp of Shawnee Heights and Kali Keough of Emporia, Chedzoy won a Class 6A regional title and then finished eighth at the Class 6A state tournament. She finished the season with a 23-11 mark.
 

MACY GARWOOD, SHAWNEE MISSION EAST
 
Garwood finished with a 22-5 record and a fourth-place finish as a junior last season. Garwood powered through her first state match before finding herself in a tough spot against Mill Valley’s Heidi Baillos in the state quarterfinals. Garwood lost the first set, but she took over from there as she earned a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory. She did not fare as well in the semifinals, losing to the eventual 6A state champion in Blue Valley West’s Sarah Yan 6-2, 6-0. Then she lost to Olathe Northwest’s Ella Novion 6-0, 6-1. With both of those competitors graduated, Garwood’s toughest challenger this season could likely be her teammate, fellow senior Ishya Bhavsar, who finished as the state runner-up.
 

CAMI LEE, FREE STATE
 
When Free State’s Kinley VanPelt found out an injury would prevent her from defending her 2022 6A state championship in singles, the Firebirds needed to find a replacement to play alongside senior Maya Lee. Turns out, Lee was already well acquainted with the person who could fill that role. Her sister Cami Lee stepped in and quickly showed she was able to adapt to the change. Playing doubles as a freshman, Lee and her partner Zoe Cachiguango-Latta opened state with a win before two straight defeats ended their season. This year, Lee earned a first-round bye, only to lose to Blue Valley West’s Dominique Pitchlyn 7-6 (4), 6-4 in her opening match. But Lee fared much better on the backside of the bracket, earning two strong wins before running into her sister. The older sister prevailed 8-2. Lee followed up with an 8-1 win over Wichita Northwest’s Alayna Alvarez before falling to Mill Valley’s Heidi Baillos 8-2 to finish 10th. Following her 29-7 campaign, Lee will likely return as a singles competitor again for the Firebirds, possibly alongside VanPelt if she’s healthy after already missing two of her first three high school seasons.
 

AASHRITHA MUSTI AND CHANDANA VIJAYKUMAR, BLUE VALLEY WEST
 
Musti and Vijaykumar knew that a state championship in doubles last year would be a tall order with Shawnee Mission East’s senior duo of Abby Long and Katie Schmidt on the trajectory to win their first title after three state runner-up finishes. But Musti and Vijaykumar hoped to at least meet those two in the state semifinals and lock up a top-four finish, at a minimum. Instead, the Jaguars tandem fell 6-1, 6-4 to the Lancers No. 2 doubles team of Katie Murphy and Ellie McDermed in the quarterfinals. Musti and Vijaykumar recovered by winning three straight matches, including a 8-3 win over Olathe Northwest’s Camryn Medina and Samantha Van Zante in the fifth-place match. Now they duo will return with the 6A doubles field left wide open by the graduation of a majority of the semifinals participants from a year ago.
 

 
QUINCY NANNINGA, GARDEN CITY

Nanninga is coming off a solid sophomore campaign that saw her qualify for the 6A state tournament for the second straight year. After teaming with Payton Tull to make state in doubles as a freshman, Nanninga adjusted well as a singles player, finishing last season with a 28-11 record. She opened the 6A tourney last year with a victory over Topeka High’s McCall Beall before dropping her last two matches. Nanninga won the Campus tournament in No. 1 singles and was the Western Athletic Conference No. 2 singles champion last year after winning three tournaments in doubles the year before. Her and fellow state qualifier Danica Galia traded off as the Buffaloes’ No. 1 singles player during last season. 
 

DOMINIQUE PITCHLYN, BLUE VALLEY WEST
 
Pitchlyn showed a lot of promise throughout her freshman campaign as she produced a 25-12 record and earned a sixth-place finish at state. Pitchlyn advanced past Washburn Rural’s Mena DiMarzio in the opening round before knocking off Free State’s Cami Lee with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory. But Pitchlyn ended up on the backside of the bracket after her teammate, senior Sarah Yan, delivered her a 6-4, 6-2 defeat as Yan continued on to win the state title. Pitchlyn recovered with an 8-2 victory over Manhattan’s Schartz and an 8-0 win over Washburn Rural’s Carolina Chedzoy. Unfortunately, Pitchlyn could not defeat Lee’s older sister, Maya Lee, in the fifth-place match as she lost 8-4. Now Pitchlyn will return alongside senior Aashritha Musti and sophomore Chandana Vijaykumar hoping their Jaguars can improve upon their second-place team finish and dethrone Shawnee Mission East for the 6A state title.
 

LINDSAY RUDER, OLATHE WEST
 
Ruder delivered a 23-11 record and a seventh-place finish in singles during her sophomore campaign last year. Ruder opened the state tournament with a 7-6 (2), 6-0 win over Washburn Rural’s Carolina Chedzoy, only to lose to eventual state runner-up Ishya Bhavsar of Shawnee Mission East 6-4, 6-1 in the quarterfinals. She responded with an 8-1 win over Wichita Northwest’s Alayna Alvarez. With a spot in the fifth-place match on the line, Ruder went up against the same opponent she faced in the third-place match at regionals from the prior week. Ruder beat Free State’s Maya Lee in that one, only for Lee to flip the script at state with a 8-4 victory. Ruder closed out state by defeating Chedzoy again, this time with a 8-4 win in the seventh-place match.
 

KAM STUBBS, WICHITA NORTHWEST

Stubbs gives new Northwest coach Melissa Malone an experienced player to build around after three varsity seasons with two state appearances. Her partnership with now-graduated Cayanna Sparks yielded a 22-7 record last season and a Liberal regional championship in which they outlasted Garden City’s Jocelyn Kennedy and Chloe Ptacek 6-2, 7-6 (12) in the final to help the Grizzlies sweep the singles and doubles titles. After going 0-2 at state with Sparks in 2022, the duo earned a first-round victory and two others on the consolation side to finish 12^th last fall. 

 

MARYAM WAMBI, BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST
 
Wambi teamed up with her older sister, Saraphina Wambi, in doubles last season to great effect. The duo went 24-7 on their way to a state runner-up finish. The Wambis had more trouble in their opening rounds at state than they expected, including a 6-0, 5-7, 7-6 (6) win over Washburn Rural seniors Claire Ireland and Gabby Martinez. But they buckled down in the semifinals, earning a 6-2, 6-4 win over Olathe Northwest’s Hannah Carney and Riley Terhune. Their refocused effort would not be enough in the finals, where they finished with a 6-1, 7-5 defeat at the hands of Shawnee Mission East’s Abby Long and Katie Schmidt. The younger Wambi will return this year without her older sister, but a wealth of experience. She could try her hand at singles, or possibly team back up with her partner from sophomore year, fellow senior Cammie Peng. Peng competed at state with Tindra Lind, but did not place.
 

MORGAN ZUBA, BLUE VALLEY

Morgan Zuba finished her junior campaign with a 19-13 record. She finished fifth at a regional which saw its top-three finishers earn the exact same results at the state meet, while the fourth-place finisher took sixth at state. But Zuba’s opponent in the fifth-place match at regionals, Blue Valley North’s Prisha Dalal, earned a 7-6 (1), 6-1 upset victory over Zuba in their rematch to open state. Zuba recovered with an 8-3 victory over Garden City’s Quincy Nanninga, only for Washburn Rural’s Carolina Chedzoy to end Zuba’s state outing early with a 8-2 victory. Now she’ll return for her senior year as the only returning state qualifier for Blue Valley after the graduation of doubles team Maia Bajich and Katherine Stone.