GIRLS TENNIS PREVIEW: Park Hill looks like another contender

Park Hill girls tennis is a particularly goal-oriented program, more so than most teams, and over the past five seasons there haven’t been many that have gone unfulfilled. This evident from the five consecutive conference championships, three straight district crowns, and two state semi-final appearances, not to mention the individual honors earned by those teams.

It was even more surprising to see exactly how high those goals reach when we caught a glimpse of the form coach Tim Kalis asked his players to fill out at the start of the season. Not only did it list typical goals like winning a conference, district, or state championship, but they varied in degree from simply learning to be a solid recreational player to being ranked in the state to actually winning a Grand Slam title as a professional. Kalis wants his athletes to think big as he does and he’s continuously trying to find ways to inspire them, his latest a speech called “Quiet Confidence” he first heard used for Texas Christian University’s baseball team.

The Trojans return this season with three of their top six players including individual state qualifier and top-ranked senior Suzanne Barth, doubles state qualifier sophomore Brooke Barnard, and Anna Karasiewicz. Competing for the remaining spots are a group of girls who Kalis said will push each other throughout the season resulting in several experiments with different players in the lineup. They include Morgan Pehlman, Abby Peoples, Brianna Donahue, Beth Cooper, Megan Meier, Kaylin Lake, and Makana Welsh along with several novice players that could edge their way into some playing time this season.

While Park Hill returns several cornerstones of last year’s team, Kalis says this year more than any they’ll have to rely on the little things to beat the tough competition in the area.

“Collectively, this year’s women’s tennis team must rely on extreme hustle, grit, and sound fundamentals (such as footwork) to meet our challenges, overcome obstacles, and reach our team goals,” Kalis said. “Our focus during practices has always been and will continue to be what we can control once we step out on the court – effort and attitude."

Both Barth and Barnard will be working towards an opportunity to avenge early exits from the state tournament last year as Barth was defeated in the singles tournament by eventual state champion Lindsey Whitehead of Ladue. Barnard, with partner Kate Skorija, suffered the same fate with a defeat by the doubles title winner, also of Ladue. While Barth, a 2008 doubles state champion, may best represent the words of ‘quiet confidence’ and is ready for her senior campaign, Kalis says Barnard has been a strong vocal presence over the course of the summer and into the pre-season and expects them both, along with Karasiewicz, to be solid leaders.

“She’s (Barnard) really been aggressive in calling the girls up to hit over the summer and getting people together for activities,” Kalis said.

As several Northland teams continue to develop into top programs, it will make it that much more difficult for Park Hill to stay above the likes of teams like Liberty and Park Hill South. The key to the Trojans 2011 campaign will be developing the bottom half of their varsity roster to complement the solid and experienced talent they have at the top.