Lady Panther Tennis Season Wraps Up

The Lady Panthers Tennis season came to an end on Oct. 25, after freshman Vivien Hamilton and senior Chloe Norris competed at State. They won a match 8-2 and then lost a match 1-8. 

Freshmen Hamilton, Regan Miller and Zibah Wymer were all on the tennis team. Hamilton played Varsity, Miller played JV and Wymer played C – team. Though they all said they liked being on the tennis team, they all had very different experiences. 

Hamilton joined the tennis team because she has been playing tennis since she was 5 years old, and she takes lessons three times a week at Marchetti tennis academy and Northland Racket Club, so it was never a question if she would join. 

Miller said she joined the tennis team because she plays tennis casually in the summer at Old Pike Country Club and it has always been a goal of hers to play a high school sport.

Why did Wymer join the tennis team? 

“I have never played tennis before, but my mom made me join because it looks good on a college application,” Wymer said. 

Both Miller and Wymer rated their seasons a 6.5 out of 10 because of improvement. 

Miller used her prior knowledge of the sport to improve her technique this season. 

“I won quite a few matches and I moved up the ladder,” Miller said. 

Wymer had no prior experience with tennis so this season she improved he skills by forming a good foundation and understanding of the sport. 

 “I can hit the ball pretty well, and I can get serves in some of the time,” Wymer said. 

On the other hand, Hamilton rated her season a “solid 8” because of accomplishments. 

“ I had a lot of fun and I made it to State,” said Hamilton. 

One piece of advice Wymer has for anyone thinking about joining the tennis team is to show up on time. 

“One time I was late, and Coach Chambers made me run around all eight courts twice,” Wymer said. 

What is Hamilton’s least favorite part of tennis? 

“Oh, definitely losing,” she said.

But that is not really a problem because Hamiltion is such a good player–she was ranked two on varsity, her season record was 13-4, she made it to Districts and State, and on two separate occasions, Hamilton beat her opponent from rival school Park Hill 6-0, securing the Lady Panthers District Team Champions. 

Miller had a 4-8 season record. She won her match against Truman, Lee Summit, Kearney and Liberty. 

Next year Hamilton, Miller and Wymer will all be sophomores at South. Though they had very different experiences in tennis because they had different levels of ability, when asked if they would be joining the tennis team again next year they all had the same answer: “Yes!”