Introducing the Wichita Eagle high school girls tennis All-Metro team for the 2022 season

The Wichita area featured some of the best high school girls tennis players in Kansas this season and that star power is highlighted on The Wichita Eagle’s 2022 All-Metro girls tennis team.

The All-Metro squad consists of the three top singles players, the two top doubles teams and the Co-Coaches of the Year from Sedgwick, Butler and Harvey counties, based on season-long performance with an emphasis on postseason finishes.

Bishop Carroll junior Brynn Steven, who won the Class 5A singles title, and Collegiate senior Emma Mantovani, who won her third Class 3-1A state singles championship this season, were named the Girls Tennis Co-Players of the Year on the All-Metro team.

Emma Mantovani, Collegiate senior

Mantovani etched her name in the Kansas high school history books by finishing her career as a 3-time state champion this season. After winning the Class 4A singles title in 2019, Mantovani successfully repeated as the Class 3-1A singles champion this season with a 3-set victory over Sacred Heart’s Katherine Weiss to cap a 27-4 season. The senior, a 2-time All-Metro selection who is still undecided about her college future, also helped the Spartans win four straight team state championships during her career.

Collegiate’s Emma Mantovani: “It was an amazing feeling (winning state). I think it was the perfect way to end it. I’m just happy that we were also able to get another team title too. I’ve made so many memories and done so much through the game of tennis, so I’m really grateful for my high school tennis career.”

Collegiate coach Dave Hawley: “This year she was on a mission. And when she had some tough sets, I think she fell into this mode to play not to lose and that happened in the championship match when she lost the second set. I rarely had to be harsh with her because she is so self-motivated, but it was a different kind of her on the court. And I’ve had that happen with seniors before where you have to have a fierce talk with them. And she already knew what to do and she went out there and played that way. That shows you how good she is.”

Isabella Sebits, Trinity Academy senior

A former singles state champion from 2020, Sebits suffered a potentially career-ending back injury last year that cost her her junior season. It was an impressive comeback story that saw Sebits return to the court for her senior year, and what was her final competitive season of tennis before she attends Oklahoma and focuses on an accounting degree, as she finished with a third-place finish in the Class 4A state tournament singles field with a 31-3 record.

Trinity’s Isabella Sebits: “I had a lot of fun this year. It was a good ending to the season and I’m grateful I was able to play my senior year. It was nice to be able to go out there and prove I can still play.”

Trinity coach Kevyn Dobbins: “What Isabella did this year was very impressive. She had a great season and was so consistent and really did play some tough competition there at the end at the state tournament. She hung in there and played some of her best tennis and finished strong and that was really cool to see someone return to that level after coming back from such a significant injury.”

Brynn Steven, Bishop Carroll junior

It’s been a steady climb to the top for Steven, who took fourth place as a freshman, then lost in the state finals last year before ascending to become the Class 5A state singles champion as a junior. She avenged an earlier loss to Salina Central’s Janae Montoya in the semifinals, then prevailed in a 3-set match after dropping the first set in the finals over Topeka Seaman’s Lauren Sweeney to capture the title. The 2-time City League champion and 2-time All-Metro selection finished her season with a 25-2 record.

Carroll’s Brynn Steven: “I knew I needed to just stay with my game (in the state championship match) and just wear her down. If I did that, she would eventually break and I could get some momentum going. That’s what happened and it was so much fun to be able to experience it with my friends, my family, my team and my coaches, it made it a thousand times better. I want to do it again next year.”

Carroll coach Darren Huslig: “The biggest thing that stood out to me about Brynn this season was the strength of her mental game. And her ability and willingness to change her game when the time called for it. She was probably the favorite coming into this season, so there was a lot of pressure on her and we know there are some girls out there that are plenty capable of playing some really good tennis. Brynn had to go and earn it and that’s what she did. When she dropped that first set in the finals, she could have folded, but she didn’t and she answered the call and fought back and got the job done.”

Maya Chon and Bryer Geoffroy, Andover Central doubles

After losing in the state championship match last season, the doubles pairing of Chon, a senior, and Geoffroy, a sophomore, won the Class 5A state doubles title this year. There was a bump in the road at regionals, where the duo didn’t play up to their expectations and finished fourth in a competitive field, but when the stakes were the highest, Chon and Geoffroy delivered their best. Coming out of the first round, the duo beat teams from St. James, Salina Central and Newton before squaring off with their teammates, Grace Schaefer and McKinnley Evans, in the championship match and coming away with a 3-set victory to finish off a 21-6 season.

Andover Central’s Maya Chon: “It definitely was a great feeling, especially being able to do it with Bryer. It felt really good to end on that note.”

Andover Central’s Bryer Geoffroy: “It was kind of unreal because the competition at state was so good and us winning was just crazy. We’ve only been playing together for about a year and a half, so we’ve come so far in such a short amount of time.”

Andover Central coach Janet Glaser: “They compliment each other so well. One of them is very expressive. Everything you see on her face. And the other one has a poker face. You can’t ever tell what she’s thinking. But they both have that inner drive and that passion and they just don’t quit.”

Laney Conrad and Julia Herrman, Collegiate doubles

This championship pairing almost never happened: Collegiate coach Dave Hawley admits his first thought was not to pair the sophomores together. But Conrad and Herrman are best friends off the court and decided on their own to become a doubles team this summer and trained together with Conrad’s father, Matt. Their chemistry paid off in the end, as winning the doubles title at the Class 3-1A state tournament was the first time the duo had won a tournament all season. They survived a 3-set match in the semifinals to top Sterling, then won a rematch against their teammates, seniors Kinsey Nichols and Tatum Bhargava, in the state championship match to conclude a 22-5 season.

Collegiate’s Laney Conrad: “Winning (state) was the most amazing feeling I’ve ever felt. We had all of this work we did outside of practice and it paid off, so it felt good to see our work accomplished.”

Collegiate’s Julia Herrman: “It definitely helps a lot to be able to tell each other whatever we need to and give each other pointers when we’re on the court. Winning felt unreal. It was just so relieving when it was all over.”

Collegiate coach Dave Hawley: “It’s funny because I had no real intention of them being together, but they put themselves together this summer and kind of forced the deal. And with Laney’s help, Julia really took a massive leap as a player with her confidence and her ability. They played all summer long together and did drills and when Julia came into the season, it was an amazing surprise. We knew what Laney was, but over the summer Julia really grew up and I think some credit goes to Laney for being a really good mentor and then Julia just responded beautifully. They definitely peaked at the right time.”

Steve Alexander, Andover coach

The dynasty in Andover is well underway, as the Trojans claimed their second straight Class 5A team state championship with still no seniors on the team. Even without playing their best tennis at the state tournament (no entry reached the finals), Andover won the team race with seven points to spare over cross-town rival Andover Central to complete a dominant season. All four entries came away with state medals, led by the doubles team of juniors Anna Jittawait and Brooke Walker with a third-place finish and the doubles team of junior Hannah Pappademos and sophomore Nadia Kaewsai taking fifth. In the singles field, freshman Mia Jaramillo took fourth and sophomore Molly Gaddis placed 11th.

Andover coach Steve Alexander: “There was a lot of pressure on the girls because there were expectations and they did have a target on their back, but I thought all of the girls rose to the challenge and handled it very well. I was proud of every player on the team. They just have fun while they’re working hard every day in practice. They’re a really tight-knit group and they do some really entertaining things. Like right now they’re trying to decide how they’re going to torch me this year for winning state again. Last year they dyed my hair, so now they’re coming up with a new plan for this year.”

Janet Glaser, Andover Central coach

With no singles entries to the state tournament, the odds of Andover Central coming away with hardware from a loaded Class 5A field were slim. But the Jaguars did just that with a flawless performance from their two doubles teams, which both advanced to the state championship match and helped Andover Central secure a second-place team finish over teams like Salina Central, Bishop Carroll and Topeka Seaman for their first state plaque since 2015 under Glaser. The doubles team of senior Maya Chon and sophomore Bryer Geoffroy won the state title, while Andover Central’s other doubles team of seniors Grace Schaefer and McKinnley Evans upset Andover’s top doubles team in the semifinals to highlight a runner-up finish. While they did not qualify for state, Glaser pointed out the contributions of singles players Ellen Schaefer and Victorija Litavniks throughout the season.

Andover Central coach Janet Glaser: “We truly had an incredible state tournament. To see four girls work so hard and who were so deserving and wanted it so much out there, it was so much fun to see. And they had to overcome a lot of late disappointments. We had a very disappointing regional finish, not only losing a match we shouldn’t have lost but also having an injury that could have been the end. So to see these girls overcome adversity was really rewarding. We changed up our practices the week before state and we changed up the way we approached things and the girls showed a lot of mental toughness at the state tournament.”

All-Metro second team

Lara de Carvalho, Collegiate freshman

Logan Jagonlinzer, Bishop Carroll freshman

Mia Jaramillo, Andover freshman

Anna Jittawait (junior) and Brooke Walker (junior), Andover

McKinnley Evans (senior) and Grace Schaefer (senior), Andover Central

Kinsey Nichols (senior) and Tatum Bhargava (senior), Collegiate

Darcy Dunne (senior) and Sophia Majors (junior), Trinity Academy

David Hawley, Collegiate coach

All-Metro third team

Jackie Ackerman, Kapaun Mt. Carmel junior

Rylee Frye, Maize sophomore

Molly Gaddis, Andover sophomore

Elise Richardson, Augusta sophomore

Hannah Pappademos (junior) and Nadia Kaewsai (sophomore), Andover

Cassie Albin (senior) and Kori Kramer (junior), Hesston

Maci Kratzer (senior) and Madelyn Fellows (junior), Maize South

Giulia Introini (senior) and Natalie Hershberger (sophomore), Newton

Kevin Dobyns, Trinity Academy coach