Despite graduating most of their varsity lineup from last season, Iola High School tennis coach Chris Belknap is not calling this season a rebuild season nor is he in a rush to assign his varsity players.
Belknap’s leisurely approach comes with a few caveats in that he also returns a roster loaded with talent and experience as well as having nearly three weeks before his team makes their season debut at the Independence Invitational.
“We’re going to have a good season, we have a lot of players and we’re pretty pumped about it,” Belknap said.
“It’s been kind of hot, so we’re a little worn out at the end of practice. We’ve got some good players, but no seniors. Evie (Schooler) is our top dog and our only junior.”
Although not assigning the varsity roster just yet, Belknap has a few names in mind when it comes to potential No. 1 and No. 2 singles players.
Schooler is in the running for one of the coveted singles spots but also saw significant time playing doubles last season.
As one of Iola’s most experienced players, Schooler looks forward to showing her versatility whether playing singles or with a partner.
“I want to try singles to test my endurance a little more, but I’ll also fill in for doubles, too,” Schooler said. “Singles is mostly about running and endurance. The fundamentals are the same, but I have to cover a lot more ground than usual; and it’s a giant switch.”
Sophomore Jayna Ivy is another player looking to break into singles. After showing potential last season, she said she’s getting used to the pressure and required dexterity for play singles fulltime.
“I played singles and doubles last year, so I’m kind of used to both,” said Ivy, who battled Belknap in singles Wednesday.
“It was good practice (playing Belknap), but it was a challenge.”
With eight returners from last year and three incoming freshmen, Belknap is in the fortunate position of having a reservoir from which to develop talent for the future.
The Mustangs may have a new varsity lineup, but the incoming players are not new competing at that level.
“We’re pretty fresh, but they played a lot last season — I think five or six JV meets and that’s the most we’ve ever done,” Belknap said. “A lot of the girls filled in because the seniors had a lot of activities — especially the band competitions. We had to have people step up. It’s nice.”
As one of only a handful of programs with a tennis team for a school of Iola’s size, the Mustangs will face a stiff challenge no matter who they face or where they go. As iron sharpens iron, facing better competition makes Iola players better in the end and Belknap, Schooler and Ivy are ready for that challenge.
“It’s a lot tougher competition, but gives us something to work on,” Schooler said. “We can learn how to better prepare ourselves and move forward to being better tennis players as the years go on. It’s exciting.”
