Tennis team grows as season nears its end

The high school tennis season is winding down in Wyoming as the Wolves prepare for Regionals in Cheyenne this weekend.

Since the start of the year, the Wolves coaching staff have worked to improve the boys and girls to get them excellent seeding for the tournament. Head coach Phil Harder said earlier in the season the girls were ready for that level of competition shortly after the season started as the Lady Wolves had a wealth of experience in several areas.

With seniors Gabrielle Heiser and Megan Counts playing singles and more experience in the doubles teams coming from seniors Alli Brown, Alicia Harrison, Kiley Strange and Lillian Travis, the girls have been some of the toughest players in the region, being ranked third overall in the south conference.

The boys are much younger, but have accomplished a lot in the short season. The singles players, Braxton Cordova and Korbin Arnell, are both juniors, though that doesn’t mean they’re not skilled. Cordova and junior Zach Friel, who plays No. 1 Doubles with junior Taylor Tirrell, are 2020 state champions.

Harder and his staff worked with them to develop their game and get them thinking more strategically about how they play. That work has paid off as the boys are the top-ranked team in the south conference going into Regionals.

“Our team played well in conference matches,” Harder said. “I’m excited to see what our kids will do; if they take what we do in practice and apply it during their matches they will fair pretty well at Regionals this weekend.”