Both Buhler and McPherson turned in dominant performances at their respective regional tournaments Friday to qualify multiple entries for state. Hesston and Pratt also earned individual berths, continuing a strong season for area programs.
At the Buhler regional, hosted at the Buck Balzer Tennis Complex, Wichita Collegiate swept the singles and doubles titles, but Buhler High School placed second as a team and advanced three entries to state. Sophomore Sofia Spies finished runner-up in singles, falling only to Collegiate’s freshman standout Hitha Ganganala (22-1). Spies improved to 24-6 on the year and will make her second straight trip to state. Freshman teammate Gabriella Gillespie claimed sixth place, securing her first state berth. In doubles, seniors Emily Allen and Kylee Bradshaw placed third (22-12), advancing after a strong run that included wins in the consolation bracket. Pratt’s Hope Hughes, a senior, also qualified for state by finishing fifth in singles with a 17-6 record. Nickerson competed well across brackets but missed the top-six cutoff for state qualification.
Meanwhile, at the McPherson regional, the host Bullpups swept both singles and doubles championships to claim the team title and send all four of their entries to state. Senior Maryn Sandbo (27-5) captured the singles championship, while freshman Mayson Wiens (14-3) finished runner-up, giving McPherson a 1–2 sweep in the bracket. In doubles, Quinn Liebl and Avery Unruh dominated on their way to the regional title (28-3), and the tandem of Lleyton Kuhn and Alexandria Rodriguez took third (11-1), both qualifying for state.
Hesston also impressed at McPherson, earning two singles qualifiers as junior Aubrey Koehn (18-11) and freshman Laine Widener (17-9) finished fifth and sixth, respectively.
The KSHSAA Class 4A Girls State Tennis Tournament will be held Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17–18, at the Harmon Park Tennis Complex in Prairie Village.