Bloomington area IHSAA girls tennis preview, top players to watch in 2024 season

Graduation: game, set match.

All three county girls' tennis programs lost a number of key seniors so let's take a look at how they're rebuilding, with Edgewood bringing back the most varsity starters from 2023:

Bloomington North

It's been the worst year for so many weather issues that have kept North off the practice court, unable to play challenge matches and postponing two matches last week that would help sort things out. Only one player out of 21 returns from the regional finalists who went 16-2 in senior Keira Murphy and she's making a big switch from three years of doubles to the Cougars' No. 1 singles player. "We really don't know too much yet," coach Barb Mills said. "We have a lot of beginners and we have a lot of work to do."

Murphy has embraced the change. "She's played all her career at doubles and she's done a great job there and it was fun for her," Mills said. "So it's interesting to see her try something else. She's worked hard in the offseason. It's been a fun challenge for her." A big change will be not having a doubles partner to help pick her up.

For now, the other two singles players are seniors Ingrid Pendergast and Rahel Samantrai, who will form a solid leadership team with Murphy. A group of five others will likely also be fighting for either singles or doubles spots. It includes junior Emily Talbert and sophomores Hope Isbitts, Lilia McHaley and Sara Venturieri and freshman Mira Koderi.

Bloomington South

The Panthers will be young overall but will have experienced players at the top two singles spots and at No. 1 doubles. "We've been working in the off-season and our focus has been on building the community of the team," coach Matt Corry said. "We've been working on the details, from fitness to skills and the ability to play singles or doubles. I'm seeing them buy-in and that's always exciting."

The Panthers welcome back senior Maddie Santner at the No. 1 singles spot. She's headed to play at Hanover. Senior Brooke Liao returns at No. 2 and the new face at No. 3 singles is Carlota Campos, an exchange student from Spain. Hannah Vandeventer is the other returning starter and she'll pair up with freshman Carla Demeter at No. 1 doubles. Sophomore Stella Ham and junior Abby Arthur could also work their way into the lineup.

The new No. 2 doubles squad are a pair of newcomers in Quinn Reynolds and Everly Clark, who are also teammates on the volleyball court. "They picked up tennis this summer," Corry said. "They're able to make quick changes and they understand the strategy and the anticipation piece. They're improving every day, which is exciting. They communicate well and embrace the toughness of practice."

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Edgewood

Head coach Katie Brookman hopes there's something big brewing in Ellettsville and it's a team with 33 girls and plenty of experience back that's ready to make some noise. "I'm really excited," she said. "We have a lot of returning players on varsity and a lot of them have been working in the off-season. It could be a promising season for us."

Senior Macy Vaughn is back at No. 1 singles with sophomore Ellie Jackson moving up from No. 3 to No. 2. "Macy is just pretty consistent," Brookman said. "I know what I'll get from her and it's nice to have her experience since she's played the last three years. Ellie has been playing all year, which has helped her, and she's gotten more aggressive and hits harder." New at No. 3 will be sophomores Boston Chambers or Marley Jackson, who played doubles last year. "Boston is more of a rally until the other player messes up type of player," Brookman said. "Marley is more of a hard hitter. She's picked up tennis quickly. She plays volleyball, so she's quick on the court."

Edgewood needed a new top doubles pairing and that's sophomore Sophia Kapperman and junior Wren Millick, who were the No. 2 team last year and have the chemistry built in place. Jackson could also work here. At No. 2 doubles are a pair of seniors, Maris Holmes and Deep Patel, who are already good friends and work well together, Brookman said. "They have improved a ton since last year and have surpassed some people who were ahead of them."

Brookman also has a handful of players who are going to make it tough to set a lineup. Seniors Ella Denham and Olivia Lloyd, junior Addy Hash, and sophomores Molly Adams and Ashlyn Schaefer. "There's a lot of competition for varsity spots," Brookman said. "They've not made it easy to choose."

Contact Jim Gordillo at jgordillo@heraldt.com and follow on X @JimGordillo.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington area IHSAA girls tennis previews for the 2024 season