Check out the high school girls tennis players to watch this spring
The Holland area seems to reload in tennis talent every year, and this year will be no different.
There were plenty of key graduating seniors last year, led by West Ottawa's Player of the Year Chloe Duckworth as well as top singles players from Holland, Zeeland East and Holland Christian.
Here is a look at the returning players to watch:
Danielle Lebster
SCHOOL: West Ottawa
GRADE: Junior
LAST YEAR: Was 13-15 at No. 2 singles. Conference and regional finalist helping Panthers reach state.
COACH'S VIEW: "Danielle is the ultimate fighter on court. Her concentration and ability to go 100% all the time as good as anyone I've coached." - Pete Schwallier
Ahava LeFebre
SCHOOL: Holland
GRADE: Sophomore
LAST YEAR: Went 19-5 at No. 2 singles. Won the OK Green title and was a regional quarterfinalist.
COACH'S VIEW: "Ahava played at a very high level throughout the season. She can hit all shots and does a great job of dictating and setting herself up in points." - Kyle Kreps
Megan Blake
SCHOOL: West Ottawa
GRADE: Senior
LAST YEAR: Was 25-4 at No. 3 singles. Won OK Red Conference title and Division 1 regional title. Reached state round of 16.
COACH'S VIEW: "Megan continues to grow as a player and person, this year tying the school record for wins in a singles season at 3 singles." - Pete Schwallier
Gabi Rooks
SCHOOL: Holland Christian
GRADE: Junior
LAST YEAR: Went 25-3 at No. 4 singles. Won OK Blue Conference title and D3 regional title before reaching state semifinals.
COACH'S VIEW: "Gabi has been our nice surprise at No. 4 singles as a new player to varsity she has a natural athletic talent as a multi sport athlete and has the stamina to last all day on court however long it takes to get the job done." - Lynn Bender
Lilly DeVries
SCHOOL: Holland Christian
GRADE: Senior
LAST YEAR: Went 22-5 at No. 1 doubles. Won OK Blue Conference title and D3 regional title.
COACH'S VIEW: "Lilly the crafty left hander with a wicked serve that opponents struggle to return. She has added a lot of power and strength to her game this year and will be a huge asset to the team next year." - Lynn Bender
Eden Hamilton
SCHOOL: West Ottawa
GRADE: Junior
LAST YEAR: Regional and conference semifinalists before reaching state round of 16 at No. 1 doubles.
COACH'S VIEW: "Eden and Jessica were our biggest movers from a year ago, going from 4th/5th doubles all the way to leading our doubles lineup this spring." - Pete Schwallier
Jessica Zhang
SCHOOL: West Ottawa
GRADE: Junior
LAST YEAR: Regional and conference semifinalists before reaching state round of 16 at No. 1 doubles.
COACH'S VIEW: "Eden and Jessica were our biggest movers from a year ago, going from 4th/5th doubles all the way to leading our doubles lineup this spring." - Pete Schwallier
Haven March
SCHOOL: West Ottawa
GRADE: Senior
LAST YEAR: Went 21-8 at No. 2 doubles. Won Division 1 regioanl title and were OK Red runner-up. Reached round of 16 at state.
COACH'S VIEW: "Haven came back from missing her sophomore season to have a brilliant junior season." - Pete Schwallier
Esmay Klingenberg
SCHOOL: Holland Christian
GRADE: Junior
LAST YEAR: Went 21-6 at No. 2 doubles. Won OK Blue Conference title and D3 regional title.
COACH'S VIEW: "Esmay's game has made tremendous strides just from the beginning of the season till the end with her big powerful serve and hard-hitting groundstrokes with aggressive net play, she will definitely be a huge asset to the team next year whether its singles or doubles." - Lynn Bender
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Check out the high school girls tennis players to watch this spring
