Ten Harlan County High School athletes will represent the school on Thursday at North Laurel as individual qualifiers for the 13th Region Tournament.
Both HCHS teams were eliminated in the quarterfinals last week as the boys fell to Whitley County and the girls lost to Barbourville.
“Our tennis teams finished the season with winning records once again in a very, very tough region. The girls finished with a 10-5 record while the boys had a 9-6 record,” Harlan County coach Caleb Bailey said. “We didn’t get the usual match numbers as previous years due to rain canceling some this season.
Bailey said the program will lose three seniors to graduation in Calan Neely, Laura Ball and Bailee Jones.
“We are so proud of them. Calan Neely and Laura Ball have played for me since my first day of being head coach, which makes this season a little bittersweet to come to an end,” he said. “We are looking forward to closing our season out strong and hope to have some players make a deep run and potentially a trip to the state tournament.”
Bailey commented on each member of the squad competing in the regional.
Boys
Singles
“Calan Neely is a senior this year and is one of my first graduating groups that joined the team when I began coaching. There isn’t a player I’ve met that has the fight that Calan has. Calan finished this season with a record of 7-2 in singles and will be a tough opponent for any opposition in the tournament due to his consistency and smart techniques of this game. His only losses come against North Laurel and Whitley County in singles.”
Elijah Moore
“Elijah Moore is a sophomore. He has brought intensity this season and really reminds me of my play style when I played in high school — aggressive, defensive on the baseline, and also has upgraded his net play. Elijah finishes this season with a record of 9-1. His only loss was against a strong North Laurel opponent.”
Doubles
Josh Stewart/Jason Maggard
“Josh Stewart and Jason Maggard are both sophomores. Josh has added improved topspin to his game this season and has improved at the net. Jason, being his first year playing, has come out and has picked up the racket like he has played a few years.”
Girls
Singles
Kaitlyn Daniels
“Kaitlyn Daniels, a junior, has come on for us this season. The season started off a little bumpy for her, but her grit and motivation to improve was just too strong. She finished with an 8-4 regular season record with most losses coming earlier in the season. She has improved her forehand and backhand and is taking the appropriate angles when deciding on the shot.”
Laura Ball
“Laura Ball is another player who has been with us since my first year coaching, making this another four-year player who we will be losing. Laura had a record of 3-6 in singles but was dealing with some injury to start the season off with. She has found a rhythm the past few weeks and is getting back into the form she finished with last season, which we will need in the regional tournament.”
Doubles
Kalista Dunn/Sophie Day
“Kalista Dunn and Sophie Day are both sophomores for us this season. I placed these two as a doubles team at the start of the year, and they just sync tremendously well when playing with one another. If they both play like they should, they can make a deep run in the doubles tournament. They finish the season with a record of 6-3.”
Addison Fields/Bani Chaudhary
“Addison Fields and Bani Chaudhary are both first-year players. Addison is in eighth grade while Bani is a sophomore. Both are learning the game very quickly and have the potential to grow into a dangerous doubles team. They finished with a doubles record of 2-7.”
