Two years ago, the Jefferson High tennis team — which two decades before had won four straight state championships — could muster only 11 girls.
This spring, the Panther practice courts opposite Boulder Elementary School are packed with 21 players. Six of those are boys, up from two a year earlier.
The numbers make a difference. There’s an energy as the young players hit — even as a late-March squall blows through the team’s practice session. “It’s much better with more kids,” says Mikayla Murolo, a junior who is the only player remaining from the 2022 squad.
“It’s definitely growing,” says Eliza McLaughlin, now in her third year as the Panthers’ head coach. Of this year’s squad, most are new — including nine freshmen and three first-time seniors — and many of them new to tennis.
That means a lot of the job for McLaughlin and assistant Will Johnson will be about teaching the basics, both skills and strategy. “I’ll know this year has been a success if the kids have learned how to play,” says McLaughlin, who herself played for Belgrade High School.
But she’d also like her returning players to, like, win. She’s hoping that three girls will make the State tournament in May, and at least one boy.
Sophomore Bailee Silvonen will take over as the girls’ number-one singles player. “Bailee had the skills last year, but was new to competition,” McLaughlin says. “She’ll make it a lot further this year if she puts in the work — and she’ll put in the work.” Murolo probably will play in the number-two slot, with Elizabeth Weninger and Clara Yap in the three and four positions.
Addy Leary and Clara Genger will form one doubles team. They played their first matches together Mar. 23 in Manhattan, and Leary observes, “we need more practice. It’ll be good once we learned the strategy behind the game.” Grace Day and Holly Keough probably will make the second doubles pair.
Sophomore Izaak Luhrsen returns to lead the boys’ squad. Last year, Luhrsen was given the team’s “Pioneer Award” for being the first boys’ tennis player in Jefferson history. (He says he saw there were no boys and thought, “I can change that.” It didn’t hurt that McLaughlin is his cousin.)
Now, Luhrsen wants to make it to State with his doubles partner, Cole Christoferson. Freshman Hunter Heinitz will play at the number-one singles position, with Conor Boysen playing at number three or four. Boysen is competing at tennis for the first time, as well; his goal is to improve, “and to keep going next year.”
And that’s the big goal for McLaughlin – to build a team that keeps coming back, and a program that returns to consistent competitive success. The program’s courts are still in limbo: The high school has grant funding in hand, but work hasn’t yet begun to repair the deep cracks and frost heaves that mar the playing surfaces. But the players, they’re ready to go.
