Weber claims 3rd in State tennis singles
Staff writer
Hillsboro senior tennis player Allison Weber has good reason to feel satisfied right now.
As of Saturday, she could say she is one of the top three 3-2-1A singles players in Kansas in 2014, not to mention she singlehandedly earned 7th place for Hillsboro’s team.
“It feels amazing,” Weber said. “I tried really hard this year.”
Weber is no stranger to state play. In 2011, she and her sister placed sixth in doubles play and in 2012 and 2013, she placed fifth in singles.
“Allison has always been coachable and is one of the steadiest and level-headed players I have coached,” Bob Woelk said. “She made a living getting into other players’ heads by just simply returning everything they hit at her.”
This year, Weber was the only Hillsboro player to progress to State.
“Coach was very supportive,” Weber said. “The rest of the team definitely backed me up. They all were sending texts to me to see how I was doing during the day.”
Starting at No. 6 seed, she beat her first three opponents 6-1, 6-0; 6-0, 6-0; and 6-4, 6-4 before losing to this year’s State champion 6-0, 6-0 in the semi-finals.
To claim third place, Weber staunchly defeated her opponent 6-2, 6-1 in the final match of her high school career.
She said her strategy was to conserve energy by finishing points quicker. She also worked to focus on one match at a time and to maintain a positive “can-do” attitude.
“She has two attributes that can’t be coached — she is quick and determined,” Woelk said. “It has been a pleasure working with her…her third-place medal at state is one better than her mom’s, who took fourth a few years ago.”
Woelk has never had a player that was as successful as Weber. He said she is the first Hillsboro player to win four state medals in girls’ tennis.
Weber’s career record is 96-38 and 69-27 in singles play.
Last modified Oct. 23, 2014