On Oct. 7-8, 2011, De Soto High School was one of four sites to host a Kansas 4A Regional Tennis Tournament. There, DHS played against strong schools such as Hayden High School and St. James Academy.

 Junior Paige Willisms qualified for State after placimg third against stiff opposition, including two players who eventually placed in the top three in State.

 “St. James got one and two, and Hayden got fourth,” Williams said.

 Along with tough opponents, she faced opposition from the weather as well.

 “At Regionals it was really windy, so keeping the ball low [was hard],” Williams said.

 A week after Regionals, Williams went to the Kansas 4A State Championship at the Walter Blake Tennis Complex in Pratt.

 Williams won her first two rounds and lost only to the eventual State champion. After losing, she was sent to the back draw, where she proceeded to win her next three matches to place fifth with a overall record of 5-1 at the event. At the 2010 State Tournament at Maize High School, Williams also placed fifth.

 Williams had a packed schedule for the tournament.

 “She played six matches in two days. That’s a challenge in itself, because there were three hard matches. She played at 1:00 Friday afternoon, her second game was around 4:00, and her third game was at 5:30,” head coach Doug Opdycke said.

 The eventual champion was Wichita Collegiate’s Brooke Withrowe, who had spent over a year training at the Chris Evert Tennis Academy in Florida before moving back to Wichita last year. According to former DHS head coach Michael Sullivan, who attended the State meet with Williams and Opdycke, Withrowe may be the best player he has seen Kansas high school tennis. Despite losing, Williams continued to play and play well.

 “One thing she’s really good at is she perseveres. She doesn’t let things get her down. She’s just a good player and plays hard,” Opdycke said.

 Williams’ playing style is another reason she did so well in the Kansas 4A State Championship.

 “She’s able to adjust to the other player’s abilities, and then adjust her abilities to take advantage of the other player’s [weaknesses],” Opdycke said.