Monarchs make ready for Metro Tournament; Griffins grow from ground-up

The Monarchs are an experienced group, led by a core group of six seniors. That group includes foreign exchange student Julia Moser from Austria.

When Papio began conditioning in December, head coach Mariana Hurst could see that Moser knew what she was doing and was executing form perfectly on squats, deadlifts and other exercises.

“So I asked her, ‘Do you have any tennis experience?’” Hurst said. “She said, ‘Well, it’s been a long time, but I do have some.’”

Playing tennis since she was 9 years old, Moser has faced the challenge of moving to clay courts – which she is used to playing on back home – and dealing with the wind of Nebraska.

Nonetheless, Moser provides a level of play that makes the Monarchs better.

“She has been playing for a while, but she’s very competitive as well,” Hurst said. “She doesn’t like to lose. And she is always wanting to be helpful with her teammates, not only with cheering but just technique.”

Offering pointers to her teammates here and there makes a huge difference, Hurst continued.

“When you’ve got somebody that knows tennis really well, not only for herself but her teammates,” the Monarchs head coach said. “She makes her teammates better.”

Moser’s expertise pairs perfectly with the leadership and athletic drive of the five Papio seniors Jenifer Hubert, Reagan Hickey, Addison Mahnks, Mia Tvrdy and Ellie Fahrenkrog.

Hurst has known a lot of them for many years and helped get them to buy into tennis.

“So that makes it extra special because they have just dedicated themselves to learning a new sport,” she said. “They’ve been comfortable, which has been good for them in the long run to be able to get better at a sport that they aren’t familiar with.

“You’ve got a Division I volleyball player” – Tvrdy will play at the University of Oregon next fall – “and Division II volleyball player” – Hickey will play at Regis University – “and of course in years past, I’ve had Division I softball players, but (they) basically come back and say, this was my fun sport.”

Competing in a sport that isn’t their main focus takes away some of the pressure, Hurst said, and gives them an opportunity to grow in their knowledge and have fun.

“All of the seniors get along really well,” Hurst said. “They’re good friends. We can end practice and they just sit around and chat and that is just the best thing to see. They genuinely enjoy each other’s company.”

That goes a long way for a squad’s chemistry, Hurst continued, when they all want the best for each other.

“We want to be able to push each other but at the end of the day, we want the best for each other and that’s what this group has done,” she said. “They’re just a great group of seniors. They’re all great kids, great leaders… I will miss them a ton.”

The seniors were celebrated – poking fun at Moser by suggesting that there would be a dance to go with the senior night recognitions – with a straight sweep of the visiting Griffins. 

The Monarchs finished sixth at the 11-team Millard North Invitational at Koch Tennis Center on Friday, Moser placing third at No. 1 singles. 

Next up, Metros on Wednesday, May 8.

“We've talked about going back and forth a lot this season,” Hurst said. “And I want to be able to just move forward and just get better and better every time and having to reach a different level each time. So on Friday, that's a great invite for us. I hope that we can really compete well in that invite to get us ready for Metro.”

Meanwhile, Matthis Mattley and Gretna East are building. 

Many having played low junior varsity or reserves at Gretna, where Mattley helped out, they are now playing varsity against some of the toughest competition in the Metro.

“And so for them to step into a one or two varsity position, which is a lot and that's a big jump, and it's hard to do that in tennis, just jump from that one spot to another spot,” Mattley said. “But they've been doing very, very well. They've been pushing themselves about every single day in practice, which is really good to not only just see, but they have a very, very big hunger to get better and they're willing to put in as much work as it possibly can.”

Even in early morning practices, the Griffins have displayed the same hunger, and by working on a lot of skill work, they have built that foundation.

“Brick by brick,” as the school’s mantra goes.

In the absence of seniors, Avery Johnson and Ella Gernetzke have emerged as leaders.

“Avery Johnson is by far one of the greatest leaders I’ve ever seen,” Mattley said. “She leads with compassion, but she also leads with something where it’s just very prevalent that she leads very well.”

Willing to embrace the “suck” – in other words, the losses that inevitably come with being a first-year program – Mattley said Johnson leads through and has done a really good job in her leadership opportunities.

Freshman Gernetzke, meanwhile, has only held a racket for three months, but has stepped up in many ways as well.

“(She’s) like, ‘Hey, we need to focus on this,’ or ‘We need to do this stuff like that,’” Mattley said. “And so she has been a good driver for the whole entire team, not only for herself, but for the team as well.”