Young Tennis Player Takes Top Spot

Freshman Plays No. 1 on Varsity

Alexa Schulte, Staff
September 15, 2017

     The No. 1 varsity girls’ tennis player is freshman Claire Thimgan. In her first tournament, Claire took first place in the Lee’s Summit North Tournament, playing against Lee’s Summit North in the Championship for A singles. While this was her first tournament win for Staley, Claire competes in tournaments year-round across the Midwest.

     

The Lady Falcons tennis team played on Aug. 30 against Liberty high school, with freshman Claire Thimgan playing in the No. 1 spot. The Varsity team lost 1-8, however Claire won her match. “During the match, I was just thinking about staying consistent and hitting every ball back, but being offensive when I got the chance.”

    “I started playing when I was about 4 or 5 years old, since my family plays,” said Thimgan.

     Her sister, alumni Natalie Thimgan also played for Staley, and competes in USTA, United States Tennis Association, as does Claire. They play in tournaments and at a club during the off season.

     “High-school tennis is a lot different from USTA. USTA is a lot more competitive, and high-school tennis isn’t really competitive until you get to state,” said Claire.

     One of Claire’s biggest accomplishments throughout her years of playing tennis was placing fourth at futures, which is one of the highest classes, and it is usually dominated by college players.

     Claire, along with the rest of the team hope to make state in October.