As wacky as it may sound, Free State High’s Ellie Ott only has one goal in mind for her trip to Wichita for the Class 6A girls state tennis tournament.

She’s going to try her hardest to not eat a hamburger.

No joke.

Ott, who will team with fellow senior and doubles partner Brenna Spurgeon as the lone city representative at state, got knocked out of regionals at Lawrence High this week not because of a quality opponent, but because of food poisoning she suffered from a bad hamburger she ate Monday night.

Fortunately, Ott and Spurgeon already had qualified Monday before rain postponed the remainder of the tournament until the next day. The duo settled for fourth place after forfeiting its final two matches Tuesday.

The ill-timed sickness forced Ott and Spurgeon to be a four seed when the tournament starts today, meaning they’ll take on a top-seeded team from another region — Wichita Northwest, Blue Valley Northwest or Topeka Washburn Rural.

“It’s going to be an uphill battle,” Ott said. “But we’re going to fight.”

Free State coach Jon Renberger sees advantages pouring out of Ott and Spurgeon’s situation. For one, being in synch and practicing good teamwork is crucial for any doubles team, and if any opponent Ott and Spurgeon see aren’t on the same page, it could be an underdog victory for the Firebirds.

“I’ve seen the number one seed in the tournament get knocked off in the first round,” Renberger said. “In doubles, especially.”

Free State High's doubles team of Brenna Spurgeon, left, and Ellie Ott qualified for the state tournament. The pair will compete today in Wichita.

Ott and Spurgeon enter the tournament with a 20-10 doubles record, including two losses from the hamburger-induced forfeits. Had Ott been healthy enough to finish regionals Tuesday, they could be seeded higher.

“They placed fourth,” Renberger said, “but they didn’t exactly finish fourth.”

Regardless, you won’t hear Ott or Spurgeon complain. If seeding meant anything, they wouldn’t even be at state. The two were seeded sixth at regionals, and took out the third-seeded duo from Overland Park Aquinas Monday to earn the state invitation.

In recent years, Renberger has taken loaded teams to state that had legitimate shots at giving Free State its first-ever team state title. Three runner-up finishes later, the pressure has indeed built.

Ott and Spurgeon have no worries in that regard, though.

“With only one entry, we’re not in the running for a team title,” Renberger said. “It’s just about them.”

That in mind, the two don’t have any big goals in mind, save the avoiding of a certain American cuisine.

“In all of my matches,” Ott said, “I just go out and compete as hard as I can.”

The Firebirds left Thursday for Wichita, familiarized themselves with the courts at Wichita State, and, hopefully, picked a place to eat that wouldn’t result in more sickness.

Give credit to Renberger. In one of the more brilliant coaching moves ever, he’s taking a hands-off approach to that off-court issue.

“They get to pick where we eat out,” Renberger said with a laugh. “That way, if it ends up being a disaster, it won’t be on my conscience.”