photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State freshman Eli Ward starts her swing during the first day of the state tournament at the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe on Friday, Oct. 18, 2025.

Olathe — Free State sent four girls to the 6A state girls tennis tournament and came away with all four Firebirds placing in the tournament, leading the Firebirds to a second-place team finish.

The highlight came from freshman Eli Ward, who won the singles bracket and finished the season as an undefeated state champion. Ward’s season was dominant — she finished 24-0 and never dropped a set. The most points she gave up in a set all year was four.

“She had as dominant as you can have of a season,” Free State coach Aaron Clark said. “And again in the tournament she was dominant.”

Free State’s two singles players and the doubles team all were seeded in the top 12, so the team had a path from the first day to reach the second day of the tournament. Still, the Firebirds pulled off upsets and punched up the bracket, which helped the team earn that runner-up title.

“They pulled those early upsets that got them the day two,” Clark said. “This is one of those situations where team-wise, you need everybody contributing. You can have a state champion, but if you want to compete at that team level, you’ve got to have other people contributing.”

Ward entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed in the singles bracket, and she came away as the state champion.

Ward blazed through the competition to get to the championship match. She won her first match 6-1, 6-0 after a first-round bye, and she won her second match 6-1, 6-3 to reach the semifinal. Ward handled the match with another 6-1, 6-0 win to reach the state title match.

Ward finished her undefeated season with a commanding 6-1, 6-0 win to earn that state title.

“It’s the ones that put in the most amount of work outside of high school tennis,” Clark said. “It is truly competing, playing year round as much as you can, and keeping a racket in your hand. (Ward) goes above and beyond what most high school players do, and it’s not by accident that she’s good. Those are the fruits of her labor.

“It’s been a long haul (for Ward’s tennis career), and I wasn’t there for most of that, but I was happy to have her as part of the program.”

Senior Cami Lee came in as the No. 10 seed but fought her way up to a seventh-place finish in the tournament. Lee started with a 6-1, 6-0 win in her first match and pulled off an upset to win her second match 6-3, 6-4.

Lee lost 6-1, 6-4 to Olathe North’s Diya Gupta, who was the No. 2 seed in the tournament. The loss sent Lee to the seventh-place bracket, which she won 8-3 over No. 8 seed Lindsay Ruder from Olathe West.

Lee’s win over Ruder came after multiple losses to her during the season. After three years of reaching the state tournament, Lee had one of her best performances of her career.

“That experience, I think, from previous tournaments helped her, particularly on day two,” Lee said. “She played really well (Friday). Conditions were tough, with wind and whatnot. She handled that, came out today and really just kind of locked in.”

Free State seniors Taryn Jones and Annie Pilakowski earned a state tournament bid as the No. 11 seed and started with a first-round win by 6-3, 6-2. The Firebirds upset the No. 6 doubles team in the next round with a 6-4, 7-5 win to reach the doubles quarterfinal.

In the quarterfinal, Jones and Pilakowski lost their first match 6-1, 6-4. The loss put the doubles team in the ninth-place match, where Jones and Pilakowski won two matches 8-3 to secure ninth place.

This was Jones’s first time in the state tournament and Pilakowski’s first time reaching day two. What the doubles team lacked prior to the tournament in experience, the duo made up for in determination.

“That team chemistry kind of helped them in general,” Clark said. “Maybe they didn’t have the state matches under their belt that some other teams did, but they went out there and competed.”

The Firebirds will have a different varsity squad next year, with the doubles team of Jones and Pilakowski and Lee all graduating. Seeing them go out with a high finish at state was important for the team to accomplish.

“It could be something that they’ll hopefully remember as they get older,” Clark said. “Free State’s had some really good, deep teams, but since I’ve been here, which is close to 10 years now, we’ve never been able to get over that hump where you get your team inside that top three. This weekend, things came together. They played well.”

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State senior Cami Lee moves up to hit the ball during the first day of the state tournament at the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe on Friday, Oct. 18, 2025.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State’s top doubles team of Taryn Jones, left, and Annie Pilakowski tap rackets after a point during the first day of the state tournament at the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe on Friday, Oct. 18, 2025.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State senior Cami Lee starts her serve during the first day of the state tournament at the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe on Friday, Oct. 18, 2025.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State freshman Eli Ward shuffles her feet during the first day of the state tournament at the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe on Friday, Oct. 18, 2025.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State senior doubles player Taryn Jones pops the ball over the net during the first day of the state tournament at the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe on Friday, Oct. 18, 2025.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State senior singles player Cami Lee jumps to hit a ball during the first day of the state tournament at the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe on Friday, Oct. 18, 2025.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State senior doubles player Annie Pilakowski swings underhand during the first day of the state tournament at the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe on Friday, Oct. 18, 2025.