photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State sophomore Eli Ward smiles before a serve in the 6A state championship match on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Wichita.

WICHITA — It’s a rare sight, but in the 6A singles state championship match, Eli Ward had to ask herself, “What am I doing?”

Ward, a sophomore at Free State, won the first set 6-1 and took a commanding lead in the second. She was a game away from clinching the title, but just couldn’t put away her opponent Penny Reed from Blue Valley North. It got a little frustrating, and Ward came close to letting a major momentum shift swing in Reed’s favor.

But Ward did what she does best — she competed. Ward settled back in and won the final game to defeat Reed 6-3, winning the state singles title for the second time in as many years.

“I’m really happy I clutched up to be back-to-back state champ,” Ward said. “I’m really happy with my performance this weekend.”

It wasn’t the smoothest week of preparation. On Sunday, Ward pulled her quad slightly, leading to a slower ramp-up process with practice heading into the tournament. By Friday, Ward said she felt fully healthy and ready to go.

“It’s the same quad I pulled a couple months ago, so I was a little nervous coming in, seeing if I could give 100%,” Ward said. “I was 100%, but there just was a little bit of that (lack of) trust, thinking, ‘Can I do this?'”

The conditions in Wichita were less than ideal on Friday morning as well. It was cold and extremely windy, causing an array of outcomes on shots that Ward usually is more sure of. Ward said it took some mental fortitude to keep positive in those situations.

“Normally, if the wind is all one direction, I would know before each game what I’m going to do,” Ward said. “But the wind kept changing directions every shot… so it was just about trust in my shots and being OK with the outcome.”

To make matters a little more complicated, Ward didn’t have the proper contact lenses in for her first match. They were left at home and were arriving with her parents closer to the start of the match. She decided to play with the older contacts she already had in, though Ward’s dad, Jared, told her after the match that she was off on some calls by a notable margin.

“It was a whole mess, but it was OK,” Ward said. “I personally thought it was fine, but apparently not, as I was told later.”

Proper eyesight or not, Ward won her first match in two 6-1 sets over Mill Valley’s Clara Budimlija, who entered the tournament with a 21-10 season record.

With the wind not slowing down, Ward said she felt less confident in her shot as the day went on because of the conditions, though she managed to win her second match against Blue Valley North’s Prisha Dalal in two sets, 6-3, 6-2.

“Dalal is really good, so it was tough for me to stay focused and keep my confidence,” Ward said. “I felt like as soon as I stepped off the court the sun came out. I was like, ‘All right, this couldn’t have been done five minutes ago?'”

That ended the first day for Ward, who was set to start the second day in the semifinal round. After a night of recovery and hair dye with her Free State teammates, Ward started with a semifinal win over Blue Valley Northwest’s Ella Wang in two sets, 6-2, 6-1.

“Ella is a great player, so she gave me a little trouble in there,” Ward said. “But I was confident in my shots.”

Ward had some free time after the win, as the other semifinal match lasted four hours. She made sure to keep herself warmed up during that time. The final four singles players were all familiar opponents, but the championship match against Blue Valley North’s Penny Reed was particularly familiar, as the two faced off in the regional championship a week ago.

Ward won the first set 6-1 and had a commanding lead late in the second set. Needing to win a game to put it away, Reed wouldn’t give Ward the opportunity lightly, and Ward “got a little tight” toward the end of the match. A 5-1 lead quickly became just 5-3.

“Penny’s a great player, so she is tricky for me, she never goes away,” Ward said. “I tightened up a bit there at the end and was just like, ‘Finish it, come on.'”

Ward didn’t let it affect her for too long. She won the next game to win the set 6-3, and she secured her second singles title in as many years. The win secured familial bragging rights over her older brother, Micah, who has just one KSHSAA state title to his name after only competing his senior season. Getting that edge over Micah was a motivating factor for Eli this season.

As of now, Ward said she’s planning on returning for a third year with the Free State tennis team. There will be USTA matters to consider before a decision is final, but Ward has a lot of time before that has to happen. For now, she’s just got to celebrate another win with the large family contingent that made the trip to Wichita to see Ward play.

“I love all of them, and I’m happy they were here to see me accomplish this,” Ward said.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State sophomore Eli Ward gets her racket low to hit the tennis ball in the 6A state tennis tournament on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Wichita.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State sophomore Eli Ward swings high in the 6A state tennis tournament on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Wichita.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State sophomore Eli Ward taps the back fence after a point in the championship match of the 6A state tennis tournament on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Wichita.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State sophomore Eli Ward shuffles to get in front of the ball in the championship match of the 6A state tennis tournament on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Wichita.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State sophomore Eli Ward calls a serve out in the championship match of the 6A state tennis tournament on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Wichita.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State sophomore Eli Ward gets low to connect with the ball in the championship match of the 6A state tennis tournament on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Wichita.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State sophomore Eli Ward follows through on a hit in the championship match of the 6A state tennis tournament on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Wichita.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State sophomore Eli Ward serves the ball in the championship match of the 6A state tennis tournament on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Wichita.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State sophomore Eli Ward follows through on a high hit in the championship match of the 6A state tennis tournament on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Wichita.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State sophomore loads up for a hit in the championship match of the 6A state tennis tournament on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Wichita.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State sophomore Eli Ward hits the ball in her second-round match during the 6A state tennis tournament on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Wichita.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State sophomore Eli Ward watches the tennis ball in the 6A state tennis tournament on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Wichita.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State sophomore Eli Ward runs up toward the net in the 6A state tennis tournament on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Wichita.