Temple the tennis star

Story by Mia Gatti – Entertainment/Feature Editor

 Lily Temple, junior, made it to state for girls’ tennis. She was the only one to travel to Springfield, Missouri with Mr. Reece this season for the tough matches, and the fifth person ever from Lee’s Summit North to go to state for singles matches. 

    “I was excited and proud of my accomplishment but I wish some of my teammates would’ve made it too,” Temple said. 

   Temple had some tough competition starting out playing a senior from Rockbridge that ended up getting fourth overall. Following, she played a girl from Marquette High School. She came short in both of these matches, but worked hard and ended up having a great season overall.

   Temple has many people that have been by her side a lot throughout this journey, and she is always appreciative of their endless support. 

   “My family is definitely my biggest supporter. My parents try to come to as many matches as they can. They both came down to watch me at state. My teammates are also very supportive and my boyfriend comes to matches when he can,” Temple said. 

   This accomplishment for Temple not only sent her to state but made her the fifth athlete for Lee’s Summit North to advance to state in school history by herself. 

   “Lily was incredibly focused on match day and was determined to advance to state. It is a great experience to watch Lily, her family, her friends, and coaches all celebrate the achievement,” Stu Reece, girls tennis coach, said. 

   With Temple going by herself she was able to represent LSN girls tennis positively and now she is ready for next season to go back to state and advance even further as a senior. State can be a very stressful time, especially playing singles with a hard draw for the first game, but Temple handled the situation well and is prepared for what is in store for her in the future. 

Photo courtesy of Stu Reece