Before winning state, this Andover girls tennis duo had to defeat their dads
When Emma Jittawait and her doubles partner, Ada Tantemsomboon, stepped onto the court for a final tune-up before the Class 5A girls tennis state tournament, their opponents weren’t teammates. They were their dads.
It was a friendly but competitive test that revealed just how locked in they were. Three days before state, the daughters didn’t just win — they dominated.
“It didn’t go too well for the dads,” Joe Jittawait said with a laugh.
That lopsided win turned out to be a pretty good omen. Days later, Emma Jittawait and Tantemsomboon rolled through the 5A state bracket in Topeka and claimed the doubles championship with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Kapaun Mt. Carmel sisters Chloe and Caroline Hocker.
“I hate to say it,” Emma said. “But they really did boost our confidence.”
It was a fitting end for Emma’s career, not just because she capped an undefeated season with a championship, but because she did it in a way that tied together everything that has defined her family’s bond — tennis, competition and support.
Tennis has become a Jittawait family affair in Andover. Joe, who played in high school, dusted off his racket when his children started picking up the sport in middle school. His son, Paul, starred for Andover and now plays for Kansas Wesleyan, while his oldest daughter, Anna, was also a standout player for the Trojans.
Now Emma has matched her sister’s feat, winning the same doubles title with the same perfect record. And just like before, the family cheering section, which included her mother, Kris Servantes, father, siblings and grandparents, took up an entire row at the state tournament.
“Family means so much to me, so that’s one of my favorite parts,” Emma said. “To see them care so much and want to support me through it all, they have been such a pivotal part of my tennis career. When you’re in the middle of a match and you hear them on the sidelines cheering you on, it’s such a boost to your morale in between points. And it can help you win.”
Joe admits that while he loves watching his kids compete, his favorite memories are when they’re all together on the court, trading rallies, teasing each other and staying connected through the sport that they all love.
“And then seeing them get better than you,” he said with another laugh before adding something more reflective.
“When kids get older, they become more independent and the point of connection can become a little bit less. So to have something that we can do together and have a good time, it’s just been so much fun for us.”
For Emma, the victory was as much about carrying on a family legacy as it was about personal redemption after finishing runner-up with Tantemsomboon to teammates last year at the state tournament.
“I got used to seeing all of my teammates win titles, so this means so much,” Emma said. “It’s like, finally, I got the chance to fill those shoes. That’s been really fulfilling for me.”
And, of course, she couldn’t let her sister have the last word.
“There was definitely a lot of pressure,” Emma said. “I think with siblings, there’s always some competitiveness about wanting to do the same things and maybe do them even better.”
Another player who also finally enjoyed a breakthrough was fellow senior Mia Jaramillo, who won the 5A singles title after placing in the top-six the last three years at state.
Jaramillo’s improvements paid dividends this season, compiling a 28-2 record and winning the state title with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Topeka Seaman’s Emma Sweeney in the final.
“I don’t think I’ve had a player in my 30 seasons of coaching who has put in more time in the offseason to make sure they continue to improve,” Alexander said. “She was so much better with her mental game and her patience this year. I’m really proud of what she was able to accomplish.”
As a team, Andover won its fifth straight team championship. Alexander said it’s not a coincidence a Jittawait has been on all five title teams, as the 2023 title featured both of the sisters.
“It is a sad day for me knowing my six-year run with the Jittawait family has come to an end,” Alexander said. “There were quite a few hugs after it was all done and tears from both sides. We’re excited because that was the ending we wanted, but it is still quite emotional.”
Collegiate wins 17th straight Kansas state tennis title
Hitha Ganganala, Natalia Saad and Tanya Ramesh weren’t born the last time the Collegiate girls tennis team didn’t win a state championship.
The trio of freshman, along with senior Amelia Blackman, helped the Spartans win their 17th straight team state championship and 36th overall, as Collegiate’s team score of 43 points edged McPherson (36) for the Class 4A title at the Harmon Park Tennis Complex in Prairie Village.
Ganganala was dominant in capturing the singles title, only dropping three games the entire weekend. She capped a 26-1 season with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Buhler sophomore Sofia Spies.
“She plays a lot of national tournaments, so she wasn’t very intimidated by the occasion,” Collegiate coach Simon Norman said. “It’s nice when she comes to this because it feels like just another match and just another tournament, even though it still means a lot to her.”
Meanwhile, Blackman and Ramesh teamed up to win the doubles title with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Wellington seniors Cruz Cornejo and Logan Robinson in the final.
After years of medaling as a singles player, Blackman made the shift to doubles for her senior season and came away with the first gold medal of her own.
“It just made sense to have both of them play doubles together because they’re such strong singles players,” Norman said. “It was a tough go sometimes this season, but they put it together (at state) and they both stepped up. Amelia was really fired up and into it for her last high school experience.”
Saad, Collegiate’s No. 2 singles player, battled back through the consolation bracket to finish sixth place in the singles field.
Sterling’s Chelsie Brown defends tennis state title
Capping off a perfect 69-0 run over the final two years of her high school career, Sterling senior Chelsie Brown won her second straight singles championship at the Class 3-1A state tournament in Salina.
Brown only dropped a total of nine games over the course of four matches at the state tournament, including a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Ellsworth’s Karli Haase in the final.
Brown, who was born hard of hearing and wears hearing aids during matches, will represent Team USA at the upcoming Deaflympics in Japan next month.
Wichita-area girls tennis state medalists
Other area medalists in the 5A singles field included Valley Center senior Allison Munhall (third), Eisenhower sophomore Quinn Scheideman (fifth), Kapaun senior Clara Hocker (seventh), Maize South senior Sydney Schumaker (ninth) and Kapaun junior Julia Judkins (11th).
There were also numerous area medalists in the 5A doubles bracket, including Carroll senior Liza Dugan and junior Brooke Steven (fourth), Carroll seniors Macy Wetta and Leah Jackson (eighth), Eisenhower senior Maya Hall and freshman Brittany King (ninth) and Newton seniors Natsuki Sawaguchi and Maisie Brubacher (11th).
At the 6A state tournament in Olathe, the Derby duo of senior Karlie Demel and freshman Katie Brehm entered as the last seed in the doubles field but placed eighth overall after winning three straight consolation matches.
At the 4A state tournament in Prairie Village, McPherson finished runner-up to Collegiate in the team standings with three medalists: senior Maryn Sandbo (third in singles), sophomore Quinn Liebl and junior Avery Unruh (third in doubles), and freshman Lleyton Kuhn and junior Alexandria Rodrgieuz (fifth in doubles).
Other area medalists in singles included Winfield senior Sophia Heger (fourth) and Winfield junior Zlata Mitina (10th), while Hesston senior Elyse Griffin and freshman Sage Bartel (sixth) were area medalists in doubles.
At the 3-1A state tournament in Salina, Conway Springs finished second in the team standings with 36 points. Highlights included in doubles, where both doubles teams reached the semifinals with seniors Morgan Koester and Sadie Koester (second) and seniors Madelyn Stevens and Hayley Pauly (third). Meanwhile, junior Addison Rusco took seventh in singles.
Other area medalists in 3-1A singles included Classical senior Ani Doom (fourth) and Haven junior Kensie Popp (10th), while area doubles medalists featured Classical junior Mia Brown and senior Leonora Neumann (fourth) and Sterling senior Jaiden Jaeger and junior Danika Zimmerman (ninth).
This story was originally published October 20, 2025 at 6:02 AM.
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