Andover’s Gaddis twins push each other to win Kansas high school tennis state titles

Growing up in the Gaddis household, Elizabeth was always a little envious of her twin sister, Molly, when it came to tennis.

Molly Gaddis was a little bit taller, a little bit stronger and a little bit better with a racket. Elizabeth was always happy for her twin’s success, proud even, but she also craved that same kind of attention so much that chasing her sister’s greatness on the court has been her internal drive.

For the past three years on the Andover high school girls tennis team, Molly had come close to winning a state title in singles. But this year was marked to finally be her year.

Knowing this could be their last year playing together, Elizabeth consumed herself in tennis after placing third in doubles last year at state. She took extra lessons and practiced longer, as Molly’s level helped elevate Elizabeth.

“I just kept thinking in the back of my mind,” Elizabeth said, “‘If Molly wins state and I don’t, how would that look?’ It was a consistent thought.”

Their senior season went according to plan leading into this past Saturday at the Class 5A state tournament hosted at the Andover District Tennis Complex, as Molly advanced to the singles final and Elizabeth reached the doubles final with her partner, Nadia Kaewsai.

For most of the past decade, Jenny Gaddis had spent time, money and energy supporting her twin daughters’ passion for tennis. The culmination of their shared dream would play out at the same time on two different courts, an overwhelming experience for a mother who already struggled to deal with nerves for a typical match — let alone simultaneous championship matches.

“I’m not very good at sitting there and watching,” Jenny said. “I don’t handle the stress that well. There was a lot of pacing around.”

Tensions only rose when Molly split the first two sets with Blue Valley Southwest’s Jensen Gibbs, as a third set was needed to decide the title.

With so much at stake, Molly found comfort in the words of her twin.

“She always tells me to just do it,” Molly said. “There’s no one stopping you. Just do it.”

It just so happened that as Molly’s championship point rolled around, the doubles finals had a change-over and Elizabeth was able to watch the moment her twin sister fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a state champion with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory.

Even in her greatest achievement, Molly was stone-faced and business-like. And even in the midst of her own competitive match, Elizabeth couldn’t stop from crying in joy. It was the perfect dichotomy of their personalities.

“Most people don’t realize they’re sisters because they are such completely different people,” Andover coach Stephen Alexander said. “(Elizabeth) is so lighthearted and joyous, while Molly is much more serious on the court. But even though they are so different, they support each other so well. They always have each other’s back, and I can’t speak highly enough of the two of them and how they feed off each other.”

On the other court, Elizabeth was in her own third set to decide the championship against her Andover teammates, Emma Jittawait and Ada Tantemsomboon.

In her time of adversity, Elizabeth drew strength from her sister. For years, Molly had been her biggest supporter and her biggest inspiration. After watching her twin sister win state, Elizabeth was injected with confidence that she could do the same.

“Molly has always pushed me to want to be a better tennis player,” Elizabeth said. “She has helped me so much. She has been my rock. Sometimes I’ll talk to coaches and other players and they don’t know how to talk to me. Molly always knows the right thing to say to me.”

After dropping the first set, Elizabeth and Kaewsai responded with perhaps their best tennis of the season to win 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.

It sparked a team-wide celebration for Andover, which easily won its fourth straight Class 5A team championship. From the sideline, Jenny Gaddis beamed with pride.

“I’ll always remember the day my two twins became state champions,” Jenny said. “But I’ll also remember the love and support that they gave each other. The best support I’ve seen is them with each other. They really were together in this and wanted each other to win. They truly have a special bond.”

When asked what moment made for more of an adrenaline rush, the twins both gave the same answer.

“Honestly, I was more happy when I saw her win,” Molly said. “When I won, I was just relieved. It felt like so much weight had come off my shoulders. We’re not the type of people who like to get sentimental with each other, but when it comes to tennis, we’ll always be cheering for each other.”

During the team celebration, there came a moment when the twins embraced with a hug that lingered with meaning that only the two of them could fully appreciate.

They were champions, both of them, just like they had always imagined. And more importantly, they did it together.

“It’s almost kind of sad, you know?” Elizabeth said. “I mean, where do you even go from here? Twins winning state championships, how do you top that?”

Collegiate wins 16th straight girls tennis state championship

The team race was a little closer than normal, but Collegiate still managed to extend its state-record streak of 16 straight state championships by claiming the 3-1A title at Riverside Tennis Complex in Wichita.

All four of Collegiate’s state entries scored points and the Spartans (38 points) edged Ellsworth (33 points) for another crowd.

The title was highlighted by the senior doubles team of Laney Conrad and Julia Herrman, who teamed up for their third consecutive 3-1A doubles title. The duo finished their final year together with a 25-2 record and did not drop a set during the state tournament, including a 6-2, 6-0 victory over the previously-unbeaten doubles team of Reygan Coonrod and Inarie Rippert of Ellsworth.

Collegiate junior Amelia Blackman notched a fourth-place finish in singles, while the No. 2 doubles team of seniors Tatum Downing and Langley Overman placed fifth in doubles. Junior Acacia Knight rounded out the title-winning squad.

Other Wichita-area girls tennis state tournament medalists

Singles

Class 6A

Sixth: Maize senior Rylee Frye

Class 5A

Fifth: Maize South senior Maggie Harrison

Sixth: Bishop Carroll junior Logan Jagonlinzer

Seventh: Valley Center junior Allison Munhall

Eighth: Kapaun Mt. Carmel junior Clara Hocker

11th: Kapaun Mt. Carmel sophomore Julia Judkins

Class 4A

Second: Buhler freshman Sophia Spies

Third: McPherson junior Maryn Sandbo

Fourth: Winfield junior Sophia Heger

Seventh: Winfield sophomore Zlata Mitina

Eighth: Augusta senior Elise Richardson

Class 3-1A

Sixth: Kingman senior Ryan Schreiner

Seventh: Classical senior Greer Kice

Doubles

Class 5A

Fourth: Kapaun Mt. Carmel sophomore Caroline Hocker and sophomore Chloe Hocker

Fifth: Bishop Carroll sophomore Brooke Steven and junior Liza Dugan

Sixth: Maize South senior Bailey Todd and junior Sydney Schumaker

Eighth: Andover Central senior Bryer Geoffroy and senior Ellen Schaefer

Ninth: Newton senior Natalie Hershberger and senior Carlie Franz

Class 4A

Third: Wellington senior Kadynce Aufdengarten and junior Cruz Cornejo

Fourth: Circle senior Londyn Soto and junior Whitney Wilbur

Seventh: McPherson sophomore Avery Unruh and freshman Quinn Liebl

Eighth: Wellington junior Logan Robinson and freshman Addi Thomson

Ninth: McPherson senior Kennedy Tully and sophomore McKenna Paul

Class 3-1A

Third: Hesston senior Molly Martin and junior Elyse Griffin

Fourth: Conway Springs juniors Morgan Koester and Sadie Koester

Sixth: Classical senior Adah Branam and junior Leonora Neumann

Ninth: Trinity Academy senior Madeline Davis and junior Jojo Henderson