Weiser tennis team returns 10 seniors for 2020

The Weiser High School tennis team had one of its best seasons in years in 2019 in SRV Conference play, compiling a winning record and qualifying 15 players for the 3A state championships.
 The team looks to have another competitive year with 10 seniors on the varsity roster, including two of the top three girls singles players in the state among 3A schools returning for their senior year.
 Coach Angie Soulen said the varsity singles spots and doubles teams have not been finalized yet. The coaches will have a better idea of where to place players after the season opener against Caldwell at home on March 9 and they can see players in action.
 There are 18 players on the varsity team with nine boys and nine girls, plus a couple of players for backup. All but one player has prior experience at the high school level, and he is a freshman who played middle school tennis.
 Decent weather over the past couple of weeks has allowed the varsity and JV teams to practice outdoors on the courts at Memorial Park. The court surfaces are brand new this season, thanks to a community fundraising effort and school district support.
 The girls team brings back four seniors who played on last year’s winning team. The Weiser girls finished in second place at the 3A state championships. The varsity roster also includes one junior and four sophomores and all have high school experience.
 Senior Grace Soulen is a four-year singles player for the Wolverines and is expected to have a strong year. After breezing through the bracket to win the SRV District Tournament  singles title last year, Soulen went on to take second place at the 3A state championships. In 2018, she took third place in singles at the state championships.
 Andrea Bouvia is another senior who played singles last year in the No. 2 spot and is back for another season. Bouvia finished in third place in singles at last year’s 3A state championships and is hungry for a bigger prize this year.
 Senior Sienna McClellan has a lot of doubles experience and also played at state last year. Her doubles partner from last year graduated, so she will need a new pairing this season.
 Her younger sister, Denica McClellan, a junior, played in the No. 2 doubles spot with sophomore Emma Tolman last year and the duo placed fourth at state. Both are experienced players back for another season, although it remains to be seen if they are paired up this year.
 Bentley Weldon played mixed doubles with Pedro Ixta last year and both are back for their senior years. They won their first match at state last year before running into some tough competition from Clearwater Valley.
 The boys varsity roster is loaded with six seniors this year. Isaac To’omalatai is back for his senior year and will likely play in the No. 1 singles spot, a jump from No. 2 singles last year. As a junior last year, his game got stronger as the season progressed.
 Seniors Bryce Bake, Layton Tolman, Nate Lattin and Branson Ward all have experience and return for their senior year. Bake and Tolman could see some singles action this year.
 Angie Soulen, who starts her seventh season as coach, said she expects the Wolverines to be highly competitive again this year in the Snake River Valley Conference.
 Parma looks like the team to beat this year, and the Panthers were the only SRV Conference team that stood in the way of a district title for Weiser last year. Weiser appears to be evenly matched with Fruitland, Soulen said, and Weiser beat the Grizzlies last year for the first time in years.
 Assisting Soulen with coaching duties are assistant coach Bernie Weldon and volunteer Jud Tolman.
 Soulen said she is thankful for all the community support that went into improving the tennis courts in 2019 and 2020. There have also been individual athletes that have completed upgrades to the tennis courts as part of their Eagle Scout projects.