History teacher Soli Groff was appointed the new head coach for the girls tennis team last spring. This will be her first year coaching tennis. 

Groff has played tennis since she was six-years-old. In Independence, Kan., where Groff is from, tennis is a huge deal. She grew up around it her whole life, which invigorated her passion for tennis.

“I have always had a passion for tennis,” Groff said. “But I felt pressured in high school because of my sister’s excellent record, and I ended up not reaching my fullest potential. In recent years, I have further developed a passion for the sport and I like coaching tennis more than I like playing tennis competitively.”

This season, Groff has really focused on team-bonding activities and rebuilding the team. According to Groff, she knew it was not gonna be easy but she finally feels satisfied with where they are. 

“A great attitude was a big non-negotiable in the girls this season,” Groff said. “I have enjoyed building this community of excellent girls who build each other up and always have a positive attitude.”

Athletic Director Jeff Staley posted that the position was open on the schools website in spring of 2024. However, Groff had already expressed to Staley interest in taking the position if it were to ever open up, and in Groff’s favor, it did. 

“What intrigued me about her is that she’s a good teacher, which usually makes a 

good coach,” Staley said. “She has a passion for tennis and that’s what I was looking for; somebody who has good relationships with the students and has a passion for the sport, and Coach Groff had it.”

Along with Groff being hired as the new head coach, a new assistant coach Cat Lumley was also hired. Lumley also teaches history and current events, so the two new coaches have worked together for a while now. 

“I’ve been very pleased with how Ms. Groff has done and also Coach Lumley,” Staley said. “They both have done a great job and I’ve enjoyed working with them.”

The coach for the last two years for the girls tennis team was Mary Grimes. Senior Anasofia Moss played tennis her freshman, sophomore and is playing her senior but skipped out on her junior year. Moss mentions that the overall atmosphere of the team was enhanced because of Groff.

“The team is not as toxic and you can see how the coach really affects the environment for the better,” Moss said. “She, as well as our other coaches, encourage us to be supportive, positive, and they push us to be great.”

At the start of the season, Groff stepped up and made cuts for the first time in the years of Moss playing tennis in high school. According to Moss, her and her teammates were not sure what that meant for them and were unsure of how the season was going to go, but now the team is doing better than ever. 

“Now that we understand why she does things and now that we are used to how she is organizing the team, things are going a lot smoother,” Moss said. “The team is closer than it has ever been in my three years of playing and a lot of that has to do with the coaches.”

Groff says that she hopes to keep building a team full of strong and supportive girls. She has been doing this by participating in fun community events to get the younger tennis generation more involved. 

“I would like to bring a new atmosphere to the tennis team and tennis community in Pittsburg,” Groff said. “This is something I want to keep going for a long time.”