Another season of local high school tennis is in the books and the 2024 campaign produced a number of local standouts.
In terms of the IR All-Area Team and the 2024 Player of the Year for tennis, it was a heated competition. There were two previous winners of the award in Capital High’s Ryan Ashley, who won the 2022 Class AA state championship, as well as the IR All-Area Player of the Year Award in 2022.
Helena High’s Qayl Kujala, a four-time state placer, just like Ashley, won the award after winning the Southern AA Divisional title last season and finishing as the Class AA runner-up.
Helena High’s Qayl Kujala returns a volley from Helena Capital’s Mya Shropshire during a crosstown match at Capital High this past season.
Kujala achieved those same feats this season. She won divisionals but finished 18-2 after a second-place finish at the state tournament. Ashley also finished 18-2 and played in his third state championship match.
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Ashley lost to the eventual state champion in both of his matches and because both players had identical records — each losing to the state champion in their classification twice — it merits the seniors sharing the award of All-Area Tennis Player of the Year.
