Kelly Rulison
Sports Editor
The Lewis and Clark Community College tennis team will be expecting twin sisters Georgia and Anna Ballard to join them for the Spring 2017 season. On Feb. 4, the twins signed a letter of intent to play tennis for the Trailblazers.
“I’ve watched the girls play their doubles and they do a really great job working together,” Head Tennis Coach Jim Hunstein said.
Hunstein continued, “The girls will provide a lot of skill and knowledge from the great program they came from in Roxana.”
After the sisters exchanged some possible ideal colleges to attend and play tennis for, they finally settled on L&C, so they could remain close to home.
High school senior Georgia Ballard said, “I’ve been playing for three years and my sister has been playing for about four years.”
She continued, “I think we’ll just play tennis for fun. It’s great that we play together because we both will always have someone to play with.”
The sisters have been playing tennis for the entirety of their high school years and have been a solid double team for the Roxana Shells, qualifying for the state tournament as juniors and earning All-South Central Conference honors during their senior year.
“Tennis has been a very positive influence in our lives,” said Ballard. “We’ve learned a lot and have met a lot of wonderful people through tennis who have not only helped us be better tennis players, but better people. We’ve learned many new skills which we can use on and off the court and it has brought us much enjoyment.”
The Shells were 10-5 in dual meets during the Fall season and finished fifth as a team at the Alton Sectional.
The Ballards will now move on to play for the Trailblazers and Head Coach Jim Hunstein. L&C finished ranked No. 22 in the country in 2015. The 2016 season for the Trailblazers began on March 1 at McKendree University in Lebanon.
For more information visit advantagenews.com or email Coach Jim Hunstein at jhunstein@lc.edu.
