Doubles tennis is something Park Hill takes great pride in, and they showed it on home court by winning the 2025 Park Hill Doubles Tournament on Wednesday, April 9, to become back-to-back champions of their tournament.
Park Hill won the Red Pool in the morning with victories against Grain Valley 3-1, Lee’s Summit North 4-0 and Barstow 3-1. After a break for lunch, Park Hill returned to its home court and defeated White Pool winners Liberty North 3-1 in the championship round.
“We emphasize doubles a lot,” Park Hill head coach Rustin Reys said. “We were really sharp today, so it’s fun to win your home tournament.”
The Trojans’ top doubles tandem of Drew Miller and Carter Lovitt proved to be the best doubles duo last Wednesday, winning all four of their matchups. The reigning state qualifiers led the Trojans to their fifth championship in the 11 years that Park Hill has hosted the tournament.
“Doubles is kind of in our culture,” Reys said. “It’s something that’s important to us. That’s why we host this tournament strictly as a doubles tournament. It’s a circle the date on the calendar kind of event for us.”
Reys has liked what he’s seen from his team this season, picking up wins earlier in the week against Oak Park 7-2 and Lee’s Summit West 8-1. He likes his team’s maturity but hopes his team can improve upon some footwork, putting away volleys and more aggression at moments in doubles.
Park Hill suffered its first defeat of the season on April 10, losing 5-4 to a Rockhurst team that is among the favorites for a state title. The Trojans will have another difficult challenge against reigning state champion Pembroke Hill on April 14 before visiting Platte County on April 15 and Liberty on April 17.
Park Hill South also had a good showing last Wednesday, going undefeated as a team in duals en route to earning a third-place medal.
The Panthers finished second in the White Pool at their home court, tying Liberty North to start the day before 4-0 wins against Blue Springs and a combined Park Hill School District team. In their third-place match, Park Hill South defeated Barstow 3-1.
Park Hill South’s duo of Henry Jacobs and Graham Albani earned a first-place medal in the second flight, running the table as the only pairing to finish 4-0 in the flight.
The Panthers’ only defeat this season came against Liberty 5-4 in the St. Joseph Invitational. With a record of 6-1-1 this year, Park Hill South will visit Lee’s Summit on April 15 and Blue Springs South on April 16.