Sister act | 3 sets of sisters create a family atmosphere for WHS tennis team

From Left: Karlee Feyh, Raegan Feyh, Morgan DeVader, Bri DeVader, Abby Ratts, Hannah Ratts

At the tennis courts, it’s common to hear loud arguments about who is driving home or laughter about something that occurred at the dinner table the previous night. With three sets of sisters on the team, including two sets of twins, it’s definitely a family atmosphere.

All three pairs got a chance to play doubles together this season to try out their sibling telepathy.

Feyh Squared

Junior twins Karlee and Raegan Feyh make up the Feyh Squared team.

Feyh Squared have different opinions on playing with each other.  Karlee prefers to play with Raegan because of her ability in tennis, but Raegan only enjoys playing with her for her change in attitude.

“Whenever we play together, that is the only time she is nice to me,” Raegan said.

The Feyh’s got a chance to play together for the first time September 16 at Chapman, going 1-2.

If given a choice Raegan said she would choose to play with her normal partner, Kendyl Bolinder.

“It helps that we are friends outside of tennis,” Bolinder said. “So when we mess up we feel more comfortable with each other. She is also really good motivation because she feels sad when I get down on myself, so it reminds me to stay positive.”

The twins find it easier to get mad at each other since they are sisters and that can make it frustrating while playing.

“We get mad at each other and it’s not fun to play when your teammate is mad at you,” Karlee said.

The Ratt Pack

The Ratt Pack consists of identical twin sophomores Hannah and Abby Ratts. This season they have spent most of their meets playing together.

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Hannah and Abby refused to play with each other last season, but coach Brendan Praegar had them play together in the last JV meet. Praeger said they competed very well that meet, and their bickering was good natured.

“At first I thought it was counter productive, because it definitely sounds like fighting. But when you watch them play you can see their energy and how well they push each other,” Praeger said. “They’re scrappy and they never give up on a point, and I think a lot of that is because they don’t want to be the one who makes a mistake.”

After a successful outing last year, Hannah and Abby changed their minds about playing together this season.They said that they both enjoy it, but it can sometimes be tough to play well with each other.

“She can be annoying. She can talk too much, yell at you and just be too loud,” Abby said.

The two are known for getting upset at each other while in a game, but Hannah isn’t bothered by it.

“I love when we have a good time on the tennis court and when we argue because I think it’s funny,” Hannah said.

It doesn’t always seem like they can agree on the court, but they can agree on the fact that they like playing with each other.

“She’s good at tennis. She can be aggressive and knows how to hit the ball at people,” Abby said.

Assistant coach Brandi Miller agrees with Praeger that they make a good team. She likes that Hannah and Abby consistently try their hardest.

“They always work hard when participating in drills or playing a game,” Miller said.

The Ratt Pack compiled a 5-6 varsity record this season, a solid mark for the inexperienced pair of sophomores. They also went 3-1 at a competitive Baldwin JV tournament, good for third place.

DeVader Duo

The DeVader Duo isn’t a twin pair like the other two, but is a sister team of senior Morgan and junior Brianna.

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After playing volleyball for three years, Morgan decided to double up and try out tennis this year. Brianna returned to WHS this year from a year at Washburn Rural and went out for tennis.

“It’s a great bonding time for us. The whole point of coming back to WHS was to be with her, so I love that we can play together,” Brianna said.

“You can tell they are super athletic and they picked it up quickly for it being their first year,” Praeger said, “The first varsity meet I took them to they competed well together, they communicated and were aggressive.”

The Devader Duo went 3-0 in their only varsity meet this year.

“I wish I would have had them together for a couple more years” Praeger said. “They were competitive right away, so I think they would have made a huge impact with some experience. Bri should definitely compete for a varsity spot next season.”

Morgan said that they both don’t like to mess up and always have to think they are right. It can make playing together difficult, but the DeVaders like to keep the mood light hearted.

“We joke around a lot and we feel comfortable playing with each other,” Morgan said.

Like the Ratt Pack, the DeVader Duo enjoys playing with each other. Brianna said that she couldn’t imagine having a different partner.

— Kaytlyn Meseke, @kaytlyn_nelle

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