With only one week of conference play left before the tournament on Sept. 26, the Ellsworth Panthers have a lot of storylines that are worth monitoring.

After their meet in Baldwin this past Saturday, there are only three matches left before the tournament. Each team gets two points for each regular season win to add on to their tournament score, but the tournaments are where teams score most of their points. From there, it’s subsectionals which take place back in Baldwin, and then, depending how they do, they advance to sectionals.

Both subsectionals and sectionals are single elimination, so it’s sudden death for players and teams. Ellsworth finished third in the conference the last two years behind Altoona and Baldwin, but they’re hoping to take a step up. However, a lot of that could depend on whether they get their injured star player, senior Molly Janke, back in time to play number 1 singles.

With Janke out, the rest of the team has had to step up, namely senior Dayah Halverson who has not only made the transition from playing number 2 to number 1 in Janke’s absence, but this is also her first year playing singles.

Brad Baker, head coach of the Panthers, said Halverson has effectively made the switch and risen to the occasion.

“The main difference in the two is just more court coverage more than anything. Obviously, you don't use the full doubles court, but it's all on you, you know? There's nobody there to get other shots, there’s different strategies, and it's more running and takes a lot of stamina,” Baker said. “It's quite a challenge, but Dayah’s a fighter. She takes on all challenges.”

Halverson said it’s been a positive change overall, but that moving from doubles to singles was probably the more difficult of the two.

“It was a huge transition at the beginning of the season, trying to get used to like, keeping the ball in singles lines and stuff like that, but I've enjoyed it this year,” Halverson said. “It's obviously also a huge step up from playing number 2’s to playing number 1’s, and it's been quite challenging, but it's good experience too.”

This move was a mutual decision between her and her teammate, senior Betsy Foster. Last year, Halverson made it to number 1 sectionals with her partner, senior Maria Harrington, but this year Foster, who was the 2 singles player last year, was dealing with a shoulder injury and thought it would be easier to manage by sharing half the serves with a partner. So, Halverson stepped up.

“We switched spots, and it's working out very well for them. I think they have a good chance of going to sectionals this year,” Halverson said. “I like being independent, so it's kind of nice being alone on the court out there too. I do miss doubles some days, and I miss my partner, but I’ve been having fun.”

The expectation is that Janke, who is also co-captain of the team, will make it back in time for the conference tournament next Tuesday. She got cleared to practice last week, but they still don’t want her playing just yet. That doesn’t stop her from looking forward to the challenge of the postseason, though.

“I feel like my chances are pretty good. I mean, number 1 singles is kind of hard because, no matter who you play, it's going to be someone good,” Janke said. “I have a lot of experience in singles, though, but you never know who to get matched up with. So, I have to play well no matter what.”

Janke’s co-captain, Foster, is looking forward to her shot at sectionals and potentially going to state as well. It’s especially motivating for Foster as she previously won sectionals as a sophomore, but she couldn’t go to state because she was playing number 4’s at the time and only the 1’s and 2’s can go to state.

That was singles though. Now Foster has made the jump to doubles, she’s playing with the number 1’s, and she says she’s hungry for it.

“It's going to be a lot of hard work, but we're determined,” Foster said. “If we work hard enough, we can make it happen. That’s my goal.”

With so many seniors on the team, Ellsworth is top heavy with talent. They know this is their year, their best chance, and Coach Baker is behind them all the way as they push into the postseason.

“This is kind of our make or break year,” Baker said. “Next year, we’re going to be a little less experienced, so this is the year that we really want to try and do the best we can.”

Foster had a more succinct way to sum it up: “We’re just here to have fun and win.”