Girls Tennis Player of the Year Milah Ryland

Ryland took over as the Timberwolves’ top singles player in the preseason and got better and better over the course of a fall season that saw her capture the Tri-River Athletic Conference singles title and earn the third seed for the section individual tournament.

Clovis East coach Janine Sodersten said Ryland is one of the most physically gifted athletes playing tennis in the section, which has allowed her to pick up the game quickly along with a willingness to develop an overall game rather than rely on power shots alone.

She really began to blossom during the second half of TRAC play, avenging a 7-5, 6-3 loss to Clovis North’s Elizabeth Schulz with a 6-3, 6-4 victory in their second matchup.

Ryland sailed through the North Area qualifier with a pair of 6-0, 6-0 wins, downed sixth-seeded Kate Hoppe of Edison 6-2, 6-1 in the individual singles tournament and even pushed eventual singles runner-up Arianna Tilbury of Stockdale in a 6-2, 7-5, 10-7 loss during Clovis East’s team match in the Division I semifinals.

“I had to realize that if I wanted to be successful, I had to learn how to not only play how I want to play, but how I have to play to win.