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The Myrtle Beach girls tennis program is looking to break through in 2024.

The last two seasons, the Seahawks have fallen in the state playoffs to the eventual state champion. But this year, head coach Susan Sparks thinks her team could be prepared to take the next step and compete for a trophy in November.

鈥淭his is looking like a strong, solid and young team,鈥� Sparks said.

This is the first season Myrtle Beach will take part in Class 5A playoff competition after the South Carolina High School League realignment over the summer. Class 5A, the SCHSL鈥檚 largest class, will be split into two divisions based upon school enrollment. Myrtle Beach will compete in the 5A-Division II postseason.

The Seahawks feature a unique starting lineup in 2024 鈥� one filled with a blend of youth and experience.

鈥淲e鈥檙e very fortunate because we have a pretty large team. We have 19 girls out this year, and we only lost two seniors last year. We are so lucky that we have a lot of girls at Myrtle Beach who are very involved with tennis. They play year-round tennis and, even in the offseason, they are out taking lessons, going to clinics, going to tournaments, all of that鈥� Things are looking good.鈥�

Leading the way on the Seahawks roster are two seniors, JuliAnna Merritt (No. 2) and Elizabeth Raynor (No. 5), who both start for the Seahawks. They are joined by three young standouts, sophomore Mary Hannah Morrison (No. 1), eighth-grader Elena Barnes (No. 3) and sophomore Ava Anthony (No. 4).

Beyond that starting five, Myrtle Beach features more youth helping lead the charge with leaders like sophomores Mary-Makay Gunter and Hannah Schaeffer.

The team鈥檚 depth, Sparks says, is one of its standout features.

鈥淢ost high school tennis programs are real lucky if they have three to five real serious tennis players,鈥� she explained. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 usually a lot for a high school tennis team. We really have 11 or 12, and that鈥檚 crazy. But we are very fortunate.鈥�

Morrison is one of the area鈥檚 standout sophomore athletes, regardless of the sport. Holding down the spot on Court No. 1 for the Seahawks, she has helped Myrtle Beach post recent region victories over Conway, Socastee and Carolina Forest to open up the team鈥檚 region schedule.

鈥淪he just has an amazing attitude and an amazing work ethic,鈥� Sparks said of Morrison. 鈥淟ast year, she beat two or three seniors, and really she just went and beat people that nobody thought she would beat. She鈥檚 a fighter and such a great leader on this team for us.鈥�

Sparks calls Merritt, the team鈥檚 head captain, a 鈥済reat role model鈥� for the younger girls on the Myrtle Beach team. For Barnes, who has cracked a top spot in the Seahawks lineup before she even entered high school, the head coach says she is a 鈥渨onderful addition鈥� who has benefitted from playing a lot of tournament tennis.

Even with senior leadership from Merritt and Raynor, youth is clearly the name of the game for the current Myrtle Beach program. That gives Sparks plenty of optimism as the team heads toward not only the 2024 postseason, but years to come.

鈥淭his is long-term,鈥� Sparks said. 鈥淲e could potentially go back into an era where Myrtle Beach could be competitive at the state level for several years in a row鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 really great to see them already have such strength at their age. And then just knowing what their potential really is, if they鈥檙e already that good when they are that young. You think about how good they are going to be. It gives you the ability to look at the future.鈥�

With their win over Conway on Sept. 12, the Seahawks have the inside track on becoming region champions.

Region play continues for the group with matches at Conway (Oct. 1) and vs. Socastee (Oct. 3).

Sparks says at this stage of the season, team bonding and camaraderie are key areas of focus. The team traveled to Charleston last weekend to play competition from elsewhere in the state to prepare for postseason play. With the trip, Sparks had a larger goal: building team chemistry off the court.

As the successes continue for a surging program, Sparks hopes she can keep things focused on the bigger picture as her team prepares for a potentially special postseason run in 2024.

鈥淔or me as a coach, I am always emphasizing the teamwork piece and the camaraderie,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want them to see what they are learning from tennis that really goes beyond this sport.鈥�