Happy Holidays, USTA Missouri!
Happy Holidays!
As 2023 comes to a close and we begin to look toward the New Year, it’s important to stop and reflect. 2023 was a great year for our district. Not only did tennis continue to grow, but our juniors and adults saw great success on the court.
We held junior tournaments in Columbia, Jefferson City, Camdenton, Branson and Springfield. We saw continued growth in our adult leagues in Columbia. We had multiple teams from our district qualify for Nationals.
Thanks to support from USTA Missouri Valley, we were able to add Kseniya Zonova to our district to help with Junior Team Tennis. She hit the ground running and has already made strides in the Cape Girardeau area. Overall, USTA Missouri has a lot to be proud of as we hit the home stretch of 2023.
With all those successes comes so much work behind the scenes. I’d like to take some time to thank all those who spend countless hours volunteering and working for our district. I’d also like to thank our USTA Missouri board members. They are volunteers and dedicate their time to serve and grow the district.
We have a small contingent of loyal volunteers and contractors. I’d like to specifically call out Steve Webb, Lori Hunt and Ann Vogel. They work tirelessly in their given roles to help USTA Missouri continue to provide opportunities and grow the game.
I’d like to also thank Executive Director Leslie Echols. Her passion for tennis and dedication to our district is one of the main reasons 2023 has been so successful. Leslie volunteers so much of her time to help train new league coordinators, team captains and everything in between. She is my go-to for all things adult tennis, and I appreciate her time and effort immensely.
Lastly, I’d like to thank all of you. Your passion for tennis is what keeps all of us going. Our goal is to continue to grow tennis at all levels. Your passion for the sport drives us every day to continue providing opportunities.
As we all take some much-needed time to celebrate the holiday season with our families, we hope all of you also have a wonderful holiday season. Hopefully we all get some time out on court and are excited and ready to go for a full year of new tennis in 2024.
Happy Holidays,
Mallory Weber
USTA Missouri President
Related Articles
-
National QualifiersDecember 16, 2025Advancing to nationals marked a milestone for USTA Missouri, as a team from Columbia and a squad from Springfield competed among the country's best. Read More -
Teaching Through TennisDecember 02, 2025A USTA-University of Central Missouri partnership empowers future educators to teach tennis confidently, giving rural districts new programming and students positive experiences. Read More -
Outstanding Official AwardOctober 27, 2025From tennis player to becoming an official in record time, Kelly Hayes’ passion for fairness and community shines through in her award-winning first season of officiating. Read More