Malika Warnick is one of Lakeland’s best Tennis players. The 10th ranked player in all of Idaho went undefeated throughout the season, securing the district championship. Her journey as a tennis player is unlike any other. 

“Wasn’t really expecting it, I was just playing and I’m happy about it,” Warnick stated when asked about her undefeated season so far. 

Warnick started playing tennis when she was five years old with her dad, when she was living in Saudi Arabia. She competed in her first tennis tournament at the age of eight in Dubai. Warnick described the experience as intensely hot, and barely knew how to keep score, but she loved the competition against so many other young tennis players from the world. 

Tyler Jacobs, the head coach of the tennis team, described his star player as the Terminator, “she just has laser guided vision, where the ball goes where she wants it to go. Place the ball with pinpoint accuracy. She is amazing out there.”

Warnick describes her skills that make her different as really motivated and works extremely hard to be the best player she can be. 

Jacobs describes Warnick as “such a strong teammate, such a great example of winning tennis, off and on the court. I’m down coaching, and she is down coaching, helping the team get better.”

Teammates would describe her as a super friendly player that will help anyone get better. 

Warnick and the rest of the state qualifiers head down to Boise to get the chance to win the 4A State title.