No Luck at Home
By Michael Ashford
Originally published 02:26 p.m., September 18, 2007
Updated 02:26 p.m., September 18, 2007
Things began poorly for the Emporia High girls tennis team Monday, and they didn’t get any better once the team actually began playing matches.
A health issue caused EHS to shuffle its lineup for the Emporia High Invitational played at the EHS tennis courts, and then high winds played havoc with the squad, as the Lady Spartans managed just one win to finish fifth out of five teams.
Early Monday, coach Melinda Flohr found out that Sarah Watkins, who was scheduled to play at No. 2 singles, had fallen ill and would not be available to play. Kelli Soppola stepped into Watkins’ place, but that wasn’t the only change.
Flohr rotated her lineup from match to match to test different pairings, so at times, singles players paired up for doubles play, while at other times, doubles players split up to play singles matches.
Amanda Roberts, who spent most of the day in the No. 1 singles spot, said she believed her best performance of the day actually came when she paired up with Whitney Page for a doubles match against Morgan Lang and Tessa Bell of Olathe East, which the EHS duo lost, 8-6.
“It was a really rough day overall,” Roberts said. “I felt OK about my second singles match, and Whitney and I did well, I thought, in our doubles match. After today, I felt pretty positive about having Whitney as a partner.
“We’re getting there. I think we could do pretty well if we keep playing together.”
No combination gave EHS much luck in the way of wins, however, as EHS got just one victory on the day by virtue of Rose Nasrazadani and Lauren Kitchens’ doubles victory over Olathe East’s Shannon Walsh and Ashley Wilson 8-7(7-4).
The victory did not come easily either. Nasrazadani and Kitchens built a 6-2 lead on their opponents from Olathe East, but could not hold onto it, allowing Walsh and Wilson to come all the way back to tie the score at 7 to send the match into a tiebreaker.
Nasrazadani and Kitchens held on in the tiebreaker, though, to secure EHS’s only victory of the day.
In all, EHS dropped 15 of the 16 matches it played. The victory gave EHS 2 team points to finish three points back of Hutchinson, which played without a No. 2 singles player. Maize won the tournament with 12 points, followed by Olathe East (11) and McPherson (10).
Emporia Invitational
Monday at Emporia
Team Scores
Maize 12, Olathe East 11, McPherson 10, Hutchinson 5, Emporia 2.
No. 1 singles
Amanda Gayer, McP., def. Amanda Roberts, Emp, 8-2; Courtney Ringler, Hutch, def. Roberts, 8-4; Ally Majerick, O.E., def. Jordan Sosa, 8-0; Jillian Yakominich, Maize, def. Roberts, 8-0.
No. 2 singles
Shelby Horton, McP., def. Kelli Sippola, Emp, 8-2; Sippola def. Hutch No. 2 by default; Kristen Stivers, O.E., def. Sippola, 8-0; Zoie Young, Maize, def. Whitney Page, 8-1.
No. 1 doubles
Hanna Heidebiecht/Kristin Reith, McP., def. Page/Sosa, Emp, 8-1; St. Germaine/Ramsey, Hutch, def. Page/Sosa, 8-2; Morgan Lang/Tessa Bell, O.E., def. Page/Roberts, 8-6; Meredith Marney/Jackie Frentz, Maize, def. Lauren Kitchens/Sosa, 8-0.
No. 2 doubles
Christy Clark/Margaret Davidson, McP., def. Kitchens/Rose Nasrazadani, Emp, 8-3; Holland/Yoder, Hutch, def. Kitchens/Nasrazadani, 8-6; Kitchens/Nasrazadani def. Shannon Walsh/Ashley Wilson, O.E., 8-7(7-4); Kylie Jobe /Kelby Deterding, Maize, def. Nasrazadani/Sippola, 8-1.