ORIGINALLY WRITTEN DON RATZLAFF
The Hillsboro tennis team finished in the middle of the pack at the Mid-Central Activities Association league tournament Saturday in Hesston.
But that’s where coach Lynn Wiebe hoped to be.
“I felt good about the day,” she said. “Certainly, I would have liked the team to finish higher. However, my realistic goal for the day was to finish in the middle or top half.
“The teams in our league are literally the powerhouses in tennis in both (Class) 3A and 4A,” she added. “It was exciting for us to be able to compete at that level this year.”
Wichita Collegiate won the tournament with 88 points. The Spartans were followed by Ellinwood with 60, Lyons 60, Smoky Valley 60, Hesston 57, Hillsboro 47, Hoisington 40, Sterling 23, Nickerson 11, and Haven 7.
The Trojans’ top finish came in No. 2 doubles, where senior Kelsey Kaufman and freshman Amanda Faber finished fourth.
The pair won their opening match against Cox and Banks of Smoky Valley, 6-2, 7-5, then lost to Fryberger and Elliot of Ellinwood in the semifinals, 0-6, 2-6, and to Montgomery and Kerr of Lyons in the battle for third, 1-6, 1-6.
“I was very pleased with their first-round match,” Wiebe said. “They defeated a very respectable Smoky Valley team. In their final two matches, they just made some strategic errors against some very good teams.”
Hillsboro’s No. 1 doubles team of Erin Wiebe and Lora Andrews placed fifth. They lost their opening match to Ruggeiro and Hubele of Smoky Valley, 4-6, 1-6, then came back to beat Schneider and Roach of Sterling, 9-1, and Weaver and Boese of Hesston, 9-5.
“Although they struggled their first round, they won their second round easily and played very well in the their final round to defeat Weaver and Boese of Hesston,” Coach Wiebe said. “
“This was a great win for us. Weaver and Boese have won first place in several tournaments this year and beat a different No. 1 doubles team that we had together early in the season. They are extremely tough at the net.”
Both of Hillsboro’s singles entries placed sixth. In No. 1 singles, Emily Railsback won her play-in round with Johnson of Sterling, 9-1, then lost to Beehler of Collegiate, 0-6, 0-6, before beating Miller of Ellinwood, 9-2, and losing to Bates of Hoisington, 1-9, in the battle for fifth.
“Emily hit the ball hard and, even in toughest matches, she moved the ball well,” Wiebe said.
Danielle Hagen, playing No. 2 singles, lost her opening match to Haddon of Ellinwood, 6-1, 5-7, 1-6, then defeated Diener of Sterling, 9-7, before losing to Urban of Hoisington, 2-9, in the fifth-place match.
“Danielle moves the ball really well at times,” Wiebe said. “She can play with about anybody, but she continues to struggle with closing out a match.”
Junior varsity-The Trojan junior varsity competed in two tournaments Sept. 28.
At a doubles quadrangular at Circle High School, Chelsey Harmon and Amanda Bartel went 1-2 in No. 1 doubles, Greta Wiebe and Audrey Weinbrenner went 1-2 in No. 2 doubles, Tessa Simpson and Lauren Just went 2-1 in No. 3 doubles and Maria Loewen and Anna Woelk went 1-2 in No. 4 doubles.
At Hesston, Hillsboro was sixth in a 10-team field. Whitney Washmon placed seventh in No. 1 singles, Francesca Bona finished second in No. 2 doubles, Julia Loewen and Alysha Claassen placed eighth in No. 1 doubles, and Courtney Fast and Amber Loewen placed seventh.
Coming-The Trojan varsity team will be idle until the regional tournament, which will be held at the Sports Complex Oct. 11.
Joining HHS in that field will be Wabaunsee from Alma, Maur Hill Mount Academy from Atchison, Belleville, Neodesha, St. Marys Colgan from Pittsburg, Kansas City Christian from Prairie Village, Sabetha, Salina Sacred Heart and Maranatha Academy from Shawnee.
