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On Wednesday, the Lady Hornets' tennis team traveled back to Noyes' Sports
Complex once again for the annual MEC Championship tournament to see who
would be named champion in Singles and Doubles play. Team conference
standings were determined separately through season duals, not this
tournament.
Juniors Rylee Washburn and Isabella (Izzy) Garr
dominated on the courts all day with powerhouse doubles play. Garr shined
at the net with dozens of cross-court volleys to the gap and powerful
first serves that were difficult for opponents to return. Washburn
remained solid and steady with her full coverage baseline play, hitting
rallys deep to the opposite baseline throughout every match and outrunning
every competitor.
The pair first beat Maryville's #2 Doubles team Shiel
and Williams with a commanding 8-0 performance. Then, play moved to best 2
out of 3 sets, much like professional tennis, which the athletes had not
yet played this year. This did not phase Chilli's dynamic duo as they beat
St. Pius' #2 Doubles team of Holum and Mussorici 6-0, 6-0. Then, the
Hornet pair had a redemption match against LeBlond's #1 Doubles pairing of
sisters King & King who Washburn and Garr lost to in a tight match during
the Benton Tournament, which cost the team a medal originally. This time,
Washburn and Garr did not let up and convincingly won the semi-final match
6-0, 6-3.
In the championship match-up, the pair faced off
against St. Pius' #1 Doubles pair of sisters A. Dunn & K. Dunn who came in
undefeated in the MEC this year as the clear #1 seed for the day's Doubles
tournament. Washburn and Garr battled hard, taking most games to deuce and
truly holding their own against such worthy opponents. Ultimately, St.
Pius came away with the Doubles championship, but Coach Chambers was
beyond thrilled with the high level of execution her players exhibited
during such a high-quality match. The final score of the championship
match was 3-6, 3-6.
Chillicothe also played another doubles pair throughout
the day for individual MEC results. Chillicothe's #2 Doubles Kieffer &
Crowe barely lost a nail-biting first match against Benton's #1 Doubles
team 6-8. However, they fought hard and won the next two matches against
LeBlond's #2 pair 8-2 and Maryville's #1 pair 8-6. However, Kieffer and
Crowe came up just one step short of the 5th place match after losing
again to Benton's #1 team 1-8.
In Singles' play, Cami Carpenter represented the
Hornets in #1 singles and Bryton BeVelle in #2 singles. Carpenter won
against Maryville 8-0, fell to Benton 6-7 (tie break 2-7), 4-6, and then
fell to LeBlond 4-8. BeVelle had a tough first round draw against the
tournament's #2 seed, Cameron's Twarowska, losing 1-8. But she bounced
back quickly winning against Lafayette 9-7. Then, she lost a very close
battle against Savannah 8-8 (tie break 3-7). |
