CHANUTE Iola Highs girls tennis team traveled to Chanute on Thursday for a five-team round robin tournament. The Fillies were accompanied by Columbus, Fort Scott, Pittsburg, and Chanute.
As a team, Iola tied for third place with Chanute. Pittsburg came in first and Fort Scott in second.
Carlie Payne handled the duties as Iolas No. 1 singles, and went 3-1 on the day with her solo loss coming against Pittsburg. Payne has had a tremendous season for the Fillies, and head coach Chris Belknap praised his senior leader.
Carlie started off by asking me if she could play singles, because she has played a lot of doubles, Belknap said. She has taken the role of No. 1 singles by storm. She is very positive, and takes any type of coaching. Ive had her lead a few drills with the other girls. She has taken a leadership role.
Payne admits the success she has earned this season has come through her work in the off season.
Under the new coach we have had a lot more positivity, Payne said. And the past few years I have done lessons, and it seems they are finally starting to pay off.
IoIas No. 2 singles, Jessica Tidd, went winless for a final record of 0-4 on the day. Her closest opportunity for a win came against Columbus, but she fell in a close match losing 8-6 on points.
The Fillies saw another strong performance for their No. 1 doubles pair of Allie Utley and Gabby Richards. The duo went 3-1, with their solo loss coming against Pittsburg in a close 8-7 match.
Sidney Shelby and Alexandra Fager represented Iola as the No. 2 doubles. The combo of Shelby and Fager were able to muster a win over Columbus, but couldnt scavenge any more together to finish 1-3 on the day.
Overall, Iola finished with 7 wins to tie with Chanute. Columbus finished last with one win, Fort Scott claimed 10 match victories, and Pittsburg was victorious in 15/16 matches.
As the season winds down, Belknap has been overly pleased with the progress of his Fillies in his first season at the helm, but knows they still have room to improve.
Weve still got some up front play at the net we need to work on a little bit, Belknap said. We get a little too over-confident when the ball goes high toward the net, and we hit it a lot into the net when it comes to those looks.
NEXT UP
The Fillies JV will be at Pittsburg on Monday, and the varsity will follow on Thursday.
