PITTSBURG -— After dropping their first two matches of the day, Iola High’s doubles teams came back strong on the tennis courts at Pittsburg State University Thursday.
Abbey St. Clair and Alexis Hobbs along with Shelby Reno and Bobbi Sinclair played stronger tennis later in the meet. The Fillies’ doubles teams went 2-2 in their respective divisions and came home with third-place medals.
“Our doubles teams started out slow but stepped it up a lot to win some matches,” said Jennifer Bycroft, Fillies’ tennis coach.
St. Clair and Hobbs played as Iola’s No. 1 doubles team. They dropped an 8-0 decision to Fort Scott’s Buntain and Harrison and lost to Pittsburg’s Long and Pichler 8-4.
Back on the courts, St. Clair and Hobbs bounced back with an 8-4 win over Labette County’s McCoach and Stevenson. They secured the third-place medals with an 8-1 victory over Davolt and Derfelt of Columbus.
In the No. 2 doubles competition, Reno and Sinclair lost 8-0 to Fort Scott’s Savage and Harrison. They lost 8-2 to Pittsburg’s Baden and Phalen.
They returned to the courts and battled to an 8-4 win over Labette County’s Carr and Page. Reno and Sinclair earned their medals with a default win (8-0) against Columbus.
Iola’s No. 1 singles player for the day was Katana Smith. Megan Smith played in the No 2 singles spot for the Fillies. Both went 0-4 at the meet.
“I was a little disappointed in some of the matches because I believe our singles players could’ve pulled out a couple of wins,” Bycroft said. “The girls just didn’t have that last bit to finish it off.”
In No. 1 singles play, Katana Smith lost 8-1 to both Fort Scott’s Courtney Crain and Pittsburg’s Katy Short. She dropped an 8-3 decision to Paige Smith of Labette County and lost 8-2 to Ashley Simpson of Columbus.
Megan Smith was beaten 8-2 by Kristian Hightower of Fort Scott in her opening No. 2 singles match. She lost 8-0 to Brittany Wilde of Pittsburg, then lost 8-1 to Labette County’s Sami Brown and 8-0 to Columbus’ Alyssa Goodwin.
Bycroft said she saw some double faults and the habit of returning the ball right back to the net player during the doubles matches.
“Just some things to work on,” Bycroft said.
“I’d like to add that just about every time we play somewhere there is always someone — parents, players or coaches — who comment to me and the girls how nice of a team we are.
“I’m very proud of my team’s sportsmanship and good attitudes. They represent themselves and Iola well.”
