PARSONS — Iola High’s Keira Fawson and Miah Shelby have continued their sterling run of success through the early portions of the 2021 tennis season.
Fawson and Shelby both swept their way to singles titles in their respective divisions Tuesday at the Lady Grizzlies Tennis Meet hosted by Labette County High.
Fawson, who earned the no. 1 singles slot, won both of her pool matches, then swept past Labette County’s Lily Beery, 6-0, in the championship match.
Matching her feat was Shelby, who won both of her pool play matches in no. 2 singles, before thumping Manaye Ryan of Parsons, 6-3, in the title match.
Their performance was complemented by third-place no. 2 doubles partners Genevive Ward and Kennedy Maier, as well as fourth-place finishers in no. 1 doubles, Rebekah Coltrane and Charlie Peters.
The overall success gave Iola the first-place team medal.
Iola’s 17 team points was one better than runner-up Pittsburg. Labette County, 12 points, took third in the six-team invitational.
Fawson earned the no. 1 singles nod this time around — she and Shelby play for the honor regularly — and took full advantage, allowing a single point over her three matches.
Fawson rolled past Pittsburg’s Roary Hunziker, 6-1, and allowed nary a point in a 6-0 win over Jayden Heck of Parsons.
Then came the shutout of Labette County’s Lily Beery in the first-place match.
NOT TO BE outdone, Shelby took on Charli Alloway of Labette County, and won in a 6-0 shutout. She followed that up with a hard-fought 6-4 victory over Laikyn Lefever of Pittsburg, to set up the title match against Manaye Ryan of Parsons, 6-2.
Ward and Maier won two of their three matches on the day in no. 2 doubles.
The Mustang pair defeated Labette County’s C. Allen and K. Ryan, 6-0, but dropped a 6-2 setback to Pittsburg’s Joy Lee and Eve Moss.
That pitted them against Alexis Becker and Ashlynn Bagwell of Fort Scott. Ward and Maier thumped the Tigers twosome, 6-0, to secure the bronze.
In no. 1 doubles play, Coltrane and Peters split their two pool matches.
