CHANUTE — The Iola High tennis team took fourth place as a team at the Chanute High girls varsity tennis tournament Wednesday.
The Mustangs rounded out the bunch as Chanute won first place, Fort Scott took home second place and Paola got third place.
“I am glad for all the different teams we get to play instead of playing all the same teams over and over,” Iola head coach Chris Belknap said. “Gives the players a better variety of play.”
Keira Fawson opened singles play for Iola, being defeated by Paola’s Rachel Aistrup, 8-7, before beating Fort Scott’s Joy Self, 8-5. In Fawson’s final match, she fell to Chanute’s Leah Burnett, 8-6.
Rebekah Coltrane continued singles play for the Mustangs and crushed Fort Scott’s Bryleigh Hymer, 8-2, before taking down Paola’s Hayley Hines, 8-2. Coltrane then stumbled to Chanute’s Faith Fewins, 8-2.
“Rebekah Coltrane is playing very well and has improved so much,” said Belknap. “I am very proud of how she has evolved as a singles player. Her serves are great and she really has the ability to rally for a long time.”
Kyndal Bycroft and Harper Desmarteau played in doubles action and took down Fort Scott’s Kinsley Brown and Cadence Hunziker, 8-4, and then was defeated by Paola’s Claire Foster and Anna Cmapa, 8-6. The duo then lost to Chanute’s Ella Guernsey and Rylee Smith, 8-1.
Molly Riebel and Melanie Palmer were the other duo for Iola as they fell to Fort Scott’s Carolin Barnes and Annabelle Gorman, 8-1, before also losing to Paola’s Emma Bull and Bryn Sanders, 8-2.
The Mustang duo of Riebel and Palmer wrapped up play by falling to Chanute’s Ava Campbell and Paige Kueser, 8-6.
IOLA travels to Pittsburg on Thursday and next Tuesday for their next matches.
