Varsity girls’ tennis team ends regular season play with 8 straight first place team wins

The Bearcat girls’ tennis team kept their success alive at home meets Sept. 26 and 28, ending their regular season play with eight straight first place team wins at eight competitions.

Varsity tennis at home Sept. 26 Beginning the week at home Sept. 26, the team took home multiple placings as well as a first place team finish for the day.

At No. 1 singles, freshman Karli Haase had a strong start to the day. In a pool with Hillsboro and Hoisington, Haase dominated. She crushed her first competitor, Hillsboro, 8-2, and dominated Hoisington 8-0. She went on to play the Pool B winner, Clay Center, who she beat 8-2 to take the title of No. 1 singles champion.

In No. 1 doubles, freshman Reygan Coonrod and sophomore Inarie Rippert played three successful matches. In the first, the team competed against Hillsboro, where they won 8-2. The partners crushed the Hoisington Cardinals 8-0 in their second pool play game. Moving on to the championship match, Coonrod and Rippert took on Clay Center. After winning 8-2, the doubles team finished first place.

The No. 2 doubles team of junior Elena Jundt and freshman Hannah Vague dominated their pool. They defeated Hillsboro first, winning 8-4. Next, the partners took on Hoisington, where they won 8-0. After winning their pool, the team took on Clay Center, who they beat 8-1 to finish in first place.

Sophomore Felis De La Cruz played No. 1 singles. In her first match against senior Rebekah Vague, who was playing as an unattached player, De La Cruz won 8-4. In her match against Hoisington, De La Cruz dominated, winning 8-1. In the championship match against Clay Center, she came up short, losing 8-6 and taking second place.

With 36 overall team points, the Bearcats finished in first place. The second place team was Clay Center with 32 points.

Varsity tennis at home Sept. 28 Using the momentum from the previous win, Ellsworth continued their streak on Sept. 28.

De La Cruz had a successful night, winning her first pool play match against the Sacred Heart Knights 8-0. She also took the victory in her second game, beating Cimarron 8-3. In the championship game against Salina South, De La Cruz took the win 8-4.

Coonrod and Rippert finished on top in No. 1 doubles. The partners took control of the court from the beginning, beating Sacred Heart 8-0. In their second and final pool play match, the team crushed Cimarron 8-1. In the championship game, Coonrod and Rippert took the victory when they beat Osborne 8-6.

In No. 1 singles, Haase faced a tough battle. In her first match against Sacred Heart, she dominated 8-0. However, her second game against Cimarron was a backand-forth constant battle for the win. Cimarron ended on top with a final score of 8-7. Haase placed third.

The No. 2 doubles team of Jundt and Hannah Vague took on the unattached Ellsworth doubles team of seniors Rebekah Vague and Emma Salyers. Jundt and Hannah Vague took the win 8-3. After beating Cimarron 8-3, the partners competed against Osborne, where they won 8-5, taking first place. Salyers and Rebekah Vague finished third.

Scoring 34 points, the team finished first overall, dominating the other teams. Cimarron, in second place, was 12 points behind the Cats.

The team will compete at regionals Oct. 6-7, where they will attempt to qualify for the state meet the following weekend.