Hosting their rescheduled home tournament on Wednesday, the Parsons Vikings claimed first place in girls tennis action at Forest Park.
Parsons registered 14 points while Fort Scott was runner-up with 10. Pittsburg had seven points, followed by Coffeyville with four and Independence with one.
“We were playing two kids that went to state last year in singles and we played really well against them,” Parsons head coach Jane Posch said. “Kadence had a really nice win. Our doubles won all their matches and that was the first time Heidi (Shultz) and Tenlee (Kennett) played together. Lexi and Maleia were also playing for the first time together.”
Kadence Ball went a perfect 4-0 to win the No. 1 singles division.
“Kadence wasn’t so sure about playing singles, but it was about becoming a better tennis player for her,” Posch said. “She’s a tough opponent. She’s an athlete who can run down everything and has good ground strokes on both sides. She’ll be tough in the league.”
Laila Haviland finished second at No. 2 singles. “We wanted Laila to play singles because she’s such a good athlete,” Posch said. “She needs to hone in her ground strokes and work on her serve. She had a fantastic day and it really helped her.”
Heidi Shultz and Tenlee Kennett won the No. 1 doubles bracket.
“They’re good friends and went out there and gelled well,” Posch said. “It was fun to watch them play. Heidi is such a good athlete and Tenlee brings power to the game. It’s a really good combination. They’ll get more reps playing together.”
Lexi Jones and Maleia Ludwig also won at No. 2 doubles.
“We had some competitions in practice to decide who would take that doubles spot and both of them won out,” Posch said. “They played really well together. Lexi is a really hard worker. Maleia just gets it. She’s a smart player. For being a first-year player, she understands the game.”
Up next
Parsons hosts another tournament on Sept. 11.
“We’ve got to continue to work on our conditioning,” Posch said. “We want to feel good at the end of the day. And I can see we’re not quite ready, yet. So we’ve got to get in better shape. But playing matches gets you in shape. Four matches in a day is harder than practice. And we need to work a little more on strategy with our doubles.”
