Sikeston tennis falls to Kennett

SIKESTON - The Sikeston girls tennis team lost a home match to Kennett, 5-4 on Thursday.

"We played hard -- we are gaining experience and hopefully it will pay off next year," said Sikeston coach Lynne DeWitt. Sikeston will play at Cape Central on Monday at 4 p.m.

Varsity results

Singles

1. Jenni DeWitt (S) def. Suzanne Carter, 8-3.

2. Chelsea Gilliland ((S) def. Haylee Hunt, 8-6.

3. Tess Marshall (S) def. Katelyn Geary, 8-1.

4. Brittany Bohannon (S) lost to Emily Earnest, 1-8.

5. Emily Bowman (S) lost to Christina Dewrock, 4-8

6. Jessica Colwick (S) lost to Katie Potts, 1-8.

Doubles

1. DeWitt/Gilliland def. Carter/Hunt, 8-4.

2. Bowman/Bohannon lost to Geary/Potts, 5-8.

3. Marshall/Colwick lost to Earnest/Dewrock, 3-8.

JV winners

Singles: Hallie Lambert, Brittney Bard, Lamechia Armstrong, Adrienne Angelos, Jessica Kruger. Doubles: Ellie Hensley/Bard, Danielle Ahlfield/Armstrong, Angelos/Kruger.

CHARLESTON -- Charleston girls tennis team won a 6-3 match over Poplar Bluff on Thursday to close its regular season with a spotless 11-0 record.

Charleston last went undefeated during the '95 season.

The Bluejay junior varsity won its match 7-0 to, also, finish the season undefeated at 9-0.

"I'm just really proud of the entire squad," Charleston coach Mitch Baker, in his 20th season, said, "because anytime you have an undefeated season, a lot of things have to work out just right. You can always have one bad day. "We were fortunate that different girls were able to step up. It takes an entire team."

Baker gave much of the credit for the team's success to his assistant, Seth Benton.

"Coach Benton does a wonderful job with the girls and I have no doubt that we would not be undefeated without his help," said Baker.

"He's a real attribute to the program."

With the regular season in the books, Charleston prepares for the district tournament, which opens Thursday at Sikeston.

Said Baker, "It's been a fun year, so far, and now we've got a week to focus on districts. Districts will be tough, but we're just going to go out there and give it our best shot."

Varsity results

Singles

1. Kara True (C) def. Nicole Duncan, 8-4.

2. Kamyia Sager (C) def. Mallory Barks, 8-0.

3. Kati Luehmann (C) def. Jamie Gray, 8-4.

4. Laura Burton (C) def. Rachel Piland, 8-1.

5. Pryia Guiarati (PB) def. Rebecca Rolwing, 8-2.

6. Morgan Allen (PB) def. Ashley Shands, 8-3.

Doubles

1. True/Sager (C) def. Barks/Gray, 8-4.

2. Luehmann/Shands (C) def. Duncan/Piland, 8-4.

3. Guiarati/Allen (PB) def. Burton/Rolwing, 8-5.

Charleston JV winners: (singles) Allison Defield, Lindsay Burke, Jessie Duenne, Jade Schwieger, Elizabeth Ann Moxley. (doubles) Virginia Burke/Jennifer Rolwing, Elizabeth Matthews/Mary Kate Renaud.