POPLAR BLUFF - The Sikeston Bulldog tennis team placed second in the six-team Poplar Bluff Invitational on Saturday.
Farmington took first while Dexter followed up behind Sikeston in third place.
Sikeston's doubles team of Ryne Vickery and Peter Jones took first place with an 8-2 victory in the semifinals against Dexter's Jake Smith and Derek Roberts, and an 8-2 victory in the finals against Cape Central.
"I think Ryne and Peter are playing much better," said Sikeston head coach Brian James. "They have high expectations and I have high expectations for them. They're starting to come around and play much better than they were earlier in the year."
Kyle Weeks and Chris Robey also competed in doubles but they did not place in the top two.
In singles, Marc Leible reached the finals but lost to Farmington's Chris Singer 8-4. Sikeston's Logan Wagoner defeated Willow Springs' Patrick Wheeler but lost to Farmington's Patrick Singer in the semifinals.
"A tournament like this is good," said James. "It's similar to a district tournament setup, which allows me to toy with the lineup a little bit. We've still got a couple weeks ahead and we've still got some improving to do but I think we can get there by district tournament time."
Sikeston will host Carbondale today at 4 p.m.