Sikeston duo advance to state tourney

Charleston's doubles team of Spence, Quinn also advance to state

ST. LOUIS -- Sikeston's Jacarra Lampkin and Kelsey Dial needed to play a little bit more tennis than scheduled, but the Lady Bulldog duo got it done just the same.

After winning a 12-8 tiebreaker in their second set, Lampkin and Dial advanced to the Class 1 state tournament with a 6-3, 7-6 win over Hanah Koehn and Grace Schwerdetteger from Lutheran South High School on Monday during the sectional tournament at Tower Grove Park in St. Louis.

"Both played well against an opponent with a defensive style of play," Sikeston coach Russ Dial said. "Most of the points were won from the base lines with some aggressive net play sprinkled in every so often. The key to our victory was keeping the unforced errors to a minimum and staying calm in a close second set that was decided by a 12-point tie breaker.

"The girls never lost confidence in their ability to pull the win out," added Dial. "They continue to amaze me with their calm demeanor under pressure. They're playing very well together at the right time. We're looking forward to the challenge ahead."

Charleston's doubles tandem of Jasmine Spence and Gabrielle Quinn also advanced to the state tournament, defeating Lutheran South's Victoria Adrenne Johnson and Erin Louise Torgerson 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.