Varsity tennis team places fourth at Hesston
Hillsboro High School girls' varsity tennis team placed fourth at the Hesston Invitational held Saturday in Hesston.
Five schools competed at the tournament with Wichita Independent winning first place scoring followed by Wichita Collegiate second with 24. Hesston-Red was third with 22, Hillsboro fourth with 20, Sacred Heart fifth with 12, and Hesston-Black sixth with four.
In No. 1 singles competition, junior Danielle Hagen placed fifth, losing the first match against Lincoln of Wichita Independent 8-0 and the second match against Minor of Hesston-Red 8-0, but defeating Loucks of Hesston-Black 8-2.
"Danielle lost her first round to Lincoln who was a 3A state champion in doubles last year," head coach Lynn Wiebe said. "The score did reflect how well Danielle played Lincoln."
Hagen faced another tough opponent in Minor of Hesston.
"Danielle gave it a great effort," Wiebe said. "I was pleased that after two tough matches, she won her last match."
In the No. 1 doubles competition, Erin Wiebe and Lora Andrews placed third after losing the first match against Wichita Independent 8-2, but coming back to win the second match against Sacred Heart 8-4. They won their final match against Wichita Collegiate 8-2.
"Erin and Lora seem to be beginning to gel as a doubles team," Coach Wiebe said. "They work well together and each brings an element of hitting the ball with power."
In the No. 2 singles play, Amanda Faber took third place. She lost the first match against Hesston-Red 8-3, but came back to win the second one against Sacred Heart 8-4, and went on to win her third match against Wichita Collegiate 8-0.
"In both meets at Smoky Valley and Hesston, Amanda showed a tremendous effort to hustle and anticipated the ball very well," Coach Wiebe said. "I was very pleased with Amanda's determination and drive."
In No. 2 doubles action, Kelsey Kaufman and Emily Railsback took third. The duo won their first match against Hesston-Black 8-4, but lost the second one against Wichita Collegiate 8-6. They came back in the third match to defeat Sacred Heart 8-1.
"In both meets we finished respectably," Coach Wiebe said.
According to Wiebe, the team could have finished higher in one of the positions which would have put them in the top half of team finishers in both meets.
"We are right there. It's just a matter of continuing to find the right combination of players," she added.
Smoky Valley
Hillsboro competed last Thursday at the Smoky Valley Invitational in Lindsborg.
The varsity team placed fifth in a field of eight teams competing.
Smoky Valley placed first with a score of 42; Hesston, second with 35; Claflin, third with 30; Abilene, fourth with 26; Hillsboro, fifth with 24; Hutchinson Trinity, sixth with 22; Chapman, seventh with 12; and McPherson, eighth with 10.
In No. 1 doubles competition, the team of Wiebe and Andrews took third. In No. 2 doubles, the team of Railsback and Hagen took fourth.
In No. 1 singles play, Kaufman took seventh and in No. 2 singles, Faber took fourth.
The team will compete at Circle High School at 3 p.m. today in Towanda.
