With a runner-up showing at the MSHSAA Class 3 District 6 individual girls tennis tournament, Joplin’s Astrid Cardenas and Emma Watts are headed back to the state tournament.
At Friday’s district event, the top two doubles teams and the top two singles players advanced to the individual state tournament, which will begin on Oct. 14 in Springfield.
Joplin’s Cardenas and Watts defeated Lee’s Summit North’s Jaclyn Siegmeier and Ashley Farmer 6-1, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the doubles bracket. The Eagles then topped Lee’s Summit’s Jordyn Gross and Kiersten Crowley 7-5, 6-3 in the semifinals, securing a top-two finish and a state berth.
In the district championship match, Lee’s Summit West’s sister duo of Aliya and Leisana Rector defeated Cardenas and Watts 6-0, 6-0.
“Astrid and Emma had high expectations this year, having gone to state last year and having not lost a match together this year,” Joplin assistant coach Richard Perry said. “The doubles pool this year was much tougher than last. Even with a 23-0 record they could only get the second seed in the district.”
As Perry noted, it’s the second straight state trip for the Eagles’ duo, who simply ran into a formidable tandem in the district title match.
“They were able to prove that they belong in the state tournament,” Perry said of Cardenas and Watts. “They cruised through their first match and were able to overcome their toughest challenge to that point in the semis to win the match that qualified them for state. In the finals they had to play arguably the best team in the state. Last year, the girls played the two-time defending state champs in the first round, and to me, these girls we played at districts were even better. It was their first loss of the season, but what it does is gives them a sneak peak into who the team to beat is. Compared to the Lee’s Summit West girls, the rest of the field looks much easier to play against. Our girls achieved part of their goal this year—make another appearance at state.”
Cardenas and Watts are now 25-1 on the season.
Joplin’s second doubles team of Cloey Blank and Brynn Driver earned a 10-5 win over Raymore-Peculiar’s Gabriela Vides and Delaney Gray in the play-in match.
In the quarterfinals, the Eagles lost 6-0, 6-0 to Lee’s Summit West’s Rector-Rector.
In the consolation bracket, Lee’s Summit’s Elizabeth Wuebker and Olivia Shackelford topped Blank-Driver 8-5.
“Brynn and Cloey were able to pull out a win in a tug-o-war battle,” Perry said of the play-in match. “Once our girls got the lead they built on it. They then had to play the best team in the tournament in the second round (Rector-Rector). It was a real eye-opener to them because they have never seen players that good before.”
The Carthage Tigers also competed at the district tournament.
Carthage’s Kianna Yates and Daniela Marquez suffered a 6-1, 6-4 loss to Lee’s Summit North’s Sarah Green and Eleanor Cok in the quarterfinals.
In the consolation bracket, the Carthage duo beat Ray-Pec’s Vides-Gray 8-0 and then lost to Lee’s Summit’s Wuebker and Shackelford 8-5.
Carthage’s Anayansi Lopez-Rodas and Beverly Garcia-Hernandez lost to Ray-Pec’s Shannon Finn and Isabella De Leon 10-0 in a play-in match. The Tigers then dropped an 8-1 decision to Lee’s Summit North’s Siegmeier-Farmer.
The top two finishers in singles were Lee’s Summit West’s Raegan McGee and Lee’s Summit North’s Lily Temple.
In the championship match McGee defeated Temple 6-0, 6-1.
In the quarterfinals, Joplin’s Abry Stayton suffered a 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) loss to Raymore-Peculiar’s Chantelle Sheldon.
“Abry had an unlucky draw in the quarterfinals by having to play a really strong player,” Perry said. “She played her tough and got close to pulling it out in the end after losing the first set…but she just ran out of steam in the tie-breaker. It’s rough having to go from a one set format all season to then trying a two out of three set format for the postseason. It is a different game mentally and physically, and she just wasn’t used to it.”
Stayton defeated Lee’s Summit North’s Ashley Paul 8-3 in the quarterfinals of the consolation backdraw. With a spot in the fifth-place match on the line, Lee’s Summit’s Madison Six edged Stayton 9-7 in the consolation semifinals.
“Abry continued to play hard in the backdraw even when her state chances were already gone, which is good to see because she is a young player who will have more shots in the future to qualify,” Perry said. “And playing hard in these matches is a great experience. “
Joplin’s Mya Ndedi-Ntepe won a play-in match, 10-7, over Carthage’s Katie Barton.
Lee’s Summit’s Grace Davis defeated Ndedi-Ntepe 6-3, 6-0 in the quarterfinals. In the consolation quarterfinals, Ndedi-Ntepe beat Ray-Pec’s Sarah Jenson 8-5, but Lee’s Summit West’s Ellie Garlich defeated Ndedi-Ntepe 8-1 in the consolation semifinals.
“Mya was able to win her first round match against Carthage after starting down 5-1,” Perry said. “The hustle and determination in her is unrivalled. She really is a great role model for the rest of the team.”
In the consolation bracket, Carthage’s Barton lost to Garlich 8-6. Carthage’s Lynnd Guerra lost to Sheldon 10-1 and to Six 10-1.
The team district tournament arrives on Monday, as fourth-seeded Joplin hosts fifth-seeded Raymore-Peculiar at 4. Sixth-seeded Carthage is at third-seeded Lee’s Summit.
