The Joplin High School boys tennis team opened the 2021 season by suffering a 9-0 home loss to Kickapoo on Thursday.
Eagles coach Aaron Stump said there were positives in the loss.
“Kickapoo was a tough opponent for our first match of the season,” Stump said. “Their team has a mix of experienced players, with many who started playing before they reached high school. As a team, we played some good games, frequently getting to deuce, but we weren’t able to capitalize on some of our opportunities.”
The dual began with three doubles matches.
At No. 1 doubles, Kickapoo’s Caden Hillman and Cayden Danzer defeated Joplin’s Logan Merkley and Jeffrey Evenson 8-2.
“This is our most experienced doubles team,” Stump commented. “Logan is in his fourth year, and Jeffrey is in his third.”
The Chiefs won the No. 2 doubles match by the same score, as Patrick Terry and Hart Hillman beat Ben Wardlow and Colin Vermillion.
At No. 3 doubles, Kickapoo’s Jonathan Chou and Jackson Musil edged Joplin’s Josh Yarnall and Michael Mancipe 8-6.
“Josh and Michael played with consistency and kept the match close,” Stump said.
At No. 1 singles, Caden Hillman defeated Merkley 8-0.
“Despite losing 8-0, Logan frequently played to deuce in this match,” Stump said.
Kickapoo’s Terry topped Evenson 8-0 at No. 2 singles and Wardlow suffered an 8-1 loss to Hart Hillman at No. 3.
“Known more for swimming, Ben is playing his first year on the tennis team as a senior,” Stump said. “He participated in the summer camp and decided to give tennis a shot.”
Danzer beat Yarnall 8-3 at No. 4 singles, while Chou defeated Mancipe 8-4 at No. 5.
“Michael was resilient in his match,” Stump noted. “He has come a long way since our shortened season last year.”
At No. 6 singles, Musil beat Vermillion 8-0.
Joplin will host Glendale at 4:30 on Monday.
