With a top-five showing in all four divisions, including a first-place finish at No. 1 doubles, the Joplin High School girls tennis team captured the team championship at the Bird-Dog Classic on Friday at the Joplin Athletic Complex.
There were 10 teams in attendance at the event. Joplin finished with 17.5 points to take first, while Staley was the runner-up with 17. Willard (15) finished third, while Thomas Jefferson was fourth (14.5) and Carl Junction (12.5) finished fifth.
Joplin’s Astrid Cardenas and Emma Watts won the No. 1 doubles bracket, while teammates Cloey Blank and Brynn Driver finished third at No. 2 doubles.
Joplin’s Abry Stayton placed third at No. 1 singles, while Mya Ndedi-Ntepe finished fifth at No. 2 singles.
“Today was a great day for the Lady Eagles,” Joplin assistant coach Richard Perry said. “There was some tough competition and the girls played their hearts out. Overall, the team did amazing and it’s nice to get these victories going into an important week with some tough conference matches.”
Thomas Jefferson crowned champions in both singles brackets, as Allison Ding won the No. 1 singles bracket and Jeanna Jeyaraj was the champ at No. 2 singles.
NO. 1 DOUBLES
Joplin’s duo of Cardenas and Watts did not drop a game in three matches.
After a first-round bye, the Eagles defeated Webb City’s Kinzlea Smith and Kirsalyn Hood 8-0 and then beat Mount Vernon’s Bella Mosley and Vicki Moore 8-0 in the semifinals.
In the title match, Cardenas and Watts defeated Carl Junction’s Jenna Besperat and Nicole Sherwood 8-0.
“Astrid and Emma tore through their doubles bracket,” Perry said. “They have really been in a groove since last week and have played near flawless doubles in all of their matches this week.”
CJ’s Besperat and Sherwood beat Thomas Jefferson’s Kyla Yang and Jessica Joseph 8-3 and topped Staley’s Carli Hurtt and Kaitlyn Montemayor 8-4 in the semifinals.
Mount Vernon’s Mosley and Moore took third place. Carthage’s Kianna Yates and Daniela Marquez won the fifth-place match 6-3 over Willard’s Kaytelyn Ibarra and Kristen Flynn.
NO. 2 DOUBLES
Staley’s Breanne Garstang and Serena Dalton won the No. 2 doubles bracket by beating Mount Vernon’s Jessa Anderson and Molly Burk 8-6.
In the third-place match, Joplin’s Blank and Driver defeated Willard’s Evie Sly and Alyssa Flynn 7-5.
“Brynn and Cloey also had an important match for third against Willard that would have been a two-point swing,” Perry said. “They battled hard in a back and forth bout to earn a solid victory.”
Blank and Driver defeated Carthage’s Anayansi Lopez and Beverly Garcia 8-5 and then came up short, 9-7, in the semifinals to Staley.
College Heights’ Ella Bishop and Jeanna Smathers took fifth place by beating Carl Junction’s Emmy Higgins and Alyssa Graves 6-3.
NO. 1 SINGLES
Thomas Jefferson’s Ding defeated Mount Vernon’s Allie Schubert 8-1 and then topped Carl Junction’s Naiyah Wurdeman 8-1 in the semifinals.
Ding knocked off Willard’s Alice Go 8-5 in the title match.
Joplin’s Stayton defeated Monett’s Meagan Hull 8-1 and then suffered an 8-3 setback to Willard’s Go in the semifinals.
For third-place, Stayton defeated CJ’s Wurdeman 6-3.
“Abry played in the toughest bracket of the day and came out with a medal,” Perry said. “She had a tough loss the night before but has decided to rise up to the challenge and has played like she has something to prove.”
Wurdeman edged College Heights’ Jem Kionasala 9-7 to advance to the semifinals.
NO. 2 SINGLES
Thomas Jefferson’s Jeyaraj defeated Ndedi-Ntepe 8-0 and College Heights’ Natalie Brueggemann in the semifinals. Jeyaraj topped Staley’s Bree Keavene 8-2 in the title match.
Ndedi-Ntepe defeated Monett’s Sofia Semerad 6-1 for fifth-place.
“Mya got the team some much needed wins, going through the consolation bracket to get the team the points it needed to take home the trophy,” Perry noted.
BIRD DOG INVITATIONAL
Team standings: Joplin 17.5, Staley 17, Willard 15, Thomas Jefferson 14.5, Carl Junction 12.5, Mount Vernon 12, College Heights 11.5, Monett 6.5, Webb City 5.5, Carthage 5.
