Astrid Cardenas and Emma Watts have had quite the week.
First, the Joplin High School tennis players teamed up to win the No. 1 doubles bracket at Wednesday’s Central Ozark Conference tournament in Springfield.
And on Friday, the Eagles secured a trip to the state tennis tournament.
Cardenas and Watts finished as the runner-up in the doubles bracket at the Class 3 District 6 tournament at the JHS athletic complex.
With the top-two finish, the Eagles punched a ticket to the state tournament later this month in Springfield.
“We are really excited for Astrid and Emma,” Joplin coach Jeff Williams said at the conclusion of a long day of tennis. “Astrid made the trip to state last year and this will be Emma’s first trip. It’s very exciting for those kids. They played some great tennis today, and it’s just great to get two girls to state.”
Cardenas is a junior who advanced to state last year in singles, while Watts is a sophomore. Cardenas has missed a large part of the season due to a nagging back injury.
“I think we made a good choice by having Astrid play doubles,” Williams said. “She’s been injured for most of the year and she’s playing with pain. But she’s a trooper. And when she wasn’t playing she was supporting her teammates.”
Cardenas-Watts beat Lee’s Summit West’s Marlena Davis-Ella Smith 6-1, 6-0 in the opening round.
In the key match of the day, third-seeded Cardenas-Watts defeated second-seeded Jeanette Foley-Cassidy Hood of Lee’s Summit 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals.
“It was a hard-fought match,” Eagles assistant coach Richard Perry said. “It went on for a few hours. They had nothing left by the end.”
Top-seeded Olivia Berens and Alana Freeman of Lee’s Summit West defeated the Eagles 6-1, 6-0 in the championship match.
“Our girls didn’t play particularly well in the finals, but they had some good shots and good plays,” Williams said. “I think fatigue was definitely a factor for us in the finals.”
Williams noted Cardenas had to quickly leave moments after the day’s last match concluded, as she’s a Homecoming queen candidate and had to get ready for the big night at Junge Field.
Joplin’s other doubles team, Jensen Vowels and Lauren Laird, lost to Lee’s Summit North 8-2 in the first round. In singles, Joplin’s Kennedy Schwartz and Cloey Blank both suffered losses in the first round.
Raymore-Peculiar’s Peyton Koper was the district singles champion, with Lee’s Summit West’s Tristen Caskey finishing as the runner-up.
TIGERS UNABLE TO ADVANCE
Carthage athletes were unable to advance to the individual state tournament.
In singles, Carthage’s Katie Barton and Lucy Butler suffered first-round setbacks. In doubles, Carthage’s Anayansi Lopez-Rodas and Daniela Marquez lost to Raymore-Peculiar 8-2 in the first round, while teammates Isabelle Johnston-Kianna Yates fell to Lee’s Summit North 8-1.
TEAM TOURNEY IS MONDAY
The district team tournament will be held at 4:30 on Monday at Lee’s Summit High School.
Sixth-seeded Carthage meets third-seeded Raymore-Peculiar and fifth-seeded Joplin takes on fourth-seeded Lee’s Summit.
“Everybody gets to play at least one more match,” Williams said. “We’re excited.”
The semifinals are Tuesday. No. 1 seed Lee’s Summit West awaits either Lee’s Summit or Joplin, while No. 2 Lee’s Summit North plays the Raymore-Peculiar-Carthage winner.
Class 3 District 6
At Joplin High School
Singles
Elizabeth Wuebker, Lee’s Summit, def. Katie Barton, Carthage, 8-1. Anna Brokaw, Raymore-Peculiar, def. Cloey Blank,. Joplin, 8-4. Olivia Shackelford, Lee’s Summit, def. Kennedy Schwartz, Jopin, 8-0. Sarah Green, Lee’s Summit North, def. Lucy Butler, Carthage, 8-1. Tristen Caskey, Lee’s Summit West, def. Wuebker 6-0, 6-0. Kelley Connolly, Lee’s Summit North, def. Brokaw 6-3, 6-3. Peyton Koper, Raymore-Peculiar, def. Shackelford 6-2, 6-0. Chloe Sabin, Lee’s Summit West, def. Green 6-1, 6-0. Caskey def. Connolly. Koper def. Sabin. Koper def. Caskey 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 (1st). Sabin won by injury default over Connelly (3rd).
Doubles
Chantelle Sheldon-Shannon Finn, Raymore-Peculiar, def. Anayansi Lopez-Rodas/Daniela Marquez, Carthage, 8-2. Riley Young-Kristina Parrish, Lee’s Summit North, def. Jensen Vowels-Lauren Laird, Joplin, 8-2. Morgan McGurk-Kathryn Langle, Lee’s Summit North, def. Isabelle Johnston-Kianna Yates, Carthage, 8-1. Marlena Davis-Ella Smith, Lee’s Summit West, def. Bayley Raymond0-Faitgh Durham, Raymore-Peculiar, 8-3. Olivia Berens-Alana Freeman, Lee’s Summit West, def. Sheldon-Finn 6-0. 6-2. Young-Parrish def. Meghan Dean-Grace Davis, Lee’s Summit, 6-2, 6-3. Jeanette Foley-Cassidy Hood, Lee’s Summit, def. McGurk-Langle 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. Astrid Cardenas-Emma Watts, Joplin, def. Davis-Smith 6-1, 6-0. Berens-Freeman def. Young-Parrish. Cardenas-Watts def. Foley-Hood 6-3, 6-4. Berens-Freeman def. Cardenas-Watts 6-1, 6-0 (1st). Foley-Hood def. Young-Parrish 8-2 (3rd).
