By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden girls tennis has enjoyed plenty of success over the years, but the Wildcats have never had a day like they did on Saturday at Prairie Village's Harmon Park.
Hayden's girls tennis team poses for a team picture after sweeping the singles, doubles and team championships in the Class 4A state tournament Saturday at Harmon Park. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Hayden completely dominated the Class 4A tournament, sweeping the singles, doubles and team championships while all six Wildcat players earned state medals.
Sophomore Ainzley Zulueta captured her second straight state singles championship while junior Lauren Sandstrom and sophomore Emily Sheetz won the state doubles title after finishing seventh in 2021.
Freshman singles player Grace Funk posted a 10th-place state finish in her first state tournamennt while the senior doubles team of Bri Barnett and Sloane Sims finished 12th as Hayden won the girls team championship for the first time in school history by a 40-31 margin over Independence.
Hayden sophomore Ainzley Zulueta won her second straight Class 4A state singles championship Saturday at Harmon Park, helping the Wildcats win the team title. [Submitted photo]
Zulueta, 28-2, completed her second state title run with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Chapman junior Elyssa Frieze in a rematch of last week's regional final.
Hayden junior Lauren Sandstrom (left) and sophomore Emily Sheetz won their first Class 4A state doubles title on Saturday, helping the Wildcats win their first 4A girls team title. [Submitted photo]
Sandstrom and Sheetz capped a 34-4 season with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Wichita Trinity's Darcy Dunne and Sophia Majors.
Funk dropped a 9-4 decision to Pratt's Bailey Jackson in the ninth-place singles match while Barnett and Sims dropped a 9-5 decision to Wellington's Kadynce Aufdengarten and Ashlyn Gerten in the 11th-place match.
Sweeney posts runner-up finish in 5A singles
Seaman senior Lauren Sweeney came within a set of winning a second straight Class 5A state championship Saturday at Andover, dropping a three-set decision to Bishop Carroll junior Brynn Steven (25-2) in the singles championship match.
Seaman senior Lauren Sweeney posted a runner-up singles finish in the Class 5A state tournament Saturday at Andover after winning the state doubles title as a junior. [File photo/TSN]
Sweeney, who teamed with Grace Unruh to win the 5A state doubles title as a junior, took a 6-4 win in the first set of Saturday's singles final but Steven bounced back to force a third set with a 6-4 win and cruised to a 6-0 win in the third set.
Sweeney, a four-time state qualifier and three-time top-four state medalist, finished the season 32-6, while Steven won the state title after a secord-place finish in 2021.
Seaman senior Nina Del-Zio finished ninth in singles, taking a 9-2 decision over Maize's Rylee Frye in the ninth-place match.
Del-Zio earned her second straight state medal, finishing 11th in 5A as a junior.
The Viking doubles team of junior Katie Krumins and freshman Molly Gorman finished 12th at state after defaulting their final two matches.
Fritz and Kucera place ninth in 6A doubles
Washburn Rural seniors Kate Fritz and Meredich Kucera earned Class 6A state doubles medals for the second straight season Saturday at Wichita, placing ninth.
Washburn Rural seniors Meredith Kucera (left) and Kate Fritz earned a ninth-place finish in Class 6A doubles for their second straight season. [File photo/TSN]
Fritz and Kucera capped their state meet with a 9-7 win over Blue Valley West's Medha Goli and Aashritha Musti.
Fritz and Kucera also finished ninth in 6A as juniors.
Rossville's Sherer repeats as 3A-1A state medalist
Rosville senior Aliva Sherer earned a Class 3A-1A state medal for the second straight season Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center, earning a seventh-place finish in singles.
Alivia Sherer
Sherer deeated Conway Springs' Haylee Osner in the seventh-place match.
Sherer finished ninth in the 3A-1A state tournament as a junior.
