By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Hayden and Seaman girls tennis teams will be out in full force next Friday and Saturday for state tournaments after qualifying their entire teams and capturing regional team championships on Saturday.
Hayden senior Ainzley Zulueta captured the regional singles title in the Class 4A regional at Kossover Tennis Center while senior Emily Sheetz and freshman Sophia Wichman won the doubles championship as the Wildcats topped Bishop Miege for the team title.
Zulueta and Sheetz earned their shot at their third state titles with Saturday's regional championships.
Zulueta, undefeated on the season, rolled through her four regional matches will dropping a game, posting four straight 6-0, 6-0 victories, including a 6-0, 6-0 win over Bishop Miege sophomore Ella Daniel in the championship match.
Sheetz and Wichman won the doubles title with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Chapman juniors Avery Baer and Meredith Kuntz.
Hayden also got a third-place singles finish from junior Grace Funk and a fifth-place doubles showing from senior Avery O'Bray and junior Izzy Glotzbach.
Funk's lone regional loss came in the semifinals to teammate Zulueta.
Hayden will be back at Kossover for the 4A state meet next Friday and Saturday.
Seaman pulled off the rare feat of compiling a perfect team score for the second straight tournament Saturday at Bonner Springs.
The Vikings, who were perfect in last Monday's United Kansas Conference tournamet, repeated that performance at regionals, with sophomore Emma Sweeney and junior Molly Gorman going one-two in singles and senior Sidney Chinn and junior Peyton Henry winning the doubles championship in an all-Seaman final against sophomores Kaylyn Hiebsch and Camryn Lux.
Sweeney, now 27-3 on the season, took a 6-1, 6-1 win over Gorman (26-4) in the singles final while Chinn and Henry (24-5) took a 6-4, 6-0 win over Hiebsch and Lux (6-4, 6-0) as Seaman won the regional team title by a 26-14 win over Piper.
Seaman will compete in the 5A state tournament next Friday and Saturday at the Andover District Tennis Complex.
Lions' Poole qualifies for 3A-1A state meet
Cair Paravel Latin sophomore Madilyn Poole finished as the singles runnerup in the Class 3A-1A regional tournament at Marysville on Saturday, becoming the Lions' first-ever girls state qualifier.
Poole, 19-6 on the season, dropped a 6-4, 6-1 decision to Kansas City Christian senior Lauren Seitz (24-4) in the regional championship match.
Poole scored all six of Cair Paravel's team points as the Lions finished fifth.
Poole will compete in the 3A-1A state tournament next Friday and Saturday at Wichita's Riverside Tennis Complex.