By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden's girls tennis team tied for second and finished third in a tiebreaker in the 2021 Class 4A state tournament.
Hayden's girls tennis team takes part in its tradition of taking a bite out of the championship trophy after winning Saturday's Class 4A regional tournament. [Submitted photo]
Hayden's girls tennis team poses with its regional championship trophy after Saturday's Class 4A regional at Kossover Tennis Center. [Submitted photo]
The Wildcats put themselves in position to challenge for 4A supremacy again this season with a strong performance in Saturday's regional tournament at Kossover Tennis Center,
The Wildcats swept the singles, doubles and team titles while qualifying all six players for the 4A state tournament next Friday and Saturday at the Harmon Park Tennis Complex in Prairie Village.
"When you get your whole team in, first of all you're really proud of your program because you know that you have worked really hard and you've done some things right with them and the girls have supported each other and this has been a goal of theirs to take six to state,'' Hayden coach Christy Sheetz said. "This is an exciting day for all of them.''
Hayden sophomore Ainzley Zulueta, the defending state singles champion, tuned up for her title defense with a dominating regional performance, took a 6-1, 6-1 decision over Chapman junior Elyssa Frieze in the championship match to improve to 24-2 on the season. Frieze, also 24-2, placed third at state last season.
Hayden's doubles team of junior Lauren Sandstrom and Emily Sheetz, now 30-4, won the regional doubles championship with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Bishop Miege juior Livi Shull and senior Grace Tucker.
Sandstrom and Sheetz, who were coming off a three-set loss in the finals of the Centennial League tournament, got down 3-0 in Saturday's final but dominated the remainder of the match.
"I think we like to see how our opponents play and I feel like that takes us a while to adjust, but we get used to it and we really get going when we need to,'' Emily Sheetz said.
"It takes us awhile to get our energy built up,'' Sandstrom said. "Today the conversation was kind of like, 'We've beat them before, we know we can do this, so we've got to pick it up and start now.' ''
The Wildcats also got a fourth-place double finish from seniors Briahna Barnett and Sloane Sims while freshman Grace Funk posted a fifth-place finish in singles.
Barnett and Sims dropped a 5-7, 6-4, 3-6 decision to Wamego seniors Sarah Jones and Brittney Crubel in the third-place match while Funk took a 6-7 (4-7), 6-0, 6-1 win over Chapman freshman Avery Baer in the fifth-place match.
Now the Wildcats want to be at their best in the state meet.
"We're going to go in with that mindset that we can do anything and we can win any match if we keep our attitudes up,'' Christy Sheetz said. "That has been our focus and motto this season because when we get down, that's when we lose.''
The 4A state tournament will get under way at 10:30 a.m. Friday.
CLASS 4A REGIONAL GIRLS TENNIS
At Kossover Tennis Center
Team scores
Hayden 21, Bishop Miege 17, Chapman 12, Wamego 8.
Individual results
Singles
Championship -- Zulueta, Hayden, def. Frieze, Chapman, 6-1, 6-1.
Third -- Myers, Bishop Miege, def. Loredo, Bishop Miege, 6-4, 6-2.
Fifth -- Funk, Hayden, def. Baer, Chapman, 6-7 (4-7), 6-0, 6-1.
Doubles
Championship -- Sandstrom/Sheetz, Hayden, def. Shull/Tucker, Bishop Miege, 6-4, 6-1.
Third -- Jones/Crubel, Wamego, def. Barnett/Sims, Hayden, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
Fifth -- Elliot/Merritt, Chapman, def. Winklhofer/Lazarczyk, Bishop Miege, 6-1, 6-3.
Bulldawgs' Sherer qualifies for 3A-1A state meet
Rossville senior Alivia Sherer will compete in the Class 3A-1A state meet for the second straight season, qualifying for Friday and Saturday's state meet at Kossover Tennis Center with a third-place singles finish in the 3A-1A regional tournament at Marysville.
Alivia Sherer
Sherer, 19-8 on the season, finished third in the regional meet with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Smoky Valley senior Magdalena Rauchholz in Saturday's third-place match.
Sherer posted a ninth-place state finish in singles as a junior.
Sherer competed for Hayden in the regular season as a co-op player before competing for Rossville in postseason.
