By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Fresh off a sweep of city, United Kansas Conference and Class 5A regional team championships, Jamie Robinson's Seaman girls tennis team will now turns its focus on trying to earn a top-three state finish for the second straight season.
Emma Sweeney won the singles title in Saturday's Class 5A regional at Kossover Tennis Center, helping the Vikings win the team championship. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman senior Molly Gorman finished second in singles in Saturday's Class 5A regional at Kossover Tennis Center, helping the Vikings win the team championship. [File photo/TSN]
The Vikings tuned up for state with a team title in Saturday's regional at Kossover Tennis Center and will be back at Kosover Friday and Saturday for the state meet.
Seaman achieved its goal of qualifying all six of its varsity players for state while edging St. James Academy for the team championship, 22-21.
"That is so huge,'' Robinson said of Seaman's qualifying effort. "And that's something you don't want to take for granted is getting your six in. That's huge for team morale, it's huge for people coming back the next year and we've done it for three, four years in a row, so that's exciting.
"Everybody's rooting for each other and our parent base is happy and proud and it makes the whole program proud when you take six to state. That is not a given, not even with good teams.''
Viking junior Emma Sweeney and senior Molly Gorman went one-two in singles while the Vikings' doubles teams of senior Peyton Henry and junior Camryn Lux and juniors Cadence Speer and Kaylyn Hiebsch placed third and fourth.
Sweeney and Gorman advanced to the regional singles final for the second straight season, with Sweeney taking a 6-0, 6-1 win in the final.
After both Seaman doubles teams dropped semifinal matches to St. James Academy, Henry and Lux took a 6-1, 6-3 win in the third-place match.
Topeka West's senior doubles team of Jordan Felsburg and Taryn Gilbert is also headed to state after finishing fifth Saturday with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Piper's Allison Ochs and Aubrey Eidson.
Felsburg and Gilbert are West's first girls state qualifiers since 2021.
Washburn Rural girls tennis poses for a team picture after winning the championship in Friday's Class 5A regional at Wichita. [Submitted photo]
Junior Blues, Trojans finish one-two in 6A regional
Washburn Rural claimed the team title in Friday's Class 6A regional at Wichita's Riverside Tennis Complex by a 15-12 margin over Topeka High while the city schools swept the singles and doubles championships.
Topeka High senior Madeline Deters, the Centennial League champion, won the regional singles title with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Junction City's Hannah Micheel while Washburn Rural juniors Julia Katzer and Halle Owen, the city champs, took the regional doubles crown with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Manhattan's Keylee Schartz and Jackie Hsu.
Rural freshman singles player Bridget Hoopes qualified for state with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Derby's 5 2 Ella Boline and the Junior Blues' doubles team of senior Alizah Chedzoy and sophomore Annie Henderson defeated Derby's Katie Brehm and Karlie Demel in the fifth-place match, 6-1, 6-2.
In addition to Deters, Topeka High qualified its doubles team of senior Ava Ritter and sophomore Hailey Caryl, who posted a third-place regional finish with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Wichita East's Charlotte Docking and Jane Docking.
The 6A state tournament will be played at the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe.
Defending champ Hayden wins Class 4A regional
Defending Class 4A champion Hayden won Saturday's regional at Marysville by a 19-14 margin over host Marysville.
Hayden sophomore Sophia Wichman and senior Avery O'Bray captured the regional doubles title with a 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 win over Marysville's Ava Spader and Micaiah Urban.
Wildcat freshman Lana Hull and senior Grace Funk finished third and fourth in singles, with Hull taking a 6-3, 6-3 win in the third-place match, while the Hayden doubles team of senior Kinsey Bullock and junior Kaelyn Gerdel placed fifth in doubles with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Clay Center's Taylor Green and Treya Pfizenmaier.
The 4A state tournament will be played Friday and Saturday at the Harmon Park Tennis Complex in Prairie Village.
Cair Paravel junior Madilyn Poole won the singles title in Friday's Class 3A-1A tennis regional at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Lions' Poole wins Class 3A-1A regional singles title
Cair Paravel Latin junior Madilyn Poole will make a return trip to the Class 3A-1A state tournament after winning the regional singles championship in Friday's regional at Kossover Tennis Center.
Poole won the title with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Silver Lake sophomore Evelynn Thompson in the singles final.
Wabaunsee won the team title by a 20-9 margin over Cair Paravel while Silver Lake tied for fourth with six points.
The 3A-1A state tournament will be played Friday and Saturday at the Salina Tennis Center.
