Edgerton quad rescheduled for this Saturday
By David Paulsen
Correspondent
In their first two Rock Valley Conference duals of the season, the Whitewater High School girls tennis team dropped two close 4-3 decisions. Both losses came on the Whippet home courts, with the first coming Sept. 5 against Big Foot, and the second coming Monday against East Troy.
Vs. East Troy
The first time these two teams met at the East Troy quad to open the season, East Troy won 5-2, this time it was closer.
“We definitely showed improvement from that first match, so I was pleased with that,” head coach Tim Nelson said. “We still have things to work on, but the work that we are putting in is showing dividends. We just have to keep working.”
Whitewater’s three wins came at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, and at No. 2 doubles.
At No. 1 singles, senior Chelsea Niemuth defeated Shauna Jacobs 7-6 (7-5), 6-2.
“Chelsea had a great night,” Nelson said. “She has played Shauna every year since they were sophomores and has continued to get more and more competitive, but has never been able to close it out. Tonight was finally her night.”
Niemuth fell behind 5-2 in the first set but put together a great comeback to win that set and than pulled away in the second set.
Kacie Snyder won a three-hour marathon at No. 2 singles over Vanessa Tess. She lost the first set 2-6, but won the second set 6-4. That set up a dramatic third set.
“The two fought back and forth until a 6-6 tie and then things got interesting,” Nelson noted. “While the East Troy coach and I were coaching another match, the two girls played a game instead of a tiebreaker, which means they then have to play to eight games and win by two.”
Snyder took a 7-6 lead, but then lost the next two games and trailed 8-7. She thought she had lost the match at that point, only to be informed that was not the case since Tess was not leading by two games. When the two battled to an 8-8 tie, the match then went to a tiebreaker, which Snyder won 7-3.
The No. 2 doubles team of Sally Hixson and Ali Sedmak got the third Whippet victory in straight sets, 6-0, 6-4.
“They put together a nice match,” Nelson said. “A very strong first set as the girls kept the ball away from the net, kept things in play and really controlled the net.”
In the second set, Hixson and Sedmak made a few too many errors, but held on for the win.
Nelson noted that the No. 1 doubles team of Emily Markham and Erika Levine showed major improvement in a 6-2, 6-4 loss to a pairing that was a top 16 finisher in the state one year ago.
“We really pushed them the second set, but just weren’t quite consistent enough to push it over the top,” Nelson said.
Vs .Big Foot
The first RVC dual of the season came against Big Foot with the Whippets nearly pulling out a win.
“We actually gave Big Foot more of a run for their money than I expected,” Nelson said. “We had opportunities to win this match, but just couldn’t quite pull it off.”
Snyder had a solid win at No. 2 singles taking the first set 6-1 and then the second set 6-4.
“Kacie played very well,” Nelson said. “We got a little impatient in the middle of the second set and started to over hit a bit, but then pulled things together to close out the set.”
Alex Cady got a victory at No. 3 singles, losing only three games total. She took the first set 6-2 and the second set 6-1.
“Alex started out a little slow in her first set and was down, but then she just needed to get her mechanics straightened out a bit and she kept the ball in play to take over the match,” Nelson said.
The other win for the Whippet girls came at No. 3 doubles where Grace Tisdale and Izzy Zahn won 6-1, 6-3.
“It was probably their most consistent match of the season,” Nelson said.
Nelson felt the one match that could have produced a team win came at No. 4 singles. Tanner Musgrove lost a close 7-6(7-5), 6-4 match in that bracket.
Schedule
Whitewater has a tough RVC match at Jefferson Thursday, Sept. 12, at 4:30 p.m.
The Edgerton quad initially scheduled for this past Saturday has been rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 14.
Next week, the girls will play at McFarland on Monday, Sept. 16, at 4:30 p.m. and at Edgerton on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 4:30 p.m.
The Edgerton dual closes out the RVC dual season for the Whippets.
