GIRLS TENNIS: Monday, Oct. 5, 2020
The McPherson Invitational is always one of the toughest tournaments in the fall schedule for the Garden City High School girls tennis team.
Saturday, Oct. 3, was no exception as the Lady Buffs finished tied for third with McPherson White at 54 points while McPherson Red captured the title with 75 points and Hutchinson second with 68 points. Campus rounded out the top 5 with 38 points.
With Nos. 1 and 2 singles and doubles mixed together, it made for one of the more difficult brackets for the Lady Buffs thus far in 2020.
Junior Sage Riggs had the highest finish, placing third by going 3-1 in the tournament. She defeated players from Dodge City (8-7 (5)), Hays (8-1) and McPherson Red (8-2) while falling to a McPherson Red player in the semifinals (8-2).
Brooke Ptacek took seventh in singles, winning two matches while losing a pair. She defeated Dodge City (8-3) and Hays (8-3) while dropping matches to Hutchinson (8-3) and McPherson White (8-3).
In doubles, the usual No. 1 team of Ashleigh Chappel and Sydney Nanninga took seventh, going 2-2 with the final match a win via an injury walkover. They had defeated McPherson White (8-6) while dropping matches to Hutchinson (8-6) and a second Hutchinson team (8-6).
Alivia Palmer subbed in for Rilee McGraw in the other doubles squad for coach Logan Bevis. Palmer and Chloe Powell posted a 3-2 record to place 13th. They beat Liberal (8-1), lost to Salina South (8-3) and Dodge City (8-2) before finishing with wins over Hays (8-2) and a second Hays team (8-1).
“The girls played in difficult (weather) conditions today,” Bevis said Saturday. “It wasn’t our best outing of the year, overall, but there were still some positive signs going into postseason play.”
Bevis said Riggs had a tough semifinal match-up while Ptacek lost to eventual champion Foster of Hutchinson in a tightly-contested match. He said that Palmer and Powell lost to a pair of the better doubles squads during the competition.
The Lady Buffs were set to defend their Western Athletic Conference title on Monday, Oct. 5, at Liberal. Class 6A regionals will be held at the end of the week.
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