The Chillicothe Lady Hornets tennis team finally started true class 1 district and conference level play this week after a dual with Savannah and Friday’s Benton tournament. After six matches per player, CHS was able to see play from six of the nine schools who they will face in their initial postseason matches. Just like the Friday before, each varsity player played all morning in a singles bracket, matching their rank, and then the afternoon was spent in doubles brackets based on rank. The Lady Hornets were, once again, missing their #3 player Lydia Bonderer, due to illness, so several players competed at higher ranks or with unusual doubles partners. By the end of the day, sophomores Isabel Nagel and Jocelynn Albrecht had each earned hard-fought third place singles medals in the #2 and #5 brackets, respectively. Coach Chambers said both Nagel & Albrecht played high-quality tennis all day with strong, sharp rallies and intense running to grab third place. Then, in doubles play, Nagel subbed in with state medalist Lexy Smith again, where they faced tough competition. After a long battle back against Maryville in an eventual tiebreaker, they also secured third place medals. Anya Moore also played great tennis all day going 4-2 on the day but falling just short of medals, and valuable playing experience was had by newcomers London Douglas, Merlot Cooper, and Halle Gabrielson. The team finished fourth out of nine teams on the day as well. Results were as follows:
Singles:
#1 Lexy Smith beat St. Joe Central, lost to St. Pius, lost to Savannah — 4th place
#2 Isabel Nagel beat Trenton, lost to Maryville, beat Benton — 3rd place
#3 Anya Moore beat LeBlond, lost to St. Pius, lost to Savannah — 4th place
#4 London Douglas lost to Maryville, lost to St. Joe Central — 9th place
#5 Jocelynn Albrecht beat St. Joe Central, lost to St. Pius, beat Benton — 3rd place
#6 Merlot Cooper beat Trenton, lost to Savannah, beat Cameron, lost to Benton — 6th place
Doubles:
#1 Smith & Nagel beat LeBlond, lost to Savannah, beat Maryville — 3rd place
#2 Moore & Halle Gabrielson lost to St. Pius, beat LeBlond, beat Cameron, beat St. Joe Central — 5th place
#3 Douglas & Albrecht beat Benton, lost to Savannah, lost to St. Pius — 4th place