The tennis Tigers took second place out of eight teams Saturday at the Waynesville Tournament. Michael Nacy and Bradley Hendrix led the way with a 3-0 record, as they won the #1 doubles flight. Nancy and Hendrix lost only two games total in their three matches.
Freshman Austin Massey finished second in the #2 singles flight, winning his quarterfinal and semifinal before losing the championship match. Freshman Dylan Mackey stepped up to play #1 singles for the first time, and held his own with a 2-2 record.
Gabe Bandfield and Jacob Overturf were 3rd-place finishers in the #2 doubles flight. They went 2-1 overall, with their only loss to eventual bracket winner Camdenton. After losing that semifinal, they rebounded to wipe out Rolla 8-0 in the third-place match.
“(I’m) very proud of our team effort to earn second place against some strong competitions,” says coach Dan Vales. “It was especially promising to see two freshmen hold their own while stepping up to play the top two singles spots, while some of our more experienced upperclassmen played the doubles side today.”
The second-place team finish was an improvement on last year, when the Tigers finished third.
Overall Team Results (9 teams):
1st place- 22 pts: Kickapoo
2nd place- 18 pts: Republic
3rd place- 16 pts each: Osage & Camdenton
5th place- 6 pts: Waynesville
6th place- 4 pts: Rolla
7th place- 2 pts: Lebanon
8th place- 0 pts each: Forsyth/Richland