Clarkson wins MSAA tourney
By Melanie McGee
October 06, 2008
Every single game mattered for Pratt High School’s girls tennis
team at the MSAA League Tournament Thursday in Scott City.
PHS tied with Scott City for second place with nine points, and the
teams split their head-to-head matches.
The tiebreaker came down to which team won a higher percentage of
games against the other.
Pratt won 57.5 percent of games against the Beavers to win the
tiebreaker and claim second place.
“When we arrived at Scott City, I told the girls that this was a
meet where every match and even every game mattered,” PHS coach
Larry Kahmeyer said. “Had we lost one omre match or given up four
more games, we would have placed third.”
Junior Andrea Clarkson came home a league champion as she went 3-0
in No. 2 singles.
Clarkson defeated Larned 8-4, Scott City 8-1, and Ulysses 8-0.
“She had a well-deserved successful day. It was the best, most
consistent tennis I’ve seen her play all year,” Kahmeyer said.
“Andrea was due for a good meet and she picked a great time to
elevate her game. She had the distinction of giving Larned its only
loss of the day and single-handedly kept them from sweeping the
meet.”
Senior Jessica Voss was 2-1 at No. 1 singles to finish second. She
lost to Larned 8-1, then beat Scott City 8-0 and Ulysses 8-3.
"Given the chance, I think she'd like to replay her first match
against Larned," Kahmeyer said. "Perhaps it was the three-hour
trip, or lingering burn-out from Saturday, but she seemed off her
best game, especially in her first match. I was pleased to see her
respond in ther next two matches. Down 3-2 in her final match, she
dug deep, focused and ran the table for an 8-3 win."
Senior Marina Dobbs and junior Catherine Schotte defeated Ulysses
to take third at No. 1 doubles. “They seemed a rusty at first, but
continued to improve throughout the day,” Kahmeyer said.
The pair lost to Larned 8-1 and Scott City 8-4, but beat Ulysses
8-4 to end the day.
At. No. 2 doubles, senior Amanda Schmidt and sophomore Caroline
Riney went 0-4, but won three games against Scott City to help the
team hold onto second place.
They lost to Larned 8-1, Scott City 8-3, and Ulysses 8-2.
“It’s hard not to win much and still remain positive, but they are
doing a fine job and contributing, so I hope they realize their
importance to our team,” Kahmeyer said.
PHS will host a Class 4A regional tournament next Thursday. (See
related story.)
