The Tigers had another tough loss tonight against Willow Springs, falling 0-9. With our #4 player out injured, we had the rest of our team bump up a slot on the team. Playing doubles first, Waynesville did a pretty good job competing against tougher opponents.  Our #2 doubles team started off ahead from the start.  Kristen Sneed played a tough, aggressive game at net, while Alexuz Pesantemercado did a great job playing the baseline. Unfortunately, Willow Springs just played a more consistent game and out communicated us to pull ahead toward the end of the match. It very difficult to play with a new doubles partner.  These two haven’t even had a chance to practice together. Unfortunately, that’s what we run into when we face injuries and other unexpected absences.  These two complimented each other well in regards to strengths and weaknesses. Now we just need to focus on our communication on courts.  Our #3 team, Vashti Hernandez and Naudia Evans, had some great shots as well in their match. Both new to Varsity, and Evans new to tennis altogether, I was pretty proud to see just how well they competed in a close 6-8 match. 

Down 0-3 going into singles, we knew we had to get a win in 5 out of 6 matches. We started off ahead in four matches. Alexuz Pesantemercado remained ahead for the majority of the match until she lost her lead at 5 and dropped 5-8. Stepping up into a new Varsity role, brand-new tennis player Naudia Evans played our most aggressive match all night.  As a basketball player, Naudia already has a great killer instinct.  That translated well to the tennis court tonight as Naudia attacked the net as often as she could, taking a point almost every time. Lauren DeMalade started off behind on court 2.  Lauren likes to play a very aggressive game.  Tonight, she learned that’s not always the greatest tactic as most high school matches are won by making the least amount of mistakes. As Lauren started to pick up on this idea and modify her strategy, she soon took the lead against her opponent. Unfortunately, she dropped the lead toward the end in a close 7-9 loss against the Bears.  

The Tigers will return to the courts on Friday in a home match against Richland. 

Singles

Heather Emerson vs. Riley Pool, 5-8

Lauren DeMalade vs. Taylor Reese, 7-9

Kristen Sneed vs. McKenna Cox, 4-8

Vashti Hernandez vs. Jessie Clarkston, 3-8

Alexuz Pesantemercado vs. Kaitlyn Burgess, 5-8

Naudia Evans vs. Hunny Hanson, 1-8

Doubles

Emerson/DeMalade vs. Reese/Cox, 1-8

Sneed/Pesantemercado vs. Pool/Burgess, 4-8

Hernandez/Evans vs. Hanson/Clarkston, 6-8