FAYETTEVILLE — The 7A/6AWest Conference tennis tournament begins today at the new Fayetteville Bulldog Tennis Complex.
For Fayetteville, it’s an opportunity to show off the complex which is in its fi rst year of use, while also enjoying home court advantage in several big singles and doubles matches over the next two days.
“We’re excited,” Fayetteville tennis coach Darin Phelan said. “We’re at our new home course and we’re excited about it.”
Fayetteville has won the boys tennis conference title each of the last two years. The Bulldogs will have a good chance to three-peat thanks to No. 1 seeded singles player Reed Churchill and two strong doubles teams in Will Ginger and Luke Lundstrom, and Craig Smardo and Sameer Kamath.
“The guys are playing good,” Phelan said. “Reed won conference this year and won state last year. He’s the top seed but he did lose a match to the guy from Bentonville, so he’ll have to play well.
“And our doubles teams are playing well.”
The Fayetteville girls will go with Maddie Beck and Mia Bautista in singles play today. In doubles matches, Sydney Trumbo and Cameron Churchill will make up one team while Macy Bodishbaugh and Maggie Stelhik form Fayetteville’s second doubles pair.
SPRINGDALE LOOKING TO PULL UPSETS SPRINGDALE
Springdale High tennis coach Britt James has confidence that several ofhis players can pull off upsets at the 7A-West Conference Tournament, which begins today in Fayetteville.
James said he expects junior Cory Stewart, Springdale’s No. 1 boys player, to advance beyond the first round after earning a No. 6 seed. But senior Gustavo Martinez, the Bulldogs’ No. 2 player, will likely have a much tougher match to open up with as a No. 12 seed.
James said Martinez, who’s a consistent player who’s not overpowering with his shots, will face Rogers Heritage’s Michael Young to begin his tournament action.
James said senior Alee Kham, Springdale’s No. 1 girls player, received a winnable draw as a No. 8 seed. However, senior Taylor McPherson will have to pull off an upset like Martinez if she hopes to advance in the tournament.
McPherson, who has been paired with Kham in double matches this season, earned a No. 10 seed in the conference tournament.
“You’ve got to win that fi rst round. That’s the most important round to move on,” James said. “Of course, if you don’t, you’re done.”
ALEX ABRAMS
HAR-BER GOLFERS FINISH STRONG AT STATE SPRINGDALE
The Springdale Har-Ber golf team should begin next fall with a boost of confidence after finishing fourth in the Class 7A state boys tournament at Conway.
Har-Ber climbed from a sixth-place tie after the fi rst day to finish in a fourth-place tie with Rogers High. This is the highest finish in the shorthistory for Har-Ber, which has all four of its state tournament scorers returning for season.
Junior Rick Wedding fi red a 75 on the second day for Har-Ber and made all-state after shooting 78 during his first round. Sophomore Nick Hancock also shot 75 after 85 on the first round and junior Nick Beyer followed with a 77. Sophomore Connor Neil improved from 87 to 82 for the Wildcats.
Conway defended its state championship by shooting 590 on its home course. The Wampus Cats were followed by Fayetteville with 621, Bryant 624 and Har-Ber and Rogers tied at 645.
RICK FIRES
TANG OPTS FOR DOUBLES OVER SINGLES ROGERS
Tiffany Tang will not attempt a three-peat as 7A/6A-West Conference, Class 7A and Overall girls tennis singles champion.
Tang has dominated girls singles tennis in the state the last two years, but the Rogers High junior will instead team with her sister, Katherine, in doubles competition when the conference tournament starts today in Fayetteville. The boys and girls tourney concludes Tuesday.
A player can’t play both singles and doubles in the postseason and Lady Mounties coach Matt Fulton will help the team try for a second-straight state championship. Tang was undefeated in singles play this year.
Sophomore Haeleigh Long will be at No. 1 singles for the Lady Mounties while senior Kaitlin Rhodes will be at No. 2 singles. Seniors Kate Schmandt and Anusha Majagi will be the Lady Mounties other doubles team.
“Everyone has to win in thefirst round, or you are out,” Fulton said.
PAUL NIELSEN
LADY WAR EAGLES FORCED TO ADJUST ROGERS
A late-season injury forced the Rogers Heritage Lady War Eagles tennis team to change its lineup heading into today’s 7A/6A-West Conference tournament.
Senior Pratheepa Ravikumar suffered a season-ending knee injury while playing singles against cross-town rival Rogers High on Sept. 27. Ravikumar, along with teammate Ellen Lundy, were the defending conference and Class 7A state champions in doubles.
Lundy will now play with Kaylee Hamilton, who played singles most of the year.
Heritage coach Allison Payne said the injury aff ected the team, but they have accepted it.
The Lady War Eagles (10-2) are the defending conference and state champions, which they shared with Rogers. Heritage has won 22 of 24 matches as a team over the past two years. The only two losses came this year to Rogers.
Lundy and Hamilton drew the No. 3 seed behind Tiffany and Katherine Tang of Rogers and the Bentonville team, which lost to Lundy and Ravikumar in the state fi nals a year ago. The duo played their only match together Thursday against Van Buren in the regular-season finale and won 6-1, 6-1.
However, Heritage freshman Alye Darter drew the top seed in singles with three-time state champion Tiffany Tang playing doubles.
Kelly Torres will play singles, after playing doubles much of the season.
Kirsten White and EmilyHenbest, Heritage’s No. 2 doubles team, drew the ninth seed, but a possible secondround match against the Tang looms.
On the boys’ side, Heritage coach Taylor Tinsley said senior Michael Yawn, who drew the fifth seed, has a chance to earn a state tournament berth in singles.
PAUL BOYD
TIGERS COACH PLEASED WITH SEEDINGS BENTONVILLE
Bentonville tennis coach Nick Nersesian said he feels comfortable with how the seedings fell in place for the 7A-West Conference tournament, which begins today in Fayetteville.
“I believe those kids earned those spots,” he said. “Now the rest is in their hands. They have worked hard during the spring and summer, and now they are at a point where they can achieve their goals.
The boys doubles team of Jordan Sheppard and Michael Morse has earned the top seed in their division, while the duo of Hunter Pool and Ryan Hargrove are seed third.
Dylan Deluca, who was unbeaten during the regular season, was seeded second in boys singles behind Fayetteville’s Reed Churchill, a player Deluca defeated in a match earlier this season, while Justin Pollard drew the fourth seed.
On the girls side, the team of Mallory Tabler and Kruti Shah earned the No. 2 seed in doubles behind Rogers High’s sisters team of Tiffany and Katherine Tang, while the team of Kendra Dinsmore and Caroline Koonce is seeded fourth. Michelle Moore earned the No. 3 seed in the singles division.
HENRY APPLE
Sports, Pages 6 on 10/08/2012