SIOUX FALLS – Aberdeen Central won the majority of its matches, but couldn’t quite get the one with the highest point total on Monday.
The Golden Eagles collected victories in their first eight opportunities during the Eastern South Dakota Conference Tennis Tournament, but came up just short in a match that was worth 24 team points.
“The one match that we were favored to win, we didn’t,” said Central coach John Vogel.
Central won six singles matches to start the day, including three in tie-breakers, and three which featured wins over opponents the Golden Eagles lost to during the regular season.
Mady Holman at flight three, Penelope Vogel at flight four, and Jovee Waldo at flight five all avenged losses, Holman and Waldo in tie-breaker victories. Estelle Riggs also won in tiebreaking fashion at flight two.
Penelope Vogel recorded the first win on the day by a 10-2 margin.
“She was in control from the get-go,” Coach Vogel said. “It was the best I’ve seen Penelope play in a long time.”
Central won matches at flights two and three doubles, before the mood of the day turned in the top flight doubles match.
“We probably should have seen it coming with Estelle and Sarah (Knie),” Vogel said, “because they both got off to a really slow start in singles and were able to pull it together.”
The duo, which came into the tourney as the second seed, won the first game in doubles and then struggled the rest of the way.
“Then they tightened up, stopped moving, just were tapping the ball,” Vogel said. “They had no confidence.”
Knie and Riggs saved a dozen match points, including seven before the tiebreaker, had a few of their own match points, and eventually fell 15-13 in the breaker.
While Central won its other three tiebreaks, the setback in the top doubles match stung, because the Golden Eagles were favored to win and they weren’t able to secure the largest point total of any match on the day with a weighted point system in the highest flight.
“It was THE one to get,” Vogel said.
Had Central won that match, the Golden Eagles would have led the team points. Instead, they are third heading into the final rounds today, where Vogel said it will be difficult to rack up many wins.
“We are the underdog in the every single match (Tuesday),” Vogel said. “It’s going to be rough.”
Central will be involved in eight semifinal matches today, all six in singles and two more in doubles.
“8 of the 9 of the flights still have an opportunity to make top three, which is all-conference,” Vogel said, “which is what our goal is.”
Team Points: Mitchell 143.5, Harrisburg 131, Aberdeen Central 126, Watertown 56, Yankton 52, Brandon Valley 49.5, Pierre 37, Huron 34, Brookings 0.
SINGLES
First Flight
SARAH KNIE: def. Elise Bowers, Pierre, 10-2.
Second Flight
ESTELLE RIGGS: def. Jennika Kettwig, Watertown, 10-9 (7-2).
Third Flight
MADY HOLMAN: def. Charlie Sah, Huron, 10-9 (7-5).
Fourth Flight
PENELOPE VOGEL: def. Harper Anderson, Yankton, 10-2.
Fifth Flight
JOVEE WALDO: def. Hanna Hruby, Harrisburg, 10-9 (7-4).
Sixth Flight
RAYLEE ZIMMER: def. Avery Johannsen, Harrisburg, 10-5; lost to Taetum Horstmeyer, Brandon Valley, 10-3.
DOUBLES
First Flight
SARAH KNIE-ESTELLE RIGGS: lost to Karalyn Koerner-Mary Rounds, Yankton, 10-9 (15-13).
Second Flight
MADY HOLMAN-PENELOPE VOGEL: def. Lizzy Pitz-Leighton Guetter, Brandon Valley, 10-1.
Third Flight
JOVEE WALDO-RAYLEE ZIMMER: def. Sienna Cuka-Ramsey Anderson, Yankton, 10-5.
