Lady Tigers place second at Warrensburg doubles tournament, blank Lamar 9-0

Friday, September 8, 2017
With second place medals in hand earned at the Warrensburg doubles tournament, Nevada's Hallie Short, Erika Watanabe and Mikena Padgett are all smiles.
Submitted photo

The Nevada Lady Tigers finished in a tie for second place at last Friday’s Warrensburg doubles tournament. Nevada then returned to the court Tuesday, where they flattened Lamar 9-0 in a non-conference home match. Nevada continued its hot play on Wednesday at the eight-team Monett Invitational, where the Lady Tiger netters netted a second place finish.

Warrensburg doubles tourney

At the doubles tournament in Warrensburg, Nevada finished in a tie for second with host Warrensburg, while Bolivar collected the top prize. Other teams competing, were: Clinton, Higginsville, Harrisonville, Knob Noster and St. Michael’s.

The Lady Tigers top tandem, Emma Cheaney and Erika Watanabe placed second overall. In the first round, at No. 1 doubles, Cheaney and Watanabe bested Knob Noster’s Ella Konrad and Alexis Allen, 8-3. In the semifinals, Cheaney and Watanabe dealt Warrensburg’s Hope Dahlhoff and Nina Thessen a 6-1, 6-4 defeat.

In the finals, Cheaney and Watanabe fell to Mackenzie Roberts and Paige Martin of Bolivar — 6-1, 6-6 (7-5), 10-4.

At No. 2 doubles, Nevada’s Kaitlyn Hogan and Katherine Pruitt were upended in the first round by Bolivar’s Megan Roberts and Allee Sheppeck, 8-1. In the fifth place matchup, Hogan and Pruitt were edged by Harrisonville’s Tabi Davis and Savana Hayward 8-8 (7-4)

At No. 3 doubles, Nevada’s Hallie Short and Mikena Padgett placed second overall. Short and Padgett breezed to a first round victory over Knob Noster’s Daja Holloway and Madison Eccleton, 8-1. In the semifinals, Short and Padgett continued their dominant play, besting Emily Rogge and Juliana Diaz of St. Michael’s, 6-1. 6-0.

In the finals, Short and Padgett were finally stopped, falling to Bolivar’s Lexi Berry and Raegan Kelly 6-3, 6-3.

Lady Tigers sweep Lamar

In Tuesday’s home match with Lamar, Cheaney, at No. 1 singles, throttled Morgan Brisbin 8-1.

At No. 2 Watanabe coasted to an 8-2 victory over Emily McClasin.

At No. 3 Pruitt blanked Kyndyl Tuck, 8-0.

At No. 4 Hogan toppled Taylor Darrow, 8-1.

At No. 5 Carlie McCaffree netted an 8-3 win over Alsira Juarez.

At No. 6 Eden Fisher derailed Kiersten Mahurin, 8-3.

At No. 1 doubles, Cheaney and Watanabe dispatched Lamar’s Brisbin and McCaslin 8-1. In the No. 2 doubles match, Padgett and Short shut out Tuck and Mahurin 8-0. And in the No. 3 doubles match, Karishma Goswami and Hogan prevailed over Darrow and Juarez 8-3.

Lady Tiger netters proudly display their second-place medals from the Monett Invitational. Pictured l-r: Hallie Short, Katherine Pruitt, Kaitlyn Hogan, Emma Cheaney, and Erika Watanabe. Not pictured: Mikena Padgett.
Submitted photo

Monett Invitational

At the eight-team Monett tournament, the Lady Tigers competed against Carthage, Aurora, Bolivar, Monett, Clever, Thomas Jefferson, and Lamar on their way to a second straight second place tournament finish in less than a week.

The Monett tournament featured 16 singles players and 16 doubles teams, with the Nevada’s top duo Cheaney and Watanabe claiming the doubles championship.

At No. 1 doubles, Cheaney and Watanabe breezed to an 8-0 opening round victory over Roberts and Sheppeck (Bolivar). In the quarterfinals, Watanabe and Cheaney steamrolled Imogen Eads and Johanna Jeyaraj of Thomas Jefferson, 8-1.

Doubles champs: Emma Cheaney and Erika Watanabe conquered the doubles competition at the Monett Invitational.
Submitted photo

In its semifinals matchup, Nevada’s top pair again won handily, dispatching Clever’s Rooke Buehler and Savannah Decker, 8-2. Squaring off against Bolivar’s Mackenzie Roberts and Paige Martin in the title match, Cheaney and Watanabe triumphed 8-4 en route to the doubles championship.

At No. 2 doubles for the Lady Tigers, the team of Short, a sophomore, and Padgett, a senior, won three of four, including the consolation championship.

Short and Padgett’s lone loss came in the opening round, as the duo fell to Carthage’s Kierra Lee and Lily Smith, 8-1. Short and Padgett then bounced back to notch a 6-3 consolation quarterfinals victory over Monett’s Tiffany Hull and Ruby Vela.

In the consolation semifinals Short and Padgett edged Aurora’s Hannah Estes and Alexis Heftiezer, 6-4, to earn a spot in the finals.

In the consolation title match, Short and Padgett prevailed over Brisbin and McCaslin of Lamar in a 6-6 (7-4) tiebreak.

At No. 1 singles for the Lady Tigers, Pruitt placed fourth overall. In the opening round Pruitt doubled up Clever’s Corrie Carnahan 8-4. In the quarterfinals, Pruitt bested Aurora’s Sarah Woodall 8-5.

In the semifinals, Pruitt was upended by Haley Neighmond of Thomas Jefferson, 8-1. In the third place match, Pruitt was tripped up by Carthage’s Mariah Copeland, 6-3.

At No. 2 singles for Nevada, Kaitlyn Hogan opened play with an 8-6 defeat of Bolivar’s Regan Kelly. Hogan was then derailed in the quarterfinals by Thomas Jefferson’s Audrey Neighmond, 8-4.

Hogan then earned an 8-3 win over Monett’s Stacy Hurtado. In the championship bracket fifth place match, Hogan was toppled by Lexi Berry of Bolivar, 6-3.

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