Great Bend Post Sports
The Lady Panther tennis team will have a representative at the Class 5A state championships after sophomore Paige Stacey finished fourth in the singles bracket Saturday in Salina. The doubles team of Darcy Feist and Mac Lindberg came up one win shy of state qualification.
The top six finishers from each bracket head to the state tournament, which for Class 5A, means a trip to Andover on Friday and Saturday. Stacey entered the bracket as the No. 4 seed, promptly dumping the No. 13 seed from Hutchinson 6-2, 6-0. Stacey punched her ticket to state with a 6-3, 4-6, 11-9 battle against the No. 5 seed from Newton. Kali Keough, the No. 1 seed and eventual runner-up, downed Stacey 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals. Stacey fell 6-4, 6-0 to the No. 6 seed from Newton in the consolation finals.
Feist and Lindberg entered the doubles bracket as the No. 8 seed and needed three sets to get by the No. 9 seed from Hays 4-6, 6-3, 10-6. The girls lost 6-0, 6-0 to Salina Central's powerhouse Renfro duo that blanked three opponents on the way to a regional title. Needing one more win to advance to state, Feist and Lindberg dropped a 6-4, 6-2 match to the No. 5 seed from Newton.
As the No. 15 seed in the singles bracket, Clarise Snapp had a tough draw with a 6-0, 6-0 loss to the No. 2 seed from Valley Center, who blanked three of her four opponents on the way to a regional title. Likewise, Mackenzie LaViolette and Beth Hammeke entered the doubles bracket opposite Central's Renfro girls, losing 6-0, 6-0 in the first round.