By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Last fall, Wichita Collegiate doubled up the Class 3-2-1A girls' field to win its 15th-straight state tennis title. Ellsworth finished two points from a third-place trophy. This year the competition was much tighter in Wichita. Collegiate won its 16th title with 38 points, but the Lady Bearcats return home with the second-place trophy after scoring 33 points. Marysville finished third with 26 points.
For a second-straight season, Ellsworth's doubles team of junior Inarie Rippert and sophomore Reygan Coonrod advanced to the state championship match. This year, the girls took with them a perfect record before falling to Collegiate's three-time champions 6-2, 6-0. Senior Elena Jundt and junior Felis De La Cruz finished 11th in the doubles bracket this year.
Sterling junior Chelsie Brown capped a perfect season with the singles title with a 6-4, 6-0 win against Kansas City Christian senior Lauren Seitz Saturday. Brown defeated St. John senior Camila Sanchez-Rojas 6-3, 6-4 in Friday's semifinal round. Sanchez-Rojas rebounded to beat Collegiate 6-1, 6-3 to secure third place.
READ MORE: DAY ONE STATE TENNIS RESULTS
Sanchez-Rojas defeated Ellsworth sophomore Karli Haase 6-4, 6-2 in Friday's quarterfinals. On the back side, Haase beat teammate Hannah Vague 8-3, defeated Marysville 8-1, and blanked Kingman 8-0 in the fifth-place match. Vague went on to beat Sabetha 8-4 but lost an 8-1 match against Marysville in the ninth-place match.
Central Plains' senior duo of Grace Lamatsch and Ryann Metro dropped an 8-3 set to Marysville in the seventh-place match. Hoisington senior Reese Merlau fell to Sabetha 8-5 in the 11th-place match.