Bison tennis girls claim Scottsbluff tourney title

SCOTTSBLUFF -- McCook's tennis girls are putting together a solid season this spring.

The Bison girls won the team championship at the Scottsbluff Invitational Saturday, April 24, as none of the McCook competitors finished lower than second in the four divisions of singles and doubles play. McCook scored 46 points, with Ogallala finishing second with 41, and Scottsbluff a distant third with 23 points.

McCook finished first in both singles divisions and second in each doubles division. Brooklynn Trew (No. 1 singles) and Kelsey O'Dea (No. 2 singles) both won all four of their respective matches Saturday to claim gold medals. The Bison doubles teams of Laura Brooks and Brooke Burton (No. 1) and Kaylee Samway and Danielle Barenberg (No. 2) each lost one of their four matches to place second.

"The girls competed well (Saturday), earning the team championship," said McCook head coach Matt Wiemers. "Finishing in first place as a team says a lot about their effort and play. This was another pre-district meet, as we got to go head-to-head with four of our district opponents. I am proud of their effort and the way they battled.

"The success on the court that the team had as a whole was great to see. The girls picked up some important head-to-head wins, which will be used to seed them at districts. This team has set a standard for themselves to strive to compete in every match they play. The confidence the girls are playing with is great to see."

Trew victory in No. 1 singles

Trew filled in at No. 1 singles for regular Jessica Jankovits, and Coach Wiemers said Brooklynn played extremely well while picking up huge points for the team.

"Brooklynn battled all day and worked hard for each of her wins," Wiemers said. "Brooklynn's ability to attack the net and consistent ground strokes were huge in her success. She played very aggressively, and that put pressure on her opponents. Overall, Brooklynn played some great tennis and was rewarded for her effort by taking top honors.

"She is a competitor and never backed down in any of her matches. I was very happy for Brooklynn and the success she had (Saturday). Being a freshman, she has a bright future ahead of her."

Good day for O'Dea

O'Dea won her second straight tournament title in singles play Saturday with steady play throughout the day, Coach Wiemers said.

"She did a great job of moving the ball around and using the whole court," Wiemers said. "Her ground strokes were not quite as consistent as they have been the past couple of weeks. But the big factor in her success was her ability to move the ball around. That kept her opponents on their heels and allowed Kelsey the opportunity to approach the net. She is improving at taking the net and becoming a more aggressive player.

"I like the adjustments she made and the attitude she is playing with. Kelsey is a fighter and works extremely hard on developing her game. She is in a great position to be the top seed at districts. She needs to have a good finish the final two weeks of the season."

Doubles results

Laura Brooks and Brooke Burton won three of four matches to place second in No. 1 doubles for the Bison.

"The three wins came against district opponents, so those were big wins for the girls," Coach Wiemers said. "They dropped their match to a solid Ogallala team, 8-4. They really played well and battled hard. Last week they lost to Ogallala 8-2 in Lexington, so they are closing the gap considerably.

"The girls are playing some good tennis, but need to become more consistent with their ground strokes. I would like to see them both approach the net more, but they are working well together and improving, which is what we want to see. They have had great success against the other teams in our district and are working themselves into a high seed."

Kaylee Samway and Danielle Barenberg had three dominating wins in No. 2 doubles, and they weren't pushed much except for the 8-6 loss to Ogallala, according to Coach Wiemers.

"Last week they lost to Ogallala, 8-2, so they are getting better and making positive progress," he said. "I am impressed with how well they find weaknesses in their opponents and then exploit them. They both need some work on hitting balls to the open spots on the court, but they showed a lot of improvement in hitting their ground strokes more consistently.

"They are working hard and putting themselves into a good position for districts. This week will be a big week, as they will see Holdrege, Scottsbluff and Alliance -- all district opponents."

Hectic week ahead

The Bison girls have another busy week ahead. McCook has a pair of dual meets scheduled Tuesday, April 27, in Kearney, facing Kearney Catholic at 1:30 p.m., and Kearney High at 4 p.m. The Bison are also set to host Holdrege Thursday, April 29, at 4 p.m. at the Senior High courts.

McCook is also set to travel west Friday, April 30 to face Alliance and Scottsbluff.

"This will be a very tough week," Wiemers said. "Playing at Kearney against Kearney Catholic and Kearney High will present quite a challenge. Then hosting Holdrege Thursday will a very important dual, as this may be the last time we get to see them. They are a district opponent and have a solid team.

"We finish the week Friday with a return to the panhandle against two district teams in Alliance and Scottsbluff. The girls have some huge matches this week and will need to continue to play well."

SCOTTSBLUFF INVITATIONAL

Saturday at Scottsbluff High School

Team standings --McCook 46, Ogallala 41, Scottsbluff 23, Alliance 20, Hershey 0.

McCook Individual Match Results

No. 1 Singles -- Brooklynn Trew, 4-0, 1st place:

Def. J. MacKely, Hershey, 8-0.

Def. N. Carlson, Scottsbluff, 8-5.

Def. E. Abbott, Ogallala, 8-6.

Def. Def M. McGhehey, Alliance, 8-3.

No. 1 Doubles -- Laura Brooks/Brooke Burton, 3-1, 2nd place:

Def. C. Slinde/B. Boyer, Hershey, 8-0.

Def. M. Brown/M. Holscher, Scottsbluff, 8-4.

Lost to L. Haverman/M. McCroden, Ogallala, 8-4.

Def. A. Hare/C. Schnell, Alliance, 9-7.

No. 2 Singles -- Kelsey O'Dea, 4-0, 1st place:

Def .T. McNeil, Hershey, 8-5.

Def. M. Pieper, Scottsbluff, 8-0.

Def. M. Dack, Ogallala, 8-3.

Def. H. McVicker, Alliance, 8-5.

No. 2 Doubles -- Kaylee Samway/Danielle Barenberg, 3-1, 2nd place:

Def. B. Thompson/A. Burkert, Hershey, 8-0.

Def. G. Carlin/M. Torres, Scottsbluff, 8-2.

Lost to D. Clough/M. Reiss, Ogallala, 8-6.

Def. E. Rischling/M. Gould, Alliance, 8-0.