After a long and windy weekend, the Baker University men’s and women’s tennis teams are optimistic as the fall season draws to a close, coach Regan Dodd said.
“It was a great weekend. We had semifinalists and finalists in all brackets. The conditions were really tough. It was really windy, and they were really long days,” Dodd said. “I was proud of both teams, and I think they’re looking good for next weekend’s tournament.”
On the women’s side, two players made it to the semifinals in the No. 3 flight, both losing to Washburn University. Junior Jamie Lawrenz lost 6-4, 6-2, while senior Kelsey Stephens lost 6-3, 6-3.
In her match against Washburn, junior Melissa Shank lost in the finals of the No. 4 flight 6-3, 6-2.
Though she said she played poorly in the first match, senior Ashley Hutchison went on to win the consolation bracket of the No. 4 flight, beating Bethany College 8-0 in the consolation final.
In doubles, Stephens and senior Danielle Cartier finished as runners-up in the No. 2 flight after defeating William Jewell College 8-6 in the semifinals.
“That was pretty exciting,” Dodd said. “Anytime we beat William Jewell, that’s good for us.”
Hutchison and freshman Rachel Hazelwood won the No. 4 flight, beating the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith 8-4 in the final.
“Our losses came from those larger schools,” she said. “It shows that we can obviously compete with these larger schools. That shows that we are above if not at the same level as the schools in our conference.”
For the men, sophomore Hunter Hollarn returned from an injury to make it to the quarterfinals of the No. 3 flight, losing to Washburn University 14-12 in a super tie-breaker after going 6-4, 4-6.
No. 5 player Martin Renteria and No. 6 player Michael Cation both made it to the finals of their flights. Cation said besides the competition against Division I and II schools, Mother Nature was one of the biggest opponents of the weekend.
“It was kind of windy, and it created some problems. It wasn’t the best weather for tennis, but everyone went out there and competed well,” he said.
No. 1 player Michael Angarita lost in the semifinals to Washburn 6-1, 6-4, while No. 2 player Joe Ahmadian lost in the first round against Washburn before coming back to win the consolation bracket.
In doubles, Renteria and sophomore Trevor Hedberg lost in the No. 2 finals to Washburn University 8-4. Cation and freshman Ricky Palm lost to Emporia State University in the No. 4 finals 8-3.
Cation said the teams have benefited from several weeks of play against larger schools.
“The tournaments just help where you’re at individually and what your team is capable of,” he said. “People had some good wins over some tough competition.”
The teams will end their fall season at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Small-College Regional Championships, which begins at 8 a.m. today at the Plaza Tennis Center in Kansas City, Mo.