Roslyn Solano and the doubles team of Ally Sullivan and Abby Leggott won a match each during the NSAA Class B State Tennis Championships on Thursday, but the Blair Bears' season came to an end.
State titles were determined Friday, but without BHS after coach David Christensen's six players combined to go 2-4 at the Woods Tennis Center in Lincoln.
“I thought the team showed a lot of growth this season,” he said. “We had players step up in big moments and we competed well in tough matches.”
Solano won one such match against Omaha Gross' Lauren Kosse on Thursday. Competing at No. 2 singles, the Bear earned a 9-8(7-5) win before an 8-1 loss to Gretna East's Agata Pacchiella ended her season.
“Solano really locked in mentally this week,” Christensen said. “She stayed aggressive from the baseline, but mixed in some nice variety, which kept her opponent guessing.”
The coach said his singles player's recent practice work with assistant coach Leo Clarke paid off at the state tournament.
“She knew when to attack and when to play it safe,” he explained.
Sullivan and Leggott, meanwhile, earned their Class B win at No. 1 doubles. The Bears bested Bennington's Addison Foltz and Zoe Nelson 8-5 before an 8-0 loss to Ruby Schardt and Bianca Truong of Hastings.
“Ally and Abby are both really smart players,” Christensen said. “They’ve developed great chemistry and trust each other on the court. They’ve learned how to cover for each other and communicate quickly between points, and that’s made them really tough to play against.”
Angela Roehrs, Hadyn Ferguson and Jo Inget represented BHS during the NSAA State Championships, too. Roehrs, the Bears' No. 1 singles player, lost an 8-5 match, while the two seniors dropped their's at No. 2 doubles, 8-1.
Altogether, Coach Christensen was pleased with his team's spring season, but also noted ways Blair can still improve in the sport of tennis.
“I think we still need to work on consistency — bringing that same level every match — and keeping our energy up from start to finish,” he said. “But, overall, I’m proud of how far we came.”
NSAA CLASS B STATE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Thursday at Woods Tennis Center
BLAIR RESULTS
No. 1 Singles, Angela Roehrs: Lost 8-5 match to Heidi Groskopf of Scottsbluff
No. 2 Singles, Roslyn Solano: Won 9-8(7-5) match against Lauren Kosse of Omaha Gross; Lost 8-1 match to Agata Pacchiella of Gretna East
No. 1 Doubles, Ally Sullivan and Abby Leggott: Won 8-5 match against Addison Foltz and Zoe Nelson of Bennington; Lost 8-0 match to Ruby Schardt and Bianca Truong of Hastings
No. 2 Doubles, Hadyn Ferguson and Jo Inget: Lost 8-1 match to Jenna Spiegel and Mary Tran of Lincoln Pius X
