Published: May 09, 2008 10:25 am         

Cardinals sweep past Colonels, get ready for region

South Laurel tennis downs Whitley County

WILLIAMSBURG—The South Laurel Cardinals swept their tennis match at Whitley County Monday.

The boys won 4-1, while the girls took a 4-1 win also.

In the battle of No. 1 boys, Blake Walden beat Whitley County’s William Tan in a thrilling three-setter, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-1. “Blake’s patience was impressive tonight,” Coach Aaron Smallwood said. “William hits the ball hard and we knew that he would make errors if Blake could be patient and not give points away. William is very talented already and he has the potential to be a special player. Blake’s experience and maturity pulled him through.”

Seth Morgan fell to Danny Butcher, 6-2, 6-3, but Dustin Herron won his match over J.T. McCoy, 6-0, 6-2.

“Seth hit too many short shots—Danny took advantage of this and put most of them away,” Smallwood said. “Dustin continues to be reliable. His singles record is now 9-1.”

In doubles action, South Laurel took two matches, as Mason Smith and Derek Turner beat Ryan Kelly and Jacob Lowrie, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, and Babar Niazi and Sikandar Niazi downed Tyler Bryant and Caleb Lowrie, 6-1, 6-3.

“I was happy with Mason and Derek’s win,” Smallwood said. “As they’ve done a lot this year, they started slowly but they didn’t give up tonight. Babar and Sikandar did well in their first doubles match together. They were aggressive at the right times and they did not make many unforced errors.” The win improved the Cardinals to 9-3 as they get ready for regionals starting next Tuesday at Whitley County.

The Lady Cardinals also took a 4-1 win to improve to 9-4 on the season.

“This was a nice win over a good Whitley Co. team,” Smallwood said.

Lyndsay Collette, Whitney Gay and Katie Kilburn all won in singles, as Collette beat Kayla Sears, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. In doubles, Emily Abner and Brianna Smith fell to Kelsey Bryant and Megan Paul, but Morgan Brown and Adriana Turner beat Rachel Ellison and Liz Patrick.

“Lyndsay got away from playing her game in the second set,” Smallwood said. “She became more aggressive in the third set and played much better. This was a good win over a very consistent player. Whitney continues to play well. This was her seventh straight singles win.”

Smallwood added that Kilburn has been a big help all year. “She played smart tonight, kept the ball in play, and won relatively easily.” He added that Abner and Smith got frustrated early on in their doubles match and never recovered, while Brown and Turner played well, as they improved to 9-1. “I like the way they are playing heading into the tournament.”

South Laurel 4, Whitley Co. 1 (boys)

Singles

Blake Walden (SL) d. William Tan (WC)), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-1; Danny Butcher (WC) d. Seth Morgan (SL), 6-2, 6-3; Dustin Herron (SL) d. J.T. McCoy (WC), 6-0, 6-2. Extra match: Justin Shoemaker (SL) d. Pete Comparoni (WC), 6-1.

Doubles

Mason Smith/Derek Turner (SL) d. Ryan Kelly/Jacob Lowrie (WC), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2; Babar Niazi/Sikandar Niazi (SL) d. Tyler Bryant/Caleb Lowrie (WC), 6-1, 6-3. Extra match: Ryan Gay/Jordan Lawson (SL) d. Jeff Barnett/Cody Moses (WC), 6-1.

South Laurel 4, Whitley Co. 1 (girls)

Singles

Lyndsay Collette (SL) d. Kayla Sears (WC), 6-3, 4-6, 6-3; Whitney Gay (SL) d. Allyson Sweet (WC), 6-0, 6-1; Katie Kilburn (SL) d. Hannah Crawford (WC), 6-0, 6-2. Extra match: Emily Turner (SL) d. Ashley Partin (WC), 7-5.

Doubles

Kelsey Bryant/Megan Paul (WC) d. Emily Abner/Brianna Smith (SL), 6-1, 6-4; Morgan Brown/Adriana Turner (SL) d. Rachel Ellison/Liz Patrick (WC), 6-4, 6-1.