Kearney girls tennis finishes the season in the first round of districts

By Wesley Miller
sports@mycouriertribune.com

The season ended in the first round of the postseason for Kearney girls tennis.

The fifth-seeded Bulldogs fell 5-0 to fourth-seeded Winnetonka in the Class 2, District 8 team tournament. Kearney finishes the season with a record of 4-8, a slight decline from their six-win average over the past three years.

“I felt like our girls went out there and did well,” coach Kaitlyn Fountain said. “… I think our team has absolutely developed over the course of the season. We had some younger athletes who were new to tennis, and I mean they won the titles on the first day of practice, and by the end of the season they’re playing extremely competitive matches and competing in tournaments. As a coach, it’s always fun to watch that.”

Kearney also sent eight athletes to the Class 2, District 8 individual tournament at Platte County High School.

Junior Lily Rinehart made it to the semifinals in singles after winning her first match against Winnetonka and playing a nearly two-hour match against East Kansas City in the second round.

The Bulldogs’ top doubles team, consisting of seniors Alexis Robertson and Neffie Rinck, struggled against Platte County in the first round, but narrowly fell 12-10 in the deciding third set.

“I think the girls in each district really shined,” Fountain said. “Individual districts were some of the best games I have ever seen from our athletes.”

With the season complete, Fountain said the team’s focus in the offseason and next summer will be on the athletes gaining experience.

“We have a great group of girls graduating this year, but we are fortunate to have a lot of our varsity players returning so we will have them next year,” she said. “I encourage athletes to get involved in summer leagues. Play as much as you can.”