LIBERAL — The Barton Community College tennis teams lost a pair of Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference duals against Seward County on Tuesday afternoon.
The women’s squad battled the Lady Saints to a 3-1 advantage, but dropped four of their final five matches to lose 5-4. The Cougars weren’t quite as fortunate against the Saints, losing five of seven singles matches and all three doubles matches to fall 7-2.
The Barton women drop to 2-2 on the season while the men drop to 0-5 on the season.
No. 1 singles player Karina Ono improved to 3-1 on the season for the Lady Cougars with a 6-0, 6-1, victory over the Saints’ Anna Braun.  Gentry McLeland, who played at Ellinwood High School, picked up the other Barton singles victory with a 6-3, 6-3, win over Seward’s Whitney Garinger.
Ono teamed up with Michelle Miller to capture the No. 1 doubles match with an 8-6 victory over Seward’s top team of Braun and Katiuska Adarmes.
The Lady Cougars also won the No. 3 doubles match as McLeland and Jaime Christiansen defeated the Saints’ Garinger and Kurstie Zepeda 8-5.  
The Cougars captured only two matches against the Saints with both coming in singles play. Barton’s No. 2 singles player Rafael Sequeira defeated the Saints’ Donnersson Penna in a three-set match 6-4, 6-7 (10-6). The Cougars’ Brian Schauf also endured a long match, capturing a three-set match in No. 6 singles competition, outlasting Seward’s Adrian Amado 6-4, 0-6 (10-8).
The Cougars will be back in action on April 5-6 at the Sixth Annual Seminole State College JUCO Classic College at the OKC Tennis Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Cougars will take on host Seminole State on Friday then play Tyler Junior College on Saturday.
The Lady Cougars’ next action will be on April 6 in Lindsborg against Ottawa University, starting at 4 p.m.