LIBERAL – The Barton women’s tennis team did just what it needed to this weekend to keep playing.
The Cougars needed a top three finish at the Region VI meet in order to earn a trip to the NJCAA Championships in Texas the second week of May. Barton did just that.
The Cougars finished third in the region, behind powers Cowley and Seward County but ahead of Hesston.
Cowley won the meet in Liberal with 14 points followed by Seward with 12.5. Barton finished third with 4 and Hesston fourth with 1.
Barton’s Daniela Sanz made it to the finals of No. 1 singles before losing. She will take the No. 5 seed into the NJCAA Championships.
The rest of the Cougars took third in their draws with the exception of Baylee Reade in singles and her and her partner in doubles. Reade had to withdraw due to an injury while leading in her third place singles match.
Sanz entered as the top seed at No. 1 singles and rolled to a 6-1, 6-2 win over Hesston’s Brooke Hershberger to open play. Sanz lost to Sarah Frendo of Cowley in the championship match by a 6-1, 6-1 final.
She teamed at No. 1 doubles with Idah Longwe as the third seed. The two lost to sisters Mialiniaina and Maminiaina Rakotondrazafy of Seward in the first round, 6-3 and 6-4 then defeated Hesston’s Hershberger and Anna Miller for third, 6-2, 6-0.
Longwe also took third at No. 3 singles after losing 6-3, 6-3 to Maminiaina Rakotondrazafy in the opening round, 6-3, 6-2 then winning 6-0, 6-0 over Adrienne Derstine of Hesston, 6-0, 6-0.
At No. 2 doubles, Juliana Seabra and Karli Beck lost in the first round to Sara Petric and Andjel Rajovic of Cowley by a 6-0, 6-0 count then won the third place match, 7-5, 6-3 over Christy Swartzendruber and Abby Byler of Hesston.
Seabra took third at No. 2 singles as well, losing to Eva Fornieron of Cowley, 6-0, 6-1 then defeating Miller of Hesston, 6-1, 6-3.
Beck did likewise at No. 4 singles, losing 6-1, 6-0 to Yennifer Delgado of Seward then beating Byler of Hesston, 6-0, 6-4.
Reade lost her first match at No. 5 singles by a 6-0, 6-2 score to Nthabi Mogopodi of Seward and was leading 6-2 over Swartzendruber of Hesston before retiring with an injury.
McKenna Hammeke lost at No. 6 singles to Logyn Williams of Cowley, 6-1, 6-0 and beat Becca Delp of Hesston, 6-2, 6-0 for third.
After losing to Stormy Tipton and Bruna Chaves at No. 3 doubles by a 6-4, 6-1 score, the duo of Reade and Hammeke had to default their third place match after the injury to Reade.
The Cougars will now have time to rest up and prepare of the NJCAA Championships May 7-13 at Tyler, Texas.
