ELLINWOOD — The Ellinwood High School girls’ tennis team is led by a pair of dominant doubles duos that have gone undefeated in the 2011 season’s first three meets.
At Tuesday afternoon’s home quadrangular, the Eagles were trying something different, separating the No. 1 doubles into the No. 1 and No. 2 singles.
The shake up also included letting the No. 2 doubles compete in the No. 1 doubles spot and combining the No. 1 singles and No. 2 singles to play in the No. 2 double competition.
“Dari Beckwith and Bailey Schartz usually play No. 1 doubles, and they are 13-0,” Ellinwood head coach Lyle Stickney said. “Gentry McLeland and Kaitlyn Robl are our No. 2 doubles, and they are 13-0. But I moved Gentry and Kaitlyn up to No. 1 just so they can get a little more solid record by playing there, and I split the other two girls just to mix things up for them. It wouldn’t have benefit them to play No. 2 doubles.”
Stickney said that the reason for the change was to improve his team’s seedings.
“When you go to seeding meets, the No. 2 wins are not as credible because No. 2 teams are not as strong, normally,” Stickney said. “So this helps make a good case at regional for a seed.”
With the season half over already, Stickney said that his team has been playing very well due to summer preparations. The Eagles had a near full-team sweep of the competition at the Great Bend High School Invitational Tennis Tournament on Saturday.
“We’ve had a really good season,” Stickney said. “This is our fourth meet. We’ve won our first three meets. We’ve come off of a nice meet in Great Bend over the weekend. We won 23 of our 24 matches there. Both of my doubles teams are undefeated.”
Ellinwood’s usual No. 1 doubles consists of Schartz, who took fourth place at the state tournament in the doubles competition last year with Michelle Miller, and Darrien Beckwith.
However McLeland and Robl filled the No. 1 doubles shoes for the Ellinwood quadrangular, going undefeated against Kiowa County, Hutchinson Trinity and Sterling.
Even though the doubles teams are undefeated this season, Stickney said his No. 1 and No. 2 singles players are not to be ignored.
“Oma Thomas is 10-3 in singles and Rachel Morales is 12-1 at No. 2 singles, so the team is just pretty good,” Stickney said.
Thomas and Morales played in the No. 2 doubles competition in Tuesday’s meet, sweeping the competition.
A couple of Ellinwood’s junior varsity players, Rachel Doll and Danae Patten, saw some playing time, filling in for Sterling, which didn’t have No. 1 or No. 2 singles players.

HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS
Tuesday
At Ellinwood
Team standing
1. Ellinwood ‘A,’ 12; 2. Hutchinson Trinity, 6; 3. Ellinwood ‘B,’ 4; 4. Sterling, 2; 5. Kiowa County, 0.
Ellinwood ‘A’ results
No. 1 singles — Bailey Schartz (3-0, first): def. Kiowa County 8-0; def. Ellinwood ‘B’ 8-0; def. Trinity 8-1.
No. 2 singles — Darrien Beckwith (3-0, first): def. Kiowa County 8-0; def. Ellinwood ‘B’ 8-2; def. Trinity 8-0.
No. 1 doubles — Gentry McLeland & Kaitlyn Robl (3-0, first): def. Kiowa County 8-0; def. Sterling 8-2; def. Trinity 8-3.
No. 2 doubles — Rachel Morales & Omelia Thomas (3-0, first): def. Kiowa County 8-0; def. Sterling 8-1; def. Trinity 8-1.
Ellinwood ‘B’ results
No. 1 singles — Rachel Doll (2-1, second): def. Trinity 8-3; lost to Ellinwood ‘A’ 8-0; def. Kiowa County 8-0.
No. 2 singles — Danae Patten (2-1, second): def. Trinity 8-4, lost to Ellinwood ‘A’ 8-2; def. Kiowa County 8-0.