SALINA — There’s nothing like getting a low seed to get the competitive juices flowing, motivating a high school doubles team.
Such was the plight for Great Bend’s duo Brianna Schartz and Jami McVay, on Monday at the Class 5A regional tennis tournament at Salina Central. The tourney was suspended on Saturday because of inclement weather.
“They were kind of upset they were seeded so low at 6,” Great Bend head coach Shannon Schartz said of the sophomore duo. “They felt like they had something to prove to the other coaches that they were better than that.”
McVay and Brianna Schartz (25-12 overall) advanced all of the way to the regional championship match, losing to a top-seeded duo from host Salina Central, 6-0, 6-1, while securing second place and a berth in the state championships on Friday and Saturday at Goddard.
“It was beyond my expectations,” Shannon Schartz said. “I hoped that we could finish in the top 4, but we would have settled for fifth or sixth.
“We beat the No. 3 seed (Monday morning), Salina Central’s other team, and after we beat them, we turned around and beat the No. 2 seed, from Salina South. It was a tremendous win.”
Great Bend singles player Morgan Francis capped her stellar freshman campaign by qualifying for the state meet with a fourth-place regional finish. The top 6 regional finishers in each division qualified.
“In the quarterfinals, she played the No. 1 seed and split sets, winning the first set and losing the second set,” Shannon Schartz said of Francis (23-8). “She gave the No. 1 seed and this year’s regional champion that was the regional champion last year every bit that she wanted. The other girl really had to earn it and she never had a match this tough at regionals last year.
“Morgan played tremendous.”     
Singles player Stephanie Langer played her best tennis for GBHS, coming up just shy of securing a state berth.
“Stephanie Langer played the best of her career,” Shannon Schartz said of the junior, who finishes the season at 20-16. “She split sets with a Salina Central. The third set went on for hours, and she eventually lost 7-5.
“She was just points away from qualifying for state. The girls played fantastic. We were one team that really played up to our potential. Our team was within two points of the regional champs in the team competition.”
Salina Central finished at the top of the team standings with 13 points, followed by Valley Center, Salina South and GBHS.

                                                                                                                  — Mack McClure
HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS
5A REGIONAL
At Salina Central H.S.

Team scores
1. Salina Central 13, 2. Valley Center 13, 3. Salina South 12, 4. Great Bend 11, 5. Newton 5, 6. Hays 4.
Note — Salina Central wins team title on percentage of games won (.597 to .550).
Singles
Championship—Mitchell, Salina South def. Sellers, Valley Center, 6-1, 7-5. Third place—Carlgren, Newton, def. Francis, Great Bend, 6-4, 6-2. Fifth place—Norris, SC def. Jordan, SC, 6-4, 6-2.
Doubles
Championship—Briggs-Morris, Salina Central, def. Brianna Schartz-Jami McVay, Great Bend, 6-0, 6-1. Third place—Bailey-Pritchard, Valley Center,  def. Cook-Courbot, Salina South, 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-4. Fifth place—McRae-Wyse, Hays, def. Baugess-Siedl, VC, 6-4, 6-0.

GBHS RESULTS
Singles — Morgan Francis (2-2, Fourth place): Defeated Savannah Sailors, Newton, 6-0, 6-2; defeated fourth-seeded Hannah Pfannenstiel, Hays, 6-0, 4-6, (10-5); lost to top-seeded Marissa Mitchell, Salina South, 6-1, 4-6, 6-0; lost to second-seeded Hannah Carlgren, Newton, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0.
Singles — Stephanie Langer (1-2): Defeated Mindy Hess, Valley Center, 6-2, 6-3; lost to second-seeded Hannah Carlgren, Newton, 6-0, 6-1; lost to sixth-seeded Rachel Nelson, Salina Central, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Doubles — Brianna Schartz & Jami McVay (3-1, Second place): Defeated Joliff/Wong, Newton, 6-0, 6-1; defeated third-seeded Hauserman/Johnson, Salina Central, 4-6, 6-4, (10-8); defeated second-seeded Cook/Corbutt, Salina South 6-3, 5-7, 6-1; lost to top-seeded Salina Central 6-0, 6-1.
Doubles — Kenzie Sinclair & Becca Brining (0-1): Llost to Bailey/Pritchard, Valley Center 6-0, 6-0,