Staff writer
BOWLING GREEN -- For the first time ever, the Cougars boys and girls' tennis squads have qualified for the State Tennis Tourna-ment in the same season.
The girls squad completed an udefeated season and were expected to make a run for the regional crown, but the boys title came as something of a surprise.
"I never expected it," said senior Team Captain And-rew Stinson. "I mean, it's something that is always a goal, but this year it was kind of on the back burner. It's great as a senior to go out this way."
Junior Bryce Meredith, who finished as runner up in the singles competition to Metcalfe County's Blake Steele, said he held out hope.
"I always thought we had a chance," he said.
As it was, the Cougars finished in a tie for the lead with Metcalfe County and had to endure a playoff. When that playoff ended in a tie, officials went to total games won. That turned out to be a tie as well, and the two teams were declared co-champions.
For the girls, they had something of a disappointing outcome at last week's Court Central Tournament, always a tuneup for the regionals and one that sets up the regional seedings.
Defending regional doubles champions and Lady Cougar co-captains, Susan Higdon and Abby Watkins were knocked out in the semi-finals at Court Cent-ral, but came back to win in the regionals.
"I think we underestimated the competition," Wat-kins said.
"We knew we messed up, but we knew we could play better," Higdon said.
The pair said they got together during the time before the regionals and developed a new strategy. It worked to perfection as they defeated Metcalfe County's Krystal and Jessi Brown 6-2, 6-1 in the final.
"I'm very proud of these two squads," said Head Coach Sherry Vincent. "They have been very coachable and willing to try different combinations."
Vincent said the teams showed great balance and added they were helped with good seedings, a good draw and a little luck.
The boys' win also marked a first for the Cougars tennis program. This is the first time that any Cougar tennis team has won back-to-back regional titles.
Vincent said one of the keys to the boys team win was freshman Tim Yochim's first round win. Yochim had been knocked out in the first round of the Court Central Tournament.
"It was a small thing, but it gained us two points, and that turned out to be big at the end," Vincent said.
Another key was having Meredith go so deep in the tournament. He had been knocked out in the second round the week before, but got a break with the draw and got some help from some other people.
"We had good draws, and one Eisenstein went out, I knew I had a chance," Meredith said.
He was referring to top-seed Michael Eisenstien, of Glasgow, who was upset in the quarterfinals by Russellville's Seth Northern. Meredith then defeated Northern 7-5, 6-4 in the semis before dropping the championship match to Metcalfe County's Brad Steele, 6-7 (8-10), 0-6.
Meredith said another factor in the singles was that Bowling Green's brother combination of Chan and Andy True decided to play doubles. The Trues won the doubles competition after defeating Grayson County's number-one doubles team of Stinson and Garrett Bernard 6-2, 6-3 in the semis.
The Cougars' number-two combination of McClee Manion and Daniel Brooks receoived the fifth seed in the tournament and used it to good advantage by advancing into the quarter-final round, where they were defeated 2-6. 4-6 by the fourth-seeded team of David Givens and Hide Araki, of Bowling Green.
In the boys' playoff, Meredith lost to Srteele 5-7, 1-6, while Yochim dropped his singles match 0-6, 0-6 to Trey Shirley. However, the doubles team turned the tables on Metcalfe, with Bernard and Stinson winning 6-2, 6-2 over Jarrod Paull and Justin Kindred, and Brooks and Manion winning 6-1, 6-1 over Jordan Giplin and Bryce Steele.
For the girls, Christie Bolton was seeded third in the tournament and advanced to the semi-final round before being defeted 7-5, 3-6, 3-6 by top-seeded Carrie True. True was later defeated in the final by unseeded teammate Paige Minton.
Sarah Rae Killingbeck won her opening match 6-2, 6-3 over Lorenz, of Warren East, but lost in the second round to Minton, 6-4, 4-6, 4-6.
In the doubles competition, the number-two team of Candace Skaggs and Hannah Vincent came in seeded fifth. They used that good seeding to advance to the quarter-final round, where they fell to the Browns of Metcalfe County.
Sherry Vincent quoted Tommy Lasorda when she talked about coaching these two teams.
"It's one of my favorite quotes, and it reminds me of these teams," she said:
"Managing is like holding a dove in your hand. Squeeze too hard and you kill it; not hard enough and it flies away."
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