Oct. 10—RAPID CITY — The Mitchell High School girls tennis team began its quest for the Class AA state championship on Thursday.
Following the first day of action at the Parkview and Sioux Park Tennis Courts, the Kernels sit fifth in the team standings at 226 points. Led by No. 2-seeded Carsyn Weich in Flight 2, Mitchell is still in the running for singles championships in four of the six singles flights.
Weich automatically advanced to the quarterfinals in No. 2 singles with a first-round bye, before dispatching Aberdeen Central’s Avery Tennant in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. She’ll face Watertown’s Leyla Meester in the Flight 2 semifinals.
At No. 4 singles, Elly Clement won the first set against Brandon Valley’s Reagan Morrell comfortably but battled to win the second set in a tiebreaker to advance to the semifinals. Clement picked up the win 6-2, 7-6 (9), and will take on Aberdeen Central’s Chloe Ladner in the semifinals.
Matteah Graves also automatically advanced into the quarterfinals with a bye as the No. 2 seed in No. 5 singles. Only dropping a single game in the second set, Graves defeated Harrisburg’s Hannah Frye 6-0, 6-1. Mia Larson also advanced into the semifinals following a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Sioux Falls Jefferson’s Kaia Pauli in No. 6 singles.
Elsewhere in singles play, Megan Mastel won her opening match in Flight 1 against Brandon Valley’s Keera Kriech 6-3, 6-1. In the quarterfinals, she was bested by Yankton’s Nora Krajewski 6-0, 6-0. Katie Morgan cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 win over Sioux Falls Washington’s Zoriah VanDeVendel at No. 3 singles, but Yankton’s Paige Mitzel defeated Morgan 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.
In doubles, Mastel and Weich advanced to the Flight 1 quarterfinals in three sets over Harrisburg’s Mckenzie Vickery and Madelyn Von Wald before falling to top-seeded Nora and Sabrina Krajewski of Yankton. Clement and Graves didn’t drop a set in their No. 2 doubles’ opening win, but Aberdeen’s Ladner and Reese Comstock defeated the Mitchell duo in three sets.
At No. 3 doubles, Morgan and Larson picked up a 6-0, 6-0 win over Brookings’ Maya Gent and Alison Glover in the opening round. They went on to defeat Harrisburg’s Frye and Hope Gabel 6-4, 6-1 in the quarterfinals before Rapid City Stevens’ Madison Marsh and Bella Nelson defeated the Mitchell pair in the semifinals 7-6 (9), 7-6 (3).
Stevens finished Day 1 atop of the team standings at 336 points. Defending state champion Sioux Falls Lincoln (282) is second, followed by O’Gorman (241) in third and Aberdeen Central (237) in fourth ahead of the Kernels.
Day 2 of the Class AA state girls tennis championships begins at 9 a.m. Central at the Sioux Park Tennis Courts in Rapid City.
