CAPE GIRARDEAU — The third-seeded Saxony Lutheran Lady Crusaders avoided a play-in game and easily won their opening match in the Class 1, District 1 team tournament on the Southeast Missouri State University campus in Cape Girardeau on Oct. 14, but lost to North County in the semifinal round a day later.
“I’m really proud of my whole team,” said Saxony Lutheran coach Amy Birk, whose team ends its season with a 9-7 record. “We had a good season again this year, and [the underclassmen] stepped up and filled a couple of slots. I’m also really proud of our top two for making all district, and the amount of time that they had to spend on the court that day to do it.”
In their first match at the team tournament, Saxony scored a shutout over sixth-seeded Fredericktown, beating the Lady Blackcats 5-0, boosted by three doubles victories. Katya Rust and Sadie Elmore defeated Anna Miller and Emilee Collins 8-2, Hannah Pruitt and Aubrey Ostendorf beat Maisyn Moser and Livee McFadden 8-4, and Emi Keller teamed with Allie Niccum to take down Brianna Benitez and Stella Rehkop 8-5.
In singles play, Pruitt defeated Miller in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0; and Niccum topped Rehkop in a similar fashion, winning by the same score.
After defeating Fredericktown, Saxony Lutheran advanced to a semifinal matchup with second-seeded North County. When all was said and done, the Lady Raiders defeated the Lady Crusaders 5-1.
In doubles play, Rust and Elmore fell 8-0 to North County’s Allison Scott and Kinley Tracy, while Pruitt and Ostendorf edged Jada Braswell and Claire Scott 9-8 (7- 3). Keller and Niccum were defeated by Laney Smith and Bailey Whited, falling 8-5, and leaving the Lady Crusaders down 2-1 after the doubles round.
In singles matches, Kinley beat Rust 6-2, 6-4; Smith beat Keller 6-0, 6-2; and Whited topped Niccum 6-3, 6-4 to set the final margin.
The team tournament followed the Class 1, District 1 individual tournament held Oct. 9, which saw Rust defeat Hannah Pruitt 6-2, 3-6 (15-15) to finish third behind Kennett’s Claire Bean, a 6-0, 6-0 winner over Potosi’s Chloe Rowe.
Both Rust and Pruitt — who finished fourth — earned All-District honors.
“They both were all district, which was great,” Birk said, “but they didn’t get to go to state because they weren’t the top two out of 20. That’s what [the Missouri State High School Activities Association] does to our district. They throw 10 teams in there.”
Birk went on to point out that with so many teams, players didn’t get full rest periods between matches.
“My one girl, she was literally playing six hours and 45 minutes that day,” Birk said. “It’s crazy. We started at 8.30 a.m. and we did not finish until 7.15 p.m. The girls weren’t even taking their length of break that they’re allowed to take.”
In doubles action, Elmore and Keller defeated Fredericktown’s Emilee Collins and Jazara Catchings 6-2, 6-0 before falling 6-2, 6-3 to Kennett’s Emory Kamper and Olivia Rebstock.
