Notre Dame girls tennis drops opener as Kennett continues to flex muscles
Season openers don't determine the rest of the season, but they do offer a first glance at what the foundation looks like.
On Monday, Notre Dame girls tennis learned that the district still runs through Kennett, despite the loss of its top two players.
What else did the Bulldogs learn?
"That we have a lot of work to do," Notre Dame coach Donna Ryan said.
Hosts Notre Dame chased from the get go and managed to take just one match from the defending district champion Indians, as it fell 8-1 at the Brother David Migliorino Tennis Complex in Cape Girardeau.
Despite the graduation of two-time Semoball Awards Girls Tennis Athlete of the Year Hadley Hilburn and 2017 Semoball Awards Female Athlete of the Year Heidi Shetley, Kennett (1-0) seemed to have little problem sliding its four returning players up the lineup and into victory.
"They had a tough lineup all the way down," Ryan said. "They always do."
The only matchup that the Bulldogs (0-1) won was No. 6 singles, with Claire Bruenderman defeating Alexa Blankenship 8-2. Bruenderman was able to take an early lead, swap points and then pull away later in the match to prevent an Indians sweep.
The closest contest of the day came with the two teams throwing their top players at each other, as Bulldog No. 1 Grace Powderly took on Kennett's new No. 1, Anna Beth Williams, in a rematch from last year's Class 1 District 1 championship.
Powderly won that postseason meeting, but Williams got some revenge Monday with an 8-5 victory.
Williams got off to a quick start, snagging the first three games of the set, but Powderly responded by cutting the gap to 3-2. It looked like Powderly might have a comeback in her pocket, but Williams held off the challenge, trading games for a 5-4 edge before winning back-to-back games to open up a three-game margin.
"[Powderly] is where I want her to be," Ryan said, "she just has to learn to deal with the type of tennis that Kennett plays."
While Powderly is reprising her role at No. 1, the rest of the Bulldogs are either new to varsity or taking on greater responsibility.
Hattie Burdin is Notre Dame's other returner, but she's made the move from No. 5 to No. 2, where she fell to Kayton Harris, 8-1, in singles action Monday.
The rest of the lineup replaces the departed Julia Kohlfeld, Taylor Kohlfeld and Marlen Hoedebeck.
Bruenderman found singles success in her debut, but Maren Slaten, Lauren Powderly and Winnie Pickett -- Nos. 3-5 -- fell 8-0 to Kennett's Darcy Campbell, Emma Phillips and Sydni Mcatee, respectively.
It was certainly a learning experience for the new faces.
"I think maybe they need to move their feet more, work a little bit more and play a little more intense," Ryan said. "I think that will help."
Kennett staked its claim early, sweeping doubles play to begin the afternoon.
Williams and Harris formed the Indians' top pairing and put away Grace Powderly and Burdin 8-1, as the Bulldogs, in what has become an annual tradition, have to forge a new top doubles partnership. Campbell and McAtee defeated Lauren Powderly and Slaten by the same score, while Notre Dame's Pickett and Bruenderman snagged three games, but fell to Phillips and Blankenship 8-3.
Notre Dame is back on the court Wednesday, traveling to Farmington.
SINGLES
No. 1 -- Anna Beth Williams (K) def. Grace Powderly (ND) 8-5
No. 2 -- Kayton Harris (K) def. Hattie Burdin (ND) 8-1
No. 3 -- Darcy Campbell (K) def. Maren Slaten (ND) 8-0
No. 4 -- Emma Phillips (K) def. Lauren Powderly (ND) 8-0
No. 5 -- Sydni Mcatee (K) def. Winnie Pickett (ND) 8-0
No. 6 -- Claire Bruenderman (ND) def. Alexa Blankenship (K) 8-2
DOUBLES
No. 1 -- Williams/Harris (K) def. G. Powderly/Burdin (ND) 8-1
No. 1 -- Campbell/Mcatee (K) def. L. Powderly/Slaten (ND) 8-1
No. 3 -- Phillips/Blankenship (K) def. Pickett/Bruenderman (ND) 8-3