Breaking: Kennett rallies (twice) for Class 1 tennis state championship

The Kennett girl's tennis squad pose after winning the MSHSAA Class 1 Team state championship on Friday at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield.

Photo courtesy of Malinda Harris and Janet Hilburn

Tennis is mostly thought of as an individual sport. However, veteran Kennett High School coach Janet Hilburn has been guiding the Indians long enough to have learned that every player contributes to the success of a program and each athlete is vitally important.

“This team is real tight-knit,” Hilburn said of her 2021 squad. “They are a good group, and they work together well. I had told them from the get-go that this is a team effort. There are going to be some days where the top of the lineup pulls through. There will be some days where the bottom does.

“We’re good throughout our lineup.”

Kennett isn’t just “good throughout” its lineup, ultimately, it was better than every other team in Missouri, as the Indians won the MSHSAA Class 1 Team state championship on Friday at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield.

The Indians beat Bolivar 5-3 in the semifinal and then clinched the first state title in program history with a dramatic 5-4 win over Westminster Christian in the championship match.

“It is unbelievable,” Hilburn said of the championship. “We came from behind in both matches and it has just been… unbelievable.”

The Indians advanced to the Final Four in 2012 and 2013 and finished fourth in both years. Early in Friday’s doubles matches, that scenario looked like it might happen again.

Against Bolivar, the top Kennett duo of seniors Anelle Harris and Audrey Phillips were dominant in winning 8-4.

“Anelle and Audrey played a great match,” Hilburn said. “It was the best that they had played all year.”

The No. 2 doubles team of freshman Handley McAtee and sophomore Christi Tejada, as well as the No. 3 squad junior Macy Bazzell and senior Malea Lack both lost 8-4, but don’t fret, their time to shine would come later.

Lack smoked her opponent in the No. 6 singles match 6-1, 6-2 to tie the match, while Bazzell fell 6-3, 6-4 in the No. 5 singles match, as Bolivar led 3-2.

Phillips played outstanding tennis throughout the day and won the No. 2 singles match 6-3, 6-4.

“She played top tennis today,” Hilburn said of Phillips. “That was the best that she had played all year.”

Phillips’ victory tied the match at three, while McAtee disregarded her youth and beat a Bolivar upperclassman 6-4, 6-3 for a 4-3 Kennett lead.

Harris’ No. 1 singles match was not finished yet, as Tejada was battling her way through the No. 4 singles match. However, Harris was down 6-1 and 5-4 in the second set, so it didn’t look great for the Indians.

Tejada “inched out” a 6-4 win in the opening set and was tied at five in the second set. On match point, she drove a shot a hair inside the line to win the set 7-5 and seal the match for Kennett.

“It was huge,” Hilburn said of the young McAtee and Tejada’s performances. “I’m glad they don’t realize just how huge it was because it might not have turned out that way.”

The victory not only made Kennett tennis history propelling the Indians further than ever before, but it also gave the program its 20th win this season, which topped the previous high mark of 19 victories achieved by the 2012 squad.

“Bolivar was a good team,” Hilburn said. “That was just a great match.”

Hilburn then had the task over a two-plus hour break of getting her players refocused for the most important match of their careers in facing Westminster Christian, which had routed Bishop LeBlond 5-0.

Against Westminster, Harris and Phillips stunned Hilburn in gaining an 8-1 win.

“I thought ‘Holy cow,’” Hilburn said of the top duo, “these are two whole new players. I don’t even know where I got them.”

But just like against Bolivar, McAtee and Tejada (8-4) and Bazzell and Lack (8-3) dropped their matches and things looked perilous for Kennett entering singles play.

Trailing 2-1, Harris grabbed a 6-3, 6-3 win in the top singles match, while McAtee beat a Westminster Christian senior 6-1, 6-3. However, Tejada fell 6-2, 6-0 and Lack lost 6-2, 6-2, as Westminster Christian held a 4-3 advantage.

Phillips had the daunting job of trying to beat a Westminster Christian player who “had only lost one or two matches all year,” according to Hilburn, but not to worry, it was Phillips’ day.

She dominated the Westminster Christian sophomore 6-2, 6-1.

So, the state championship came down to Bazzell’s No. 5 singles match.

The Kennett junior looked strong early and won the first set 6-3 but dropped the second set 7-5.

The match went to a tiebreaker and again, Bazzell was sharp early. She raced out to a 4-1 lead, but the Westminster Christian player rallied to take a 5-4 margin.

“Macy just kept plugging away and plugging away,” Hilburn said.

Bazzell dug deep and rallied for a 10-7 win and Hilburn said “We just went crazy.”