TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
The Merrill Bluejay Girls Varsity Tennis Team lost to Stevens Point at the Thursday, Sept. 9, match at Merrill. Final score: Stevens Point 7 – Merrill 0. The Panthers were swinging hard, and despite the Bluejays best efforts, they couldn’t combat the energy and force the Stevens Point girls were serving up.
Singles: 1) Lauren Belsky lost to Jessica Kleman 6-0 , 6-0; 2) Lauren Cohrs lost to Annika Borgnes 6-2, 6-0; 3) Sarah Rell lost to Kylie Crow 6-1 , 6-0; 4) Anika Bartz lost to Addison Jandrain 6-0 , 6-0.
Doubles: 1) Tessa Wheat/Amelia Skoviera lost to Abby Erwin/Tatum Thielman 6-1, 6-1; 2) Courtney Schneider/Lydia Burrows lost to Caroline Blakeman/Berit Borgnes 6-0, 6-0; 3) Mariah Jacoby/Chloe Belant lost to Mallory Greenwood/Ashley Smith 6-0, 6-0
But Coach Brad Barton said the Merrill Girls gave it a great effort against a great team. “Stevens Point is right up there with Wausau West as one of the top two teams in our conference,” he said.
“Amelia Skoviera played awesome tonight,” Barton added. “Her ground strokes are very consistent and hit with a lot of pace deep into her opponent’s court. She and Tessa Wheat compliment each other quite well, as Tessa prefers net play. Even though they lost their match, they still have a team best record of 5-5.”
“Our team is starting to gel together more as half the season is over,” Coach said. “It will be fun to watch what the secnd half of the season brings.”