For the second time this year, the Lady Bears Tennis Team won two matches on the same day.  In August, they traveled to Toledo and took back to back victories from Rossford and Springfield.  On Saturday, they traveled to Lima and triumphed over Elida and Lima Central Catholic to raise their season record to 9-5.

 

In the morning match at Elida, Bryan nearly had a clean sweep as the Bears' Linda McDonagh, Tiffany Short, and Megan Steel only dropped three games while winning 36 as Bryan dominated all three singles positions.

 

At doubles, Elida took the first doubles match in three sets.  After a marathon tie-breaker went Bryan's way at 12-10, Elida came back and took the next two sets to give them their lone point on the day.

 

Bryan's second doubles tandem of Sydney Snider and Jessica Wittler closed out the match with an impressive 6-2, 6-3 straight set win giving the Bears a 4-1 victory.

 

"It was a good way to start the day," commented Bryan Tennis Coach Mitchell Owens.  "We needed some short matches in the morning knowing we were playing a tough team in the afternoon."

 

Lima Central Catholic came into the match with Bryan sporting a 7-2 record and with the Bears playing their second match of the day, things seemed to favor the Lady T-Birds.

 

At first singles, Bryan's Linda McDonagh (10-5) faced off against one of the best players in the Northwest Conference, but she turned her opponent back with an impressive 6-1, 6-2 win.

 

"As the season progresses, Linda keeps getting stronger," stated Coach Owens about his number one singles player.

 

The Bears' second doubles tandem of Sydney Snider and Jessica Wittler took their second match of the day with a workman-like 6-0, 6-2 straight-set victory to give Bryan the early edge at 2-0.

 

But LCC showed why they are one of the stronger teams in the area as they quickly came back to put two points on the board with wins at first doubles and third singles.

 

The match hinged on the outcome of the second singles match where Bryan's Tiffany Short (13-2) was going into a tie-break in the first set.  Down 5-1 in the 7-point affair, Short made a gutsy comeback to rally for a 9-7 tie-break win to take the first set.

 

"She was tired heading into that tie-break," said Owens.  "Where she found the physical and mental reserves to pull herself back into the match, I don't know...but I'm glad she found it.  Today was not the day to go three sets after playing a full match in the morning."

 

Short found herself down early in the second set, but managed to string together five of the last six games to capture a thrilling 7-6 (9-7), 6-3 win to give the Bryan the 3-2 upset win over Lima Central Catholic.

 

In JV matches, Mikayla Borland, Celine Dyndal, Elizabeth Hoene, Mariah Stambaugh, Kendra Wheeler, and Elizabeth Huard were all victorious.

 

ELIDA Results:

 

SINGLES

1st -  Linda McDonagh (B) def. Elizabeth White (E): 6-0, 6-0

2nd - Tiffany Short (B) def. Ashley Fay (E): 6-0, 6-1

3rd -  Megan Steel (B) def. Summer Slusher (E): 6-2, 6-0

 

DOUBLES

1st -  Erin Kesler/C'era Savage (E) def. Cassie Lawson/Ali Saneda (B): 6-7 (10-12), 6-0, 6-4

2nd - Jessica Wittler/Sydney Snider (B) def. Lauren Greeley/Hailey Hurst (E): 6-2, 6-3

 

 

 

Season Record: 9 - 5