Panther girls top Red Oak

Creston’s first victory over Red Oak in six meetings in girls tennis came down to a tiebreaker in the final doubles match on the windy Southwestern Community College courts Thursday afternoon.

Creston’s senior doubles pair of Kolbey Bailey and Abbie Wheeler edged Red Oak’s Abby Johnson and Sophie Snyder, 9-8, by winning the tiebreaker 7-3. That outcome secured Creston’s 5-4 dual victory over a Red Oak team that was ranked in Class 1A earlier in the season, with four senior returnees at the top of the Tiger lineup.

“It was a close dual, and it was great for our team to get the win,” Creston coach Kevin Cooper said. “A lot of the matches were very close and we were able to win all three, and that was the difference in the dual. Kolbey and Abbie came up huge for us. They both won their singles matches, and they were down in their doubles match. They battled back to win it in a tiebreaker.”

Cooper also cited key singles victories by Ava Adamson and Sasha Wurster at No. 2 and No. 3 singles against two of Red Oak’s senior veterans, 8-6 and 8-3, respectively.

The matches were played in windy conditions, with sustained northwest winds of 23 mph and a high gust of 44 mph.

Creston girls traveled to Chariton today (Monday) while the boys hosted Chariton at the Southwestern courts.

In the latest high school tennis rankings, Clarinda girls are the lone Hawkeye Ten ranked team, listed ninth in Class 1A.

GIRLS

Creston 5, Red Oak 4

Singles — Merced Ramirez (RO) def. Josie Mahan (Cr), 8-0; Ava Adamson (Cr) def. Grace Wingfield (RO), 8-6; Sasha Wurster (Cr) def. Kayden Wingfield (RO), 8-3; Kolbey Bailey (Cr) def. Abby Johnson (RO), 8-3; Mariel Ramirez (RO) def. Violet Marcus (Cr), 8-3; Abbie Wheeler (Cr) def. Sophie Snyder (RO), 9-7.

Doubles — Me. Ramirez-K. Wingfield (RO) def. Adamson-Wurster (Cr), 8-1; G. Wingfield-Ma. Ramirez (RO) def. Mahan-Marcus (Cr), 8-4; Bailey-Wheeler (Cr) def Johnson-Snyder (RO), 9-8 (7-3).

JV singles — Hollyn Rieck (Cr) def. Hailey Rydberg (RO), 4-0; Kennedy Strider (Cr) def. Sianna Klepinger (RO), 4-0; Abby Collins (Cr) def. Lauren Dean (RO), 4-0; Jana Peavler (Cr) def. Mariella Hernandez (RO), 4-2; Prasha Bell (RO) def. Caytlyn Wipperman (Cr), 4-1; Paige Pruett (RO) def. Savannah Jacques (Cr), 4-1; Alexis Bendt (Cr) def. Anna Butz (RO), 4-1; Grace Goldapp (RO) def. Caytlyn Wipperman (Cr), 4-3; Jana Peavler (Cr) def. Caitlin Britten (RO), 4-0; Savannah Jacques (Cr) def. Lena Torbett (RO), 4-0; Alexis Bendt (Cr) def. Josie Goldapp (RO), 4-3.

JV doubles — Rieck-Strider (Cr) def. Rydberg-Klepinger (Cr), 4-2; Dean-Hernandez (RO) def. Collins-Peavler (Cr), 4-1; Collins-Peavler (Cr) def. Bell-Pruett (RO), 4-2; Butz-G. Goldapp (RO) def. Wipperman-Bendt (Cr), 4-1; Jacques-Wipperman (Cr) def. Britten-Torbett (RO), 4-1; Jacques-Bendt (Cr) def. Torbett-J. Goldapp (RO), 4-1.