Ashford, Kline combine forces, qualify for state
Piper's Rome, Ochs and Vallejo also Salina-bound
Bonner Springs and Sumner girls’ tennis teams were at the 5A KSHSAA regional tournament at De Soto High School this Saturday, while Piper competed in the regional tournament in Topeka.
Coach Matt Dow was initially skeptical when Bonner Springs' top two singles players, seniors Autumn Ashford and Penelope Kline, asked if they could play as a doubles team, but he gave them the chance to try it out at the Frontier League tournament.
Lots more pictures from the De Soto regional below. Please share on your social media so that more parent, coaches, and athletes will see.
Seeing how well the duo played together, and how much fun they had, Dow let them continue together to regionals, understanding that they were giving up their chance at singles success. Both qualified for the state tournament last year in singles.
The pair responded with a state qualification, taking fifth place in the regional despite only four competitive matches together. Ashford and Kline had a first-round win (6-0, 6-0) over Sumner freshman duo Alexandria Michel-Villa and Martina Moore.
The Braves lost a close second-round match to a senior duo from Spring Hill, coming back from 3-1 in the second set to force a tiebreak, but losing in two sets 7-5, 7-6(7-5). Spring Hill twice had a service game with a chance to win, but Ashford and Kline broke serve both times.
The Bonner seniors bounced back with a win over third-seeded Blue Valley Southwest in the blood round, then secured fifth place with a win over a St. James' duo in the consolation bracket.
In her first regional, Sumner sophomore Morgan Howze took the fight to Delaney Neuer of St. James Academy. Neuer, as the third seed going against the 14th, kept her sweats on in the early games, perhaps thinking it would be a quick win. As the competition heated up, she had to ditch the sweatshirt, then the warm-up pants.
Each game was hard-fought, but Neuer finally won in two sets (6-4, 6-3), and came away from the match with a different impression of her opponent.
In the Topeka regional, Piper duo Grace Rome and Allison Ochs earned sixth place in the doubles tournament, going 2-2 to advance to state. They'll be joined by junior Avary Vallejo, sixth place in the singles tournament.
The 5A KSHSAA state championship tournament will take place at the Salina Tennis Center on Oct. 13 and 14.
Bonner Springs
Sumner Academy
