BHS tennis team wraps up regular season on a positive note
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The Bryant High School tennis team tuned up for the 7A-Central Conference tournament with[more] two-and-a-half matches last week. On Tuesday, Bryant completed matches against Cabot that had been interrupted by storms the previous week. The team also took on Little Rock Central. Though things didn’t go so well against the strong Tigers team, the Hornets bounced back on Thursday to win six out of eight varsity matches against North Little Rock to wrap up the regular season.
The conference tournament begins on Monday, Oct. 10, at Burns Park.
Against North Little Rock, the Bryant singles players all won. For the girls, Callie Hogancamp won the No. 1 match 8-6 in a tussle with Alex Randell. At No. 2, Whitney Butler breezed past Stephanie Smith, 8-0. For the boys, Cade Howard eased past Reid Burton, 8-0, at No. 1, while Nick Ross prevailed 8-1.
In doubles, Kristen Dudley and Autumn Rouse combined to get past Tyler Ayers and Alliyah Joseph, 8-3. Allie Hogancamp and Sara Lequieu defeated Saniya Hamiran and Brenna Libsomb, 8-2.
The boys doubles matches were won by North Little Rock. Cody Dover and Jake Anderson beat Bryant’s Noah Hargis and Lane Ricardo, 8-0. Parker Fleming and Jonathan Hand defeated the Hornets’ Caleb Hixon and Ross, 8-1.
In other action, Bryant’s Erica Pounders lost a tough singles match with Steffani Smith, 7-9. Emma Patrick and Butler, however, won a doubles match with Ayers and Joseph. Howard and Ricardo teamed up against North Little Rock’s Dover and Anderson absorbing a 5-8 setback.
“I thought everyone bounced back well after playing a tough Little Rock Central team on Tuesday,” commented Bryant coach Steve Wilson. “Callie had a tough match in girls singles but was able to prevail. All four girls team won and both boys singles won. It was a good way to finish the regular season.”
Against Central, the only Bryant win was a JV match in which Pounders defeated Julie Cunningham, 8-3.
“Central is a powerhouse in high school tennis every year,” Wilson noted. “Most of their kids get the most of their practice with the pro’s at the country clubs and are playing USTA Junior Tournaments year round. They’re among the best in the region.
In the completion of the Cabot matches, Butler finished out an 8-5 win over Kristen Sumler. In the interrupted doubles match, Dudley and Rouse won a tiebreaker, 7-4, to get the win over Molly Wood and Cherl Young. Ross wound up losing a singles match 3-8 to Jacob Dills after it had been interrupted with Dills leading 2-1.
