The boys’ tennis team wraps up their undefeated season and hopes to move on to State.
After key wins against MICDS, Clayton, and Belleville West, the Westminster varsity tennis team remained hot and kept a perfect season as they earned an ABC league title. The Wildcats edged out MICDS in the ABC tournament in the last match. Cameron Smith, senior, and Bailey Merkel, freshman, defeated another senior/freshman combo in a super-tiebreaker to clinch the title as daylight became an issue. Merkel, along with Derek Bell, freshman, Connor Zielonko, senior, and Nathan Arnold, sophomore, all won their singles flights. The doubles teams of Smith/Merkel, Zach Schopp, senior, and John Hunsicker, senior, and Luke Schroeder, senior, and Reed Montgomery, freshman, all won their flights to contribute to the overall team title.
“There are a lot of good teams in that tournament. To be the best means that we’re taking another step forward,” said Timmy Miller, co-captain.
The Wildcats then defeated John Burroughs in a dual match convincingly, 9-0. After a rained out Kirkwood match, the varsity tennis team traveled to Columbia for the Rockbridge Invitational. Rockbridge, last year’s class 2 state champions, invited Westminster and six other top teams from the state to participate in their tournament. The Wildcats defeated Lafayette in the semifinals but lost in the finals to Rockbridge.
“Our boys played with heart and put up a great fight,” said Nathan Talley, head coach.
Merkel remained undefeated by beating the Rockbridge number 4.
“It was a thing of beauty to watch this freshman take control of a match against a very experienced Rockbridge senior,” said Talley.
After a sweep of Priory on their courts, the team participated in the Tournament of Champions, a tournament hosted by MICDS that hosts the 8 best teams from both classes in the state. After an awful showing in last year’s tournament, the Wildcats took 5th overall. The doubles of team of Merkel and Smith finished 4th in the tournament.
“It’s a huge improvement. Anytime you have a doubles team finishing in the top four of this tournament it’s a big deal,” said Talley.
In order to accomplish the team’s goal of winning state, the Wildcats will need to beat MICDS, Clayton, and Pembroke Hill consecutively.
“It will be profoundly tough to beat a team like Pembroke in the finals. They won the Tournament of Champions, the best tournament in the state. Even before them, we would have to see another team who finished above us in MICDS,” said Talley.
The Wildcats have their work cut out for them but plan to work their hardest to bring home the title.
“We need to not look past any match and never predict outcomes. We must work hard in every point to get the outcome that we want,” said Talley.
The team’s postseason play starts the week of May 9th with district play at MICDS. They hope to wrap up their year with a trip to Springfield on May 26th.
