AREA PLAYERS TO TAKE THEIR SWINGS AT MISSOURI STATE TENNIS TOURNEY

Cape Girardeau Central High's girls tennis team has a lot to be proud of this season.

The Lady Tigers won their fifth-straight district title this year. And despite narrowly missing out on a chance to go to the Class 4A sectional team finals with a loss to Ladue last Friday, Cape Central will still send three players to the state individual championships held at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield.

The Lady Tigers' Liz Russell posted a 14-6 record, and will compete in the state singles competition. Teammates Sarah Chaudhari and Jessica Burns take their 17-3 record to compete in the doubles competition. All three girls finished first in district finals.

Russell has competed at the state level before, teaming up with Lara Golike last year in doubles. This will be the first time for Chaudhari and Burns.

Who are the girls to beat at state this year?

"Probably the number one girl is from St. Joseph Academy," said Cape Central coach Annette Slattery."Kiki Stastny won state as a freshman last year.

Other players expected to push Stastny are Parkway Central senior Aleke Tsoubanos, a runner-up in a three-set tie-breaker with Stastny last year; sophomore Cheryl Hickey from Columbia-Hickman who took fourth as a freshman; and senior Anne Goodrich from LaDue, a fifth-place finisher a year ago.

Slattery was cautiously optimistic about her own players' chances.

"You don't know." said Slattery. "When you finish first in your district you'll play the second-round finisher from a different district. So that may make you think you have a good chance, but if they come from a tough district, they may be a stronger player.

"The top 16 girls from the state are there (in both singles and doubles), so there really is no easy draw."

Regardless of what happens in Springfield, Cape Central's girls tennis team had an outstanding year.

Jackson's Kim Anderson qualified for state competition by finishing second in districts, but she injured her knee and won't be able to compete.

Charleston won its eighth straight district title and will be sending Jodi Bledsoe and Katie Whitehead to compete in the 1A-3A state doubles competition.

Fredericktown's Erin Kinder finished first in districts, and will go on to state for the third time.

Team championships take place Thursday. Individual competition for singles and doubles begins 9 a.m. on Friday.