Girls tennis: Ursuline Academy ends Kennett’s incredible winning streak

ST. LOUIS — All great things come to an end.

That’s the hard lesson the Kennett High School girls tennis team learned on Monday evening as Ursuline Academy defeated the Indians in the Class 1 state quarterfinals at Metro School.

Ursuline took the garland by winning four singles matches and the No. 3 doubles match.

“We got beat by a great Ursuline team, and we battled to the very end,” Kennett head coach Janet Hilburn said via text.

“I am so proud of my girls,” Hilburn continued. “We came up a little short, but what a great season (we had).”

Ursuline’s victory stopped what was a state-record 60-match win streak for Kennett dating back to when Cape Notre Dame Regional defeated the Indians in the Class 1 District 1 championship on Oct. 6, 2020.

The Bears will face traditional power Clayton in the Missouri State High School Activities Association state semifinals at 9 a.m. Oct. 21. St. Michael the Archangel and Savannah square off in the other Final Four match.

Meanwhile, Claire Bean (Holcomb), Handley McAtee and Christi Tejeda will set their sights on the MSHSAA Class 1 individual state tournament Friday and Saturday — all state contests take place at Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield.

The team sectional tournament is, perhaps, the most physically and mentally demanding day during the season. The competition is tough, and matches are played inside a tight time window.

Emmie Kinder defeated Bean, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3 in the tie-breaker) in the No. 1 singles match. McAtee and Tejeda breezed through their singles matches at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.

Vivian Jones and Kennett’s Olivia Rebstock played the fiercest singles match in the No. 4 position. Jones earned a 7-6, 7-5 victory (the tie-breaker score wasn’t reported).

The doubles combinations of Bean/McAtee and Tejeda/Rebstock won their matches. However, Joie King and Jones defeated Jady Quinn and Emory Kamper in the No. 3 doubles encounter, 8-2.

Kennett put itself in position for a possible state berth by first defeating North County, 5-1. This marked the second straight postseason the Indians knocked off the Raiders.

Bean, McAtee and Tejeda all pulled through with singles wins, giving up just seven games in the process.

Rebstock and Tejeda earned a hard-fought 8-6 win over Allison Scott and Kinley Tracy in the No. 2 doubles match, which featured four girls who competed the weekend before in the individual sectional tournament at The Wheatley Courts.