Historic season ends for Lady Mules in semifinals

The Poplar Bluff Lady Mules tennis team came up short on the road on Tuesday, bringing their postseason run to an end.

The Lady Mules’ historic season would hit a wall early in the playoffs as they fell short to St. Pius X (Festus) 5-4 in the second round of the Class 2 District 1 Tournament.

Though the Lady Mules finished with one of the best seasons in recent years with a record of 10-4, head tennis coach Michelle Massey said the loss against St. Pius is heartbreaking.

“Our girls played their hearts out and never quit,” Massey said. “ We had three singles matches that ended in tiebreakers. Kaitlyn Booker lost in a tiebreaker, while Molly Maurer and Ava Richardson won in a tiebreaker. I believe St. Pius was our most evenly-matched opponent all season. I’m proud of how all our girls played, and they never quit.”

The Lady Mules got off to a slow start by going 2-1 in the doubles matches. Richardson and Hannah Kee managed to snag one win for the Lady Mules in a sweep of 8-0 over their opponents. The Lady Mules would catch fire in the singles matches as Maurer, Richardson and Kee would win their matches, but other losses towards would cost them dearly.

Massey said Katelyn Conover was injured in doubles but played through the pain during singles, which she was proud of, and Kee came out very strong in singles and brought home a big win in singles and doubles.

“Overall, we finished with the first winning season in at least ten years, and I owe that to the dedication of the entire team,” Massey said. “They worked hard every day, and there was never a day that went by where you didn’t find them playing on weekends and evenings after practice.”

Richardson finished her senior year 11-1, and Kee finished 11-1 as well. Booker, who has now won back-to-back district titles, finished 9-3 on the season. Massey said with five members of the varsity returning next year, they look forward to having a strong season.