Jackson, Notre Dame tennis duos earn match wins at state

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Notre Dame junior Reagan Kapp and freshman Carly Hopkins made school history by becoming the first players -- either boys or girls -- to play in the state tennis tournament.

Kapp and Hopkins, who lost their first match at the Class 1 tournament, added another first -- a victory at state for the program, which is just two years old.

The pair earned an overnight stay in Springfield with the win before falling 6-2, 6-0 to Cassandra Long and Mallory Sturdevant of Harrisonville Saturday morning and coming up just one win short of a state medal.

Kapp and Hopkins fell in their opening Class 1 singles match at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield on Friday, losing to Jaci Tracy and Jessica Tracy of Trenton, 6-1, 6-4.

But they came back with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win over Alyssa Parsells and McKayla Wells of Warrensburg in the consolation first round. They closed out a memorable first day at state with a scintillating three-set win over Mara Veasey and Emily Schreck of Maryville. Veasey and Schreck won a first set tie-breaker, 13-11, but Kapp and Hopkins regrouped to win the second and third sets by 6-4 scores.

"It is amazing," Kapp said on Friday. "We were just honored to be here. We expected a whole new game here, and it has been. There are a lot of great girls playing here and the competition is really tough. We were just happy to get here."

The doubles team complements each other well. Kapp is a southpaw who likes to stay on the baseline, while Hopkins is a right-hander who does not mind spending time at the net. They also both like to use their backhands.

"It has been a fun experience," Hopkins said. "We had to play in the wind and cold this morning and were glad to have a chance to play inside in the second round. Our goal really was just to play our best. It is amazing that we also won."

The experience was a first for Kapp and Hopkins, but the state tournament has become old hat for Jackson doubles team of seniors Jenny Powell and Montana Adams.

Powell and Adams qualified for the Class 2 meet for the third season in a row and as was the case in the previous two seasons, the Indians also experienced a win at the state tournament.

The Indian duo spent a lot of time on the court in their final state appearance. Their first two matches were both three-setters and lasted over four hours combined.

Jackson lost its opener against Holly Johnston and Megan Zimbelman of St. Joseph Central 4-6, 7-5, 6-0.

They came back, as they did two years ago, with a win in the first round of consolation. Powell and Adams defeated Shelbee Neal and Meghan Zengel of Springfield Kickapoo, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. Their season and high school tennis careers ended with a loss in the consolation quarterfinals to Logan Morrissey and Camryn Parnett of Lee's Summit North, 6-2, 6-2.

The senior experience was different in a major way due to the weather. Conditions were far from ideal with no sunshine, plenty of wind and cold temperatures.

"This was different conditions then we had played all year," Adams said. "This is the first time this year we have played with this kind of wind and cold."

That made for some interesting tennis.

"I don't think anyone was playing well with these tough conditions," Powell said. "There were a lot of misses because of the wind. It became as much of a mental game as a physical game. You really needed to stay focused and work on your footwork."

Powell said the three-set matches this year were symbolic of the three years for her and Adams.

"The experience each year was different," Powell said. "Our goals changed through the years. But the one constant was that most of our matches were tight. We have come up here and competed. It has been a fun experience."