ND falls in district championship match

KENNETT, Mo. -- The Notre Dame Regional High School girls tennis team put up a strong fight Wednesday.

But the Bulldogs could not prevent host Kennett from winning its sixth straight Class 1 District 1 title.

Kennett used a pair of marathon singles matches as the springboard to a 5-2 victory in the district championship match.

The contest lasted a little more than four hours.

Kennett won four of the six singles matches and the only varsity doubles match that was completed.

Kennett's Anna Kay Hilburn defeated Carly Hopkins 7-6, 6-4 in a No. 1 singles match that lasted 2 1/2 hours. Hilburn won a first-set tiebreaker 11-9.

Kennett's Kara Heeb won her No. 5 singles match against Adele Soutar 6-7, 7-6, 6-3. Heeb lost a first-set tiebreaker 7-5 and won a second-set tiebreaker 7-4. The match lasted 2 hours, 50 minutes.

Kennett clinched the district title when Kelsey Washburn and Kate White won their No. 2 doubles match against Anna Unterreiner and Maddie Walker 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.

Notre Dame had won the first set of the other two doubles matches, which were retired when Washburn-White won their doubles match because Kennett had scored the five points needed to post the team victory.

Unterreiner beat White 6-2, 6-2 at No. 3 singles and Emily Young defeated Alexa McPherson 6-1, 6-3 at No. 6 singles to account for Notre Dame's two victories.

Kennett, which went 4-0 against Notre Dame this season, improved to 17-1 with its 17th straight victory. The Indians will play North County in a Class 1 sectional Oct. 13.

Notre Dame's season is not over as the Bulldogs will host the individual district tournament Saturday, consisting of singles and doubles.

Singles

No. 1 -- Anna Kay Hilburn (K) def. Carly Hopkins 7-6 (9), 6-4

No. 2 -- Darby Sparks (K) def. Reagan Kapp 6-3, 6-1

No. 3 -- Anna Unterreiner (ND) def. Kate White 6-2, 6-2

No. 4 -- Kelsey Washburn (K) def. Maddie Walker 6-2, 6-1

No. 5 -- Kara Heeb (K) def. Adele Soutar 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-3

No. 6 -- Emily Young (ND) def. Alexa McPherson 6-1, 6-3

Doubles

No. 1 -- Hopkins/Kapp (ND) led Hilburn-Sparks 6-2, 3-2, did not finish.

No. 1 -- White/Washburn (K) def. Unterreiner-Walker 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.

No. 1 -- Soutar/Young (ND) led Heeb-McPherson 6-4, 1-2 did not finish.