FSHS tennis posts 2-0-1 record at home quad

photo by: Nick Krug

Free State No. 1 singles player Kate Piper returns a serve against Olathe Northwest during a quad on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016 at Free State High School.

Free State High’s tennis team did not have its best all-around day at its home quad Wednesday according to interim coach Michael Trujillo, but the last match on the court gave the Firebirds something to be encouraged about.

Carter Stacey and Anna Peard had never played together as a doubles team, but they posted a record of 3-0 with wins over Shawnee Mission North, SM Northwest and Olathe Northwest to lead the Firebirds in their first home tournament of the season.

“I was really pleased with how they moved, especially with not being a very seasoned doubles team,” Trujillo said. “I gave them a few pointers before to keep the conversation up so they are on the same page, and they seemed to do that well. They started executing well to begin with, which probably only added to their confidence. That started to show a lot at the end of the day, especially when they were in a tight match.”

Stacey and Peard coasted to respective 8-2 and 8-1 victories at No. 2 doubles over Olathe Northwest and Shawnee Mission North before edging SM Northwest, 8-5.

Stacey filled in for Gabby Gorman — Peard’s regular doubles partner — and felt that they played to each other’s strengths, and help compensate for each other’s weaknesses.

“I definitely think we’re pretty opposite players,” Stacey said. “Anna is definitely a lot faster than I am, I’m tall. I can get some things, so I think we kind of balance each other out really well.”

Free State’s No. 1 doubles team of Ali Dodd and Andrea Chen were in sync for their first two matches as well — picking up an 8-1 victory over Olathe Northwest’s Kristen Knipp and Kaylie Kappelmann and an 8-0 win against SM North’s Callie Pierce and Jewelly Godinas. Dodd and Chen were unable to notch a third win, though, as they fell to SM Northwest’s Michaela Crowe and Tamerra Horton, 8-3, in their final match.

“Today was maybe a little uncharacteristic of them. They were a little off,” Trujillo said of his No. 1 doubles team. “Ali is struggling with a little bit of sickness. When one doubles teammate can get down, it’s hard for the other one to stay up and to keep them up. But they’ve been through that before, and they know how to overcome it.”

The home quad had similar results for Free State’s No. 1 singles player Kate Piper, as she breezed past Olathe Northwest’s Maddy Hamilton, 8-1, and SM North’s Izabel Rodriguez, 8-0, but fell to SM Northwest’s Lilly Oliver, 8-3.

There was one area of Piper’s game that she was particularly encouraged with, and hopes to keep improving on going forward.

“My serve — it went in a lot, and it felt a lot more powerful,” Piper said.

After losing to SM Northwest at No. 1 singles and doubles, Free State needed Andie Veeder to win at No. 2 singles over Katherine Strohm to salvage a split against the Cougars. Veeder came through with an 8-4 victory over Strohm, and Trujillo believes that his No. 2 singles player will continue to make positive strides as long as she remains confident in her abilities.

“Andie is a very good athlete. She knows she’s a good athlete, but she doesn’t know how good of a tennis player she is sometimes,” Trujillo said. “It’s me reminding her of what she needs to do to stay competitive as a tennis player. When she’s on, she’s on. She’s a great competitor, and I love having her on the team.”

The Firebirds finished the quad with a record of 2-0-1 after taking three of four against Olathe Northwest, sweeping SM North and splitting against SM Northwest. Trujillo is optimistic about what his team can do for the rest of the season, and is thankful for the opportunity to coach the Firebirds.

“They love talking to each other and hanging out. That translates over to their court presence a lot of times, and I think I’m extremely lucky to have been able to take this job and be given this close of a team,” Trujillo said. “It just makes it way easier to coach, and it makes the season a lot more fun. I think that the girls see that, too. I couldn’t ask for a better team right now.”

Free State will take on Lawrence High at 3 p.m. Tuesday at LHS.

Free State High tennis quad

Wednesday at Free State

Free State 3, Olathe Northwest 1

Kate Piper, FS, def. Maddy Hamilton, ONW, 8-1

Nicky Hoffey, ONW, def. Andie Veeder, FS, 8-2

Ali Dodd/Andrea Chen, FS, def. Kaylie Kappelmann/Kristen Knipp, ONW, 8-1

Carter Stacey/Anna Peard, FS, def. Brown/Moore, ONW, 8-2

Free State 4, Shawnee Mission North 0

Kate Piper, FS, def. Izabel Rodriguez, SMN, 8-0

Andie Veeder, FS, def. Jennifer Flores, SMN, 8-0

Ali Dodd/Andrea Chen, FS, def. Callie Pierce/Jewelly Godinas, SMN, 8-0