Olathe ? Moments after the second set in the third-place match Friday, Free State High sophomore Sawyer Nickel smacked a tennis ball straight above his head before yelling out in frustration.

The No. 1 doubles team of Nickel and Erik Czapinski had just lost five straight games to concede the second set to the Firebirds’ No. 2 doubles team of Ian Pultz-Earle and Cooper Rasmussen.

But Nickel and Czapinski bounced back in the third set and ultimately took control of the match, defeating their teammates 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to claim third place at the Class 6A regional tournament at College Boulevard Activity Center.

“We just knew we were the better duo out there, so we were just trying to play our game,” Nickel said. “I credit my coaches out in the Jayhawk Tennis Center for helping with that.”

Trey Melvin lost his opening match in the singles bracket, while Jack Kelsey won his first match before losing two in a row to end his season.

Both of the Free State doubles teams won their first two matches to qualify for the 6A state tournament, and lost their third match to Blue Valley West teams before they met for third place. As a result, Free State finished in a three-way tie for second in the team standings with Olathe Northwest and Olathe North, but placed fourth with the tiebreaker being decided by percentage of games won.

“I think the team performed extremely well today given the circumstances we were in,” FSHS coach Michael Trujillo said. “Considering we all finished to our seeds or better, it was a good day.”

Trujillo knew that his doubles teams would be in for tough matches against Blue Valley West in the semifinals, so perhaps the only negative to come out of Friday was the way the all-Free State third place match unfolded.

“We still have to figure out where certain lines are,” Trujillo said of the competiveness of the match. “That’ll be a focus of practice this week.”

Nickel and Czapinski won the first set — but it “could have gone either way,” according to Trujillo, which he believes led to the increased competitiveness of the second set. Nickel and Czapinski jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the set, but Pultz-Earle and Rasmussen played their best tennis of the day to win five straight games and take the set.

“Both teams were playing really well,” Trujillo said. “I think that was the best doubles match of the day other than the championship match.”

As the competitive tension grew between the two teams, it was Nickel and Czapinski who raised their level of play. They got an early break of serve in the set, and once again jumped out to a 5-2 lead, and this time they were able to close the match.

“I just played angry,” Nickel said. “Obviously the opponents upset me, so I just tried to play my game and come out on top.”

LHS season over

Lawrence High’s No. 1 doubles team of Sam Allen and Kanak Masten lost in the consolation bracket to end the Lions’ season. The duo posted the only win of the day for the Lions, 6-4, 6-3 over Olathe East, but they lost their next match to the No. 1 seed, from Blue Valley West, before ultimately losing their third match.

Nobody else for the Lions made it out of the first round, with Cooper Wright and Brendan Connor losing in the opening round of the singles bracket, and Cole Herrin and Kieran Spears doing the same in doubles.

Class 6A Regional

Friday at College Boulevard Activity Center

Team Scores: Blue Valley West 19, Olathe Northwest 10 (won 64 percent of games played), Olathe North 10 (won 58 percent of games played), Lawrence Free State 10 (won 52 percent of games played, 5. Olathe East 4, Gardner-Edgerton 2, Olathe South 1, Lawrence 1.

LHS Results:

Cooper Wright: lost to Carson Fitzgerald, OE, 6-1, 6-3.

Brendan Connor: lost to Phillip Lin, BVW, 6-1, 7-6 (3).

Herria/Spears: lost to Serra/Serra, BVW, 6-0, 6-0.

Allen/Masten: def. Stone/Marsee, OE, 6-4, 6-3; lost to Serra/Serra, BVW, 6-0, 6-0; lost to Boshma/Firahaber, ONW, 6-1, 6-2.

FS Results:

Trey Melvin, def. by Noah Crist, ON, 6-0, 6-0.

Jack Kelsey, def. Jacob Keller, OS, 6-1, 6-7 (8), 10-8; lost to Brett Seaton, ONW, 6-0, 6-0; lost to Sam West, OE, 6-0, 6-1.

Pultz-Earle/Rasmussen (4th place): def. Byers/Herz, OE, 6-0, 6-3; def. Boshma/Firaharber, ONW, 4-6, 6-2, 10-5; lost to Serra/Serra, BVW, 6-0, 6-1; lost to Nickel/Czapinski, FS, 4-6, 7-5, 2-6.

Nickel/Czapinski (3rd place): def. Sherman/Nyingsvath, GE, 6-1, 6-0; def Hinman/Hovey, OS, 6-1, 6-0; lost to Moody/Moody, BVW, 6-1, 6-2; def. Pultz-Earle/Rasmussen, FS, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.