Colby tennis teams battle through long day at GWAC tournament

The Colby Lady Eagles battled tough competition, rising temperatures and even one another at the GWAC League Tennis Tournament on Oct. 5 in Scott City.

The tournament featured players from Colby, Ulysses, Cimarron, Scott City and Goodland. Rather than separating the field into No. 1 and No. 2 divisions, all entrants competed in combined singles and doubles brackets.

Colby’s strongest results came in doubles, where Bristol Niblock and Katelyn Diederich placed fourth with a 3-2 record.

Niblock and Diederich opened with an 8-0 victory over Cimarron’s Kugler and Arjona before falling 8-3 to Scott City’s Massaglia and Edwards. The Colby seniors rebounded with an 8-4 win over Cimarron’s Mendez and Salto.

Their next match placed them across the net from teammates Breckyn Kinderknecht and Gala White. The two Colby teams battled to a tiebreaker before Niblock and Diederich prevailed 8-7, winning the tiebreak 7-4.

Niblock and Diederich then played another close match against Goodland’s Evert and Zimmerman. The Goodland pair captured the match 8-7 after winning an 8-6 tiebreak, leaving the Colby duo in fourth place.

Kinderknecht and White finished fifth with a 2-2 record. They began the tournament with an 8-5 victory over Cimarron’s Mendez and Salto, then lost 8-4 to Scott City’s Smith and Zeller.

Following their narrow loss to Niblock and Diederich, Kinderknecht and White closed the day by defeating Lerma and Deyoe 8-7. The Colby pair won the deciding tiebreak 7-4 to secure fifth place.

Both Colby doubles teams fought through more than 50 games during the tournament.

In singles play, Zenni Mead placed seventh with a 2-2 record. She defeated Ulysses’ Casas 8-5 in her opening match before losing 8-0 to Goodland’s Linn and 8-3 to Ulysses’ McCormick. Mead ended her day on a winning note, defeating Scott City’s Salinas 8-3 in the seventh-place match.

Heidi Gray finished 10th after going 0-3. She lost 8-2 to Salinas, 8-3 to McCormick and 8-4 to Casas. Gray has spent most of her career playing doubles, and was challenged quickly adjusting to singles play. With another week of practice she’s had a chance to work on some things and is feeling more confident going into regional play.

The Lady Eagles have rotated players throughout a challenging season while searching for the combinations that give the team its best chance to succeed. Niblock and Diederich began the year playing singles before joining forces in doubles for the final tournaments. Colby’s other doubles lineup also evolved during the season, with Kinderknecht eventually pairing with White.

Conditions were pleasant early in Scott City, but the temperature and difficulty of the competition rose as the tournament continued. Most of the Lady Eagles played at least four matches, while Niblock and Diederich played five.

Although the final placings did not fully reflect the team’s improvement, limiting mistakes on serves and volleys will be important as Colby moves into postseason competition.

The Lady Eagles are scheduled to compete at regional tennis on Oct. 9 in McPherson, where both doubles teams will look to build on the momentum they generated at the league tournament.