Newton girls tennis drops another heartbreaker on Friday vs. Norwalk
The Newton girls tennis team hosted Norwalk on Friday, and the result was an all-too-familiar one for the Cardinals.
Newton fell 6-5 to Warriors, making it the third time this season that it’s lost by a one-match margin.
In a meet that was nearly cancelled due to wind, the Cardinals trailed 5-1 after the singles matches, meaning they would have needed to sweep the five doubles matches to pull out a comeback victory.
And they nearly did. The No. 3, 4 and 5 doubles teams of Caitlin Combs/Jennifer Ventling, Shayla Hawkins-Cones/Kora Scotton and Katie Hinshaw/Felicia Fischer each dominated their opponents, with Hawkins-Cones roaring back after dropping their first set while the other two teams won in straight sets.
At No.1 doubles, the Newton team of juniors Katelyn Camp/Katelin Klyn faced Norwalk’s Michaela Pearson/Kacci ClarkWilt, who qualified for Class 1A State last year. Camp/Klyn jumped out to a 4-3 lead in the first set, and the meet’s outlook was as bright as it would get for the Cards as their No. 2 team of Holly Vander Pol/Krystal Mapes were also in control of their match. Vander Pol/Mapes closed out their match with a win, but the miracle comeback wasn’t to be as Camp/Klyn won only two of their next 11 games and fell 2-6, 4-6.
The Cardinals lost in straight sets at No. 1, 2 and 3 singles, but were in position for a win at 4 and 5 before eventually falling. At No. 4, Mapes dropped her first set before dominating the second, but at 7-7 in the third, she lost three straight points to lose 4-6, 6-1, 0 (7). At No. 5, Combs led 5-1 in a third set before her opponent went on to win nine of the next 11 points to finish out the tiebreaker 10-7 and pull off a big upset. At No. 6, Ventling cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 victory.”
“Last year’s season of miracles has turned into a season of truly heartbreaking losses,” Newton coach Erick Zehr said. “The difference between a 2-5 team and a 5-2 team heading into the last week of the season is significant. I just hope the girls are able to see the forest from the trees and keep these losses in perspective.”