The 2022 tennis season is now over, and the Greenwood Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs had some shining moments and some growing pains in a campaign that started in the stifling heat of mid-August and ended last week with a pair of Bulldogs making yet another appearance in the 5A state tournament. Dexter Pearcy also concluded his second year as head coach, still ably assisted by former volunteer head coach Dr. Ken Hamilton.
Siloam Springs
The two GHS squads ended their regular season schedule on September 22nd against the Siloam Springs Panthers and Lady Panthers, playing their final match on their home courts adjacent to the high school campus. The two schools competed in eight total matches with Greenwood winning both the girls and boys matches by identical 3-1 scores.
Greenwood’s two losses came in #1 singles play. Bella King lost her match, 3-8, to Otha Los of Siloam Springs, while Alex Schafer fell, 2-8, to the Panthers’ Bryan Tran. In #2 singles action Greenwood’s Mackenzie Cannon won her match over Lauren Naustvik, 8-0, and Keaton Whisenhunt won his match over Siloam Springs’ Jadon Gill, 8-3.
In doubles play Greenwood won all four matches, starting with the #1 GHS duo of Harper Berg and Lydia Belue, who won their match with ease, 8-0. The boys #2 team of brothers J.J. and Brendon Acosta also won handily, 8-0. In #2 doubles play, Greenwood’s Laykn Forrester and Emma Wirth teamed up to win, 8-1, and the duo of Grayson Vaughn and Lucas Hefflin won, 8-0.
Conference Tournament
The 5A West conference tournament was played on neutral ground at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville over two days, September 26-27. Overall, Greenwood’s two squads played 14 total matches, splitting them 7-7. But the sibling duo of J.J. and Brendon Acosta defeated all four of their doubles opponents to claim a second consecutive league championship and a #1 seed in the state tournament.
In girls singles play Bella King won her opening round match, 6-0, 6-1, against her opponent from Alma, before dropping her second round match to a girl from Van Buren, 0-6, 0-6. Greenwood’s #2 singles player, Mackenzie Cannon, lost her opening round match, 4-6, 2-6, to an opponent from Harrison.
In girls doubles action, Greenwood’s Harper Berg and Lydia Belue won against Alma, 6-0, 6-0, before falling to a Mountain Home duo, 6-7 (4-7), 3-6. Lakyn Forrester and Emma Wirth also won their first match, 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-0, then lost to a pair from Mountain Home, 4-6, 1-6.
In GHS boys action, #1 singles player Alex Schafer lost his first round match to a player from Harrison, 2-6, 2-6. Greenwood’s Keaton Whisenhunt also lost his first match, 1-6, 5-7, to a player from Siloam Springs. But for the second straight year the Bulldogs made their mark in doubles play.
The #2 team of Grayson Vaughn and Lucas Hefflin lost their only match, 2-6, 2-6, but the Acosta brothers were never even really challenged, dropping only one set, winning all four of their matches handily. They started with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over a team from Siloam Springs, then followed up with another convincing victory, 6-1, 6-0, against Harrison. They then beat Mountain Home, 6-2, 6-2, and Harrison, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, to earn the conference championship.
State Tournament
A veteran of previous post-season appearances, Greenwood’s J.J. Acosta teamed with his brother, Brendon, to represent the Bulldogs at the 5A state tournament last week, held at Lakeside High School in Hot Springs. A total of 16 doubles teams gathered on October 10-11 to crown a state champion, which turned out to be the #1 duo from Hot Springs Lakeside. The Acosta brothers won their opening match but fell in the second round.
Their first-round opponents were from Sylvan Hills, seeded fourth in their conference, while J.J. and Brendon were the top-seeded doubles team from the 5A West. Despite a somewhat shaky start, the Greenwood duo won the match easily in two sets, 6-2, 6-0. “The boys were a little excited early on, but then got settled in and played well,” said Coach Pearcy.
But the competition got much tougher in the second round, facing Lakeside’s #2 doubles team, seeded second in their conference. “This was the best team we played against all year,” said Coach Pearcy. “They hit the ball harder than we have seen, and along with some nerves, it took the first set to get acclimated.” Greenwood dropped the initial set, 1-6.
“In the second set [our] boys were dialed in and played incredibly well,” offered their coach. “They played very smart and with great effort. Multiple times it looked as if Lakeside had put a ball away and either one of the boys would go flying across the court, keeping it in play and eventually winning the point.”
The Acosta brothers led 5-2 in the second set before the Lakeside duo rallied to make it 5-4. “Our guys stepped up and showed grit to win their sixth game (6-4) and force a third set,” explained Coach Pearcy. But playing on their home courts, the Lakeside duo proved too much for the Bulldogs, who dropped the decisive third set, 2-6.
“Our guys played their tails off, but Lakeside was able to execute better,” said Pearcy. “[But] I am very proud of how hard our team played and the determination they showed throughout the tournament. It was special getting to watch two brothers play a game they both love so much. Though it wasn’t the outcome we were hoping for, back-to-back boys doubles conference championships and two state wins is a great accomplishment for the Acosta boys.”