The Greenwood High School girls and boys tennis teams continue to sharpen their skills on the hardcourts against conference foes as their season draws to a conclusion. After winning matches against Fort Smith Northside, Greenbrier, and Harrison in August, the GHS netters have beaten Alma and Russellville twice each, and Siloam Springs. They also competed against Mountain Home and Van Buren, two of the better teams in the 5A West. Their regular season ended last week with matches at Van Buren and at home against Siloam Springs.

The 5A West conference tournament was held this past Monday and Tuesday on the campus of Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, with qualifiers moving on to the state tournament at Hot Springs Country Club, October 11-12. GHS Head Coach Dexter Pearcy believes some of his players will perform well in the conference tournament and make it to state.

Alma

Playing at home, the Lady Bulldogs made a clean sweep of all eight matches against the Airedalettes on September 6th, winning 8-0, including both varsity and junior varsity matches. The GHS boys did almost as well, winning five of six matches, dropping one match in boys singles play.

To say the GHS girls dominated their Alma counterparts would be a gross understatement. The visitors scored only seven individual game victories across eight matches and were shutout in three of the eight. The Lady Bulldogs won all three of their singles matches and all five of their doubles matches.

Greenwood’s top singles player, junior Bella King, defeated her opponent, 8-0. Senior Mackenzie Cannon whipped her opponent almost as soundly, 8-1, in #2 doubles action. In junior varsity singles play, eleventh grader Bailey Abbott beat her Alma opponent, 6-0.

In girls’ doubles, Greenwood’s #1 duo of sophomore Harper Berg and junior Lydia Belue combined their talents for an 8-1 victory over Jordan and McCuan of Alma. Likewise, #2 doubles partners senior Laykn Forrester and junior Emma Wirth also scored an 8-1 win over Alma’s duo of Powell and Koller.

Junior Maleah Cole and sophomore Emma Koenigseder teamed up for another Greenwood victory in junior varsity play, topping Alma’s Lineberry and Farris, 6-2. Freshman Mackenzie Magness and junior Averi Abbot teamed up for a JV victory over Alma’s Spencer and Airyonna, also 6-2, while GHS juniors Abby Webb and Claire Roberts won 6-0 over Alma’s duo of Smith and Stowe.

In boys play against the Airedales, Greenwood’s only loss was in #1 singles when Alma’s Logan Evans defeated Greenwood sophomore Alex Schafer, 8-0. In other singles matches, Greenwood junior Keaton Whisenhunt won, 8-1, and senior Conner Jones won, 6-3.

In boys’ doubles, the top GHS duo of junior J.J. Acosta and senior Brendon Hoskyn won their match, 8-4. Greenwood’s Grayson Vaughn, a senior, and sophomore Lucas Hefflin teamed for an 8-0 victory, while sophomore Eason Lin and freshman Wesley Jarrell combined their efforts for a 6-2 win in junior varsity play.

Russellville

Two days after their victory over Alma, the GHS girls and boys hosted Russellville on September 8th, with the Lady Bulldogs winning 3-1 and the Greenwood boys splitting four matches, 2-2, in varsity play. In junior varsity action, the Greenwood ladies won four of five matches while the GHS boys were 2-1.

In #1 singles play, Bella King lost 6-8 to Russellville’s Meredith Hale, while Greenwood’s Mackenzie Cannon defeated Dru Robinson in #2 singles, 8-4. In varsity doubles, the #1 GHS duo of Berg/Belue won easily, 8-0, over Robinson and Parker of Russellville. The Lady Bulldogs’ #2 team of Forrester and Wirth defeated Russellville’s duo of Walchshauser and Skaggs., 8-2.

In junior varsity girls’ singles play, Greenwood’s Bailey Abbot won 6-0, Mackenzie Magness won 6-0, and Averi Abbott lost 3-6. In JV doubles action, the home duo of Maleah Cole and Emma Koenigseder won 6-1, while Abby Webb and Claire Roberts teamed up for a 6-0 victory.

On the boys’ side, GHS #1 singles player Alex Schafer lost 0-8 and #2 singles teammates Keaton Whisenhunt lost 3-8. But the #1 duo of J.J. Acosta and Brendon Hoskyn won easily, 8-0, while the #2 team of Grayson Vaughn and Lucas Hefflin won 8-3.

In junior varsity play, the Bulldogs split their two singles matches with Conner Jones losing, 6-8, and Wesley Jarrell winning, 6-3. The GHS doubles team of Eason Lin and Wesley Jarrell also won, 6-1.

Mountain Home

On September 12th Greenwood, Mountain Home, and Russellville made up a three-way match that was earlier postponed due to weather. The matches were played at Russellville. But the Lady Bombers won the day against the Lady Bulldogs, winning all four varsity matches, while the GHS boys split with the Bombers, 2-2.

Bella King lost her singles match, 1-8, as did Greenwood’s #2 singles player Mackenzie Cannon, 1-8. The GHS doubles duo of Harper Berg and Lydian Belue lost 5-8 while Laykn Forrester and Emma Wirth lost 6-8. There were no junior varsity matches.

The Greenwood boys lost both singles matches and won both doubles matches. Alex Schafer lost 2-8 and Keaton Whisenhunt lost 1-8. J.J. Acosta and Brendon Hoskyn won their match, 8-2, while Grayson Vaughn and Lucas Hefflin were victorious, 8-1.

Russellville

That same day Greenwood took on the Cyclones and Lady Cyclones, winning both competitions by identical 3-1 scores. The Lady Bulldogs lost one singles match while the GHS boys did the same, winning the other six varsity matches, though one of the six required a tiebreaker.

In girls’ action, Greenwood’s Bella King fell in #1 singles play, 5-8, while teammate and #2 singles player Mackenzie Cannon won her match, 8-4. The duo of Berg and Belue teamed up for an 8-6 win in doubles play, while partners Forrester and Wirth breezed to an 8-1 victory in their match.

Alex Schafer was shutout by his Russellville opponent, 0-8, in #1 singles play, while Keaton Whisenhunt won a tiebreaker to take down his Cyclones’ counterpart, 8-8 (8-6). Acosta and Hoskyn won easily, 8-0, while Greenwood’s Vaughn and Hefflin strolled to an 8-3 victory.

Siloam Springs

It was a busy week, so the GHS netters traveled to Siloam Springs the next day for their regularly scheduled match with the Panthers and Lady Panthers, and it was worth the trip. Greenwood split the four ladies’ matches, 2-2, and won three of the four boys’ contests. Several junior varsity players also made the trip and played.

Greenwood’s #2 singles players, Mackenzie Cannon, won her match, 8-3, and the #2 doubles duo of Forrester and Wirth won their match, 8-2. #1 singles player Bella King lost 0-8 while the team of Berg and Belue lost 2-8. The Lady Bulldogs also won three of their four junior varsity matches.

In solo play, Bailey Abbot won her JV match, 8-4, Mackenzie Magness won her match, 8-2, while teammate Averi Abbot lost, 6-8. The only junior varsity doubles match featured Greenwood’s Maleah Cole and Emma Koenigseder winning, 8-0.

For the GHS boys, Alex Schafer lost his #1 singles match, 2-8, and #2 player Keaton Whisenhunt won by forfeit, 5-8. The doubles team of Acosta and Hoskyn won 8-2 while teammates Grayson Vaughn and Lucas Hefflin won their match, 8-1. The one junior varsity match featured Greenwood’s Eason Lin winning, 6-4.

Alma

On September 15th both GHS teams traveled to Crawford County to take on traditional rival Alma, sweeping the girls’ competition, 4-0, and splitting the boys matches, 2-2. There were eight varsity matches played and seven junior varsity matches, giving the youngsters an opportunity to hone their skills.

Bella King won her singles match, 8-1, and Mackenzie Cannon shutout her opponent, 8-0. In girls’ doubles, the Lady Bulldogs won both matches. Harper Berg and Lydian Belue teamed up to win 8-3 while teammates Laykn Forrester and Emma Wirth were even more dominate, winning 8-1.

In junior varsity play the Lady Bulldogs made it a clean sweep. Claire Roberts won her match, 6-2, while Abby Webb and Bailey Abbott both won their matches by identical scores of 6-0. The duo of Cole and Koenigseder won their doubles match, 6-0, and court mates Mackenzie Magness and Averi Abbot won their match, 6-1.

In boys’ play the Airedales were a little more competitive, winning over Greenwood’s Alex Schafer in singles play, 8-4, and over Keaton Whisenhunt, 8-8 (1-7), in a tiebreaker. But the Bulldogs won both varsity doubles matches. Acosta and Hoskyn won 8-2, as did the duo of Vaughn and Hefflin. In boys JV action, Conner Jones lost, 4-6, while the doubles team of Eason Lin and Wesley Jarrell lost, 1-6.

Van Buren

On September 20th the GHS girls and boys returned to Crawford County to take on a talented Van Buren squad that won seven of the eight matches in conference play. The visitors were able to salvage one win in girls’ double play with Harper Berg and Lydian Belue winning their match in two sets, 6-0, 7-5.

In singles action, Greenwood’s Bella King lost 3-6, 5-7, Mackenzie Cannon fell 3-6, 6-2, 2-6, and junior varsity player Bailey Abbott won 6-1. In doubles play, Laykn Forrester and Emma Wirth were defeated in two sets, 5-7, 2-6. JV doubles partners Maleah Cole and Emma Koenigseder won their match 6-3, while the JV duo of Averi Abbott and Mackenzie Magness lost, 2-6.

Alex Schafer lost his match, 0-6, 1-6, while teammate Keaton Whisenhunt lost 0-6, 0-6. In junior varsity play, Conner Jones lost his match, 1-6. In doubles action, Acosta and Hoskyn fell 3-6, 1-6, while Vaughn and Heflin lost 4-6, 5-7. The junior varsity duo of Eason Lin and Wesley Jarrell won their match, 7-5.