Republic’s tennis team has been making history all season. Wednesday night, they did it again.
The Tigers swept past Nixa, winning five of six matches to capture a district championship at home. Republic won all three doubles matches, then picked up singles wins by Gabe Bandfield and Case Birlew to clinch the title.
Going into the summer, our motto was ‘Hard work pays off.’ We’re seeing the dividends of the work we put in the summer and the last three or four years,” says coach Dan Vales. “We got to the top of the COC and districts. I’m really proud of these guys. They’re the ones who took care of business here today.”
When Republic and Nixa met earlier this season, the Eagles had captured the #1 doubles match, beating Michae Nacy and Austin Massey 8-3. This time around, they threatened to do it again, but Nacy and Massey mounted a comeback to steal the victory in a tie-breaker. It all but finished the Eagles, completing a three-match sweep by Republic on the doubles side. Nixa had two match points, but Nacy, who was serving, responded with two big serves to get to deuce. From there, the Republic pair won two straight games to take the lead. Nixa won the next game to tie it up, but in the tie-breaker, Nacy and Massey jumped ahead early and never looked back, winning 7-2.
Vales says he knows the competition only gets tougher from here, but the Tigers can only control their own game.
“It’s all about our side of the net. If we play our game–play our best tennis–no matter who our opponent is, I’ll be proud of them,” Vales says.
Before Republic plays in the team sectionals, they’ll compete in the individual district tournament at Joplin Thursday. The lineup will be juggled, with Nacy and Brad Hendrix playing doubles together. Bandfield and Birlew will also pair up for doubles. Massey and Dylan Mackey will be playing singles.
Nacy and Hendrix, Republic’s top two players, have been split up for most of the season, competing on different doubles teams. Putting them together will give them the best shot to advance in the playoff bracket. Vales says he’s not too concerned about the fact that they haven’t played together much this year.
“It’s a little bit of a concern, but they did get some experience (together) at our Republic Tournament and they cruised through,” he says. “We’re hoping they can work out the kinks a little bit at districts.”
Individual district play begins at 9 am Thursday at Nixa.
Doubles
1. Michael Nacy/Austin Massey (R) d. Garrett Bacon/Briggs Boyd 9-8 (7-2)
2. Bradley Hendrix/Dylan Mackey (R) d. Jose Alcantara/Benjamin Boyd 8-2
3. Gabe Bandfield/Case Birlew (R) d. Noah Davidson/Tanner Powley 8-0
Singles
1. Michael Nacy (R) v. Garrett Bacon 6-1, 2-0 (stopped)
2. Bradley Hendrix (R) v. Briggs Boyd 5-5 (stopped)
3. Gabe Bandfield (R) 6-0, 6-0 d. Jose Alantara
4. Benjamin Boyd d. Dylan Mackey (R) 3-6, 3-6
5. Austin Massey (R) v. Noah Davidson 4-3 (stopped)
6. Case Birlew (R) d. Tanner Powley 6-2, 6-2