Republic tennis is really taking the “junior” out of “junior varsity.” For the second match in a row, a heavily JV roster stepped up to the varsity level to beat a Central Ozark Conference opponent. Thursday, it was a road win over Carl Junction in Joplin, 5-4.
The Lady Tigers have had to dip into their JV roster to fill varsity spots in the face of quarantines, but came away with two wins. The fight against Carl Junction came down to the final match, with Caydie Imbeau grabbing a singles victory to clinch it.
This week’s two wins, accomplished with most of the regular varsity lineup sidelined, keeps Republic’s hopes of a COC regular-season title alive. They’re 2-0 in the conference through one week of league play.