Republic brought home two first-place finishes and shared the team championship in the Nixa Invitational tennis tournament Friday. Mari Davidson won the Flight One singles championship, and Katie Teeter and Monica Henry finished first in the Flight Two doubles bracket. Republic and Nixa tied for the team championship.
Related: Listen to an interview with Davidson, Teeter, and Henry during the last segment of this week’s Repmo Sports Show.
Davidson captured the singles title with an 8-5 decision in the championship match. It was “the most complete match I’ve seen Mari play,” coach David Smashey said. “Mari kept it close the whole way then closed the deal with three almost perfect games.”
Teeter and Henry also won their bracket with an 8-5 decision in the championship match. They won despite not playing their best tennis, Smashey said. “It got close a couple of times when Katie and Monica missed a few shots they normally make, but they didn’t let it affect them. Katie made some remarkably athletic plays down the stretch and Monica, as usual, made big serves on big points,” Smashey said.
In Flight Two singles, Lilly Carlo finished third. Smashey said she “played well enough to win the flight,” but she lost a close semifinal that featured several sudden-death deuce points.
Elli Woodward and Ella Lashley finished fourth in the Flight One doubles bracket. They lost a close third-place match, 6-8. “All three of their matches were very competitive against excellent competition. I think this tournament will really help them going forward,” Smashey said.
The tournament was held in Republic because of issues with the tennis courts in Nixa.