Gavin Collyott and Lucas Riffe captured Republic’s first district doubles championship since 2017, dominating the Class 3 District 5 tournament at Joplin on Friday.
The senior-freshman pair breezed through the bracket, beginning with a win over Kickapoo, then defeating Ozark 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals before taking down Joplin 6-4, 6-1 in the championship match. Their performance secured a state tournament berth and ended a seven-year drought for Republic in district doubles titles.
After building a 3-0 lead in the first set of the finals, Republic held off a Joplin comeback to win 6-4. They controlled the second set from the start, with Riffe delivering back-to-back highlight plays during a key service break that put them ahead 5-1. First came a perfectly placed drop shot volley, followed by a winner smashed down the middle of the court.
“I think it was just challenging them as much as possible,” Collyott said of their approach.
“Not being… timid and gentle,” Riffe added.
The championship victory marked Republic’s second consecutive win over Joplin’s doubles pair after losing their first meeting earlier this season.
Collyott and Riffe will advance to the state tournament, but before that they are part of the team district tournament this week. Their championship-winning performance against some of the area’s top competition earns them Performance of the Week honors.
