The Republic tennis team closed out its Central Ozark Conference West schedule with an 8-1 home win over Joplin, its fifth straight victory. The Lady Tigers took two of three doubles matches, then swept all six singles to secure the win.
In doubles, Mati Carpenter and Aubree Tinsley fell 6-8 at the top spot, but Claire Norris and Abigail Bremer won 8-1 at No. 2, and Marlee Vasquez and Sienna Blankenship won 8-3 at No. 3.
Republic controlled singles play from start to finish. Carpenter won 8-2 at No. 1, Norris pulled out an 8-6 win at No. 2, and Vasquez cruised 8-2 at No. 3. Kaufmann added an 8-1 victory at No. 4, Bremer won 8-5 at No. 5, and Tinsley finished the sweep with an 8-0 win at No. 6.
The Lady Tigers improved to 9-3 overall and 5-1 in the COC West, tying Willard for first place in the regular-season standings. Willard handed Republic its lone conference loss earlier in the season, 5-4.
Next up is the COC Tournament in Springfield on Tuesday, where the Lady Tigers will have a chance to show how much they’ve improved over the course of the season.
