Republic’s steady climb all season reached a high point Monday, as the Lady Tigers swept through three opponents to win the Central Ozark Conference West Tournament. Republic didn’t drop a match, winning 5–0 against Neosho, 5–0 against Webb City, and 5–0 against Willard in the championship.
The victory was especially satisfying for Republic, which had lost 5-4 to Willard just under a month ago. This time, there was no doubt about who was best in the COC West.
Senior Mati Carpenter said the tournament sweep showed how far the group has come together over the course of the year.
“I was a little scared going into the season because we had a lot of new people on varsity,” Carpenter said. “But everyone showed how strong they were and how much they wanted to be here. We’ve fought every match, come to every practice, and improved so much. I’m so proud of this team.”
Coach Dan Vales credited the players’ work ethic and some final adjustments to the doubles lineup for helping the team reach another level.
“We really struck gold with the doubles pairings,” Vales said. “It took almost all whole season till the Ozark match to figure it out. From there, we were off to the races.”
Republic has won seven straight duals and stands at 12-3. A makeup match with Nixa is slated for Wednesday, with district play after that.
