Jersey ends tennis season with win
BY AARON OTTIS
SPORTS EDITOR
JERSEYVILLE – The Lady Panthers ended the regular season with a win, defeating Jacksonville 6-3 in a non-conference match at Jersey Community High School on Tuesday.

Jersey ends the season with an 8-6 overall record.

Danah McCreary and Kelsey Nairn led the way, with the pair getting three wins on the evening. McCreary defeated T. Brown 6-3, 6-2 at No. 1 Singles, and Nairn beat Kesinger 6-0, 6-2 at No. 2. The two combined to win their No. 1 Doubles match 6-2, 6-1 over Mann-Ressinger.

Jersey’s fourth win of the night was Kali DeSherlia over Rubendelili 6-3, 6-1. Karlee Crawford sealed the win by defeating Blue 6-2, 6-1 at No. 6 Singles. Borchert defeated Lindsey Jungk 6-2, 6-0. Welbourne beat Tendick 6-2, 6-0.

The team win also comes as the Lady Panthers are preparing for the IHSA Sectional at Edwardsville on Friday and Saturday.

Head coach Beth Morgan said Jersey will enter players at Nos. 1 and 2 Singles and Nos. 1 and 2 Doubles. The seed meeting is scheduled for Wednesday night.

“Danah McCreary is going in at No.1 Singles, and Kelsey Nairn is going in at No. 2,” Morgan said. “DeSherlia-Jungk will enter as No. 1 Doubles and Elliot-Stotler will be our No. 2 Doubles team.”

Morgan said the decision to enter those six players was based on a variety of reasons, and after discussing the situation with the girls, she settled on this lineup.

“I looked at the records, and Danah and Kelsey have much better records in Singles play this season. After looking at the other teams in our Sectional, I think that most of the teams are shooting for that No. 1 Doubles spot,” Morgan explained. “Alton and Marquette, two teams that we lost to this season, are entering at No. 1 Doubles. The girls and I talked about this, and we decided that entering the Singles bracket gave them the best chance to qualify for the State tournament.”

Morgan feels that both Nairn and McCreary should receive good seeds in their respective brackets, and with the possibility of drawing a bye in the first round.

“Danah should be seeded, and Kelsey also has a strong chance,” Morgan said. “Kelsey beat Metro East Lutheran this season, and those girls come to our Sectional. We have never played Greenville, but they are supposed to be comparable to Metro East Lutheran. With a lot of teams moving their focus to Doubles, Kelsey has a leg up because she is a true No. 2 Singles player. The teams entering their No. 3 or No. 4 Singles players aren’t likely to get seeded ahead of her, with the exception of Edwardsville.”

The Lady Panthers struggled at the Mississippi Valley Conference meet on Thursday. The top two Doubles teams lost in the first round, and every Singles player lost in the opening round except for McCreary.

McCreary finished in third place, after beating Triad’s Nuedecker 6-4, 6-1. She defeated Duft 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the opening round, then lost to Waterloo’s Webb 6-0, 6-1.

“Webb is a true No. 1 Singles player,” Morgan said of the loss. “She is probably one of the best in the state, and is definitely one of the best in our area.”

Jersey also saw an opening-round win from Natalie Elliot and Rachel Stotler at No. 3 Doubles. The duo beat Waterloo in their first match, and then lost in the second round. They eventually lost to Triad, and brought home fourth place.

“It was a pretty good showing for two sophomores,” Morgan said. “I was impressed with their showing, being their first big tournament. They pulled together and fought through some tough games.”