GHS tennis ends string of road matches with loss at Stephenville

GHS tennis ends string of road matches with loss at Stephenville News Staff Fri, 08/16/2024 - 9:24 am

• (TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Steers’ Barron Burrows winds up and prepares to return a hit during one of the team’s matches earlier this season. Graham recently took a 14-5 loss at Stephenville.
• (TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Lady Blues’ Kline Krupp sets herself up to hit the ball back to her opponent during a match earlier this year. Graham traveled to Stephenville but took a 14-5 loss Monday, Aug. 12.
• (TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Graham’s Chris Reyes (left) and Brodey Mills (right) prepare themselves before play as a doubles pair during a match earlier this season. Both players competed with different doubles partners at the team’s recent match against Stephenville.
• (TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Graham’s Heather Wright returns a hit from one of her opponents in a match earlier this season. The Steers and Lady Blues competed at Stephenville but took a loss Monday, Aug. 12.

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TC Gordon sports@grahamleader.com

It’s not easy playing as the visiting team in any sport, and things get tougher when you play multiple road matches in a row.

The Graham tennis team played five matches over the course of an eight-day span, which ended Monday, Aug. 12 with a 14-5 team loss at Stephenville.

Long days on the bus and lengthy matches in the summer heat on a foreign court can wear a team out, so the Steers and Lady Blues were happy to return home for a match-up Thursday, Aug. 15 against Bridgeport. Information and results from that match will come in a future edition.

Stephenville fields a strong team most years and they’re a force in the district during individual tennis in the spring. But as Graham continues through the non-district schedule of the fall season, the Steers and Lady Blues are looking to improve against tough competition.

In the six doubles matches that get scored for points, Graham’s boys and girls basically matched each other. The Steers’ No. 2 duo of Barron Burrows and Brodey Mills won their match-up while the Lady Blues’ No. 2 pair of Stacey Gonzalez and Kline Krupp won as well.

Burrows and Mills won 9-8 with a 7-2 tiebreaker set and Gonzalez and Krupp won 8-5. Boys No. 1 doubles team of Hayden Burrows and Silas Yoder lost 8-4 and No. 3 pairing of Chris Reyes and Paul Andrade lost a close one 8-6.

The Lady Blues’ doubles No. 1 of Jade Dospapas and Heather Wright fell 8-1 and No. 3 Reanna Brock and Hope Jones were swept 8-0.

Each team had additional doubles pairings that played, though their results didn’t count towards the overall team score. Graham’s Lauren White and Lilian Rivera won their doubles match 8-0 while the boys’ Keigan Garland and Kayne McLemore won 8-1.

Graham’s mixed doubles team of Olivia Buckley and Gaige Whitaker fought hard in their match but fell 8-5 to Stephenville. The Steers and Lady Blues’ second mixed team—which doesn’t count for points—of Leyla Guerrero and Hudson Crawford won 8-4.

In both the boys and girls singles matches, each side scored two points towards Graham’s total.

For the boys, No. 3 Yoder won a close battle 8-6 and No. 7 Andrade won his match 6-3. On the girls side, both No. 1 Dospapas and No. 3 Wright each earned an 8-5 victory in their respective matches.

As for the rest of the Steers, No. 1 Hayden Burrows and No. 2 Barron Burrows each fell by a score of 8-2, No. 4 Mills and No. 5 Reyes each lost by the same close score of 9-7 and No. 6 Whitaker lost 8-6.

In Lady Blues singles, No. 2 Gonzalez battled but fell 8-6, No. 4 Buckley lost 8-1, No. 5 Krupp and No. 6 Jones each took 8-0 losses and No. 7 Brock lost 6-2.

It was a hot and difficult day of competition for Graham, but one that will benefit the team as they work towards the start of the district schedule in a few weeks.

The Steers and Lady Blues are looking forward to multiple home matches. After the match-up with Bridgeport, the team will remain at home Thursday, Aug. 22 for a match against Glen Rose.

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