Area teams stole the show at the 3rd Region Tennis Tournament finals on Tuesday at the Owensboro Tennis Center as every championship was won by local athletes with a couple of the wins snapping droughts that have been around for more than a decade.
In boy’s singles, Owensboro’s Dylan Mather won the regional title over Grayson County’s Owen Brown to give the Red Devils their first singles champion since 2002 when Nick Meythaler won the region and the state tournament before a successful career at Virginia.
In girl’s singles, Owensboro Catholic eighth-grader Ella Cason beat Daviess County’s Charly Hayden as the Lady Ace standout only dropped four games in the entire tournament.
In boy’s doubles, Daviess County’s Graham Sandefur and Camden Clark beat Meade County’s Peyton Johnston and Clay Dupin to not only give the pair a regional title but also have the Panthers their first 3rd Region Tournament Team Championship in 15 years.
In girl’s doubles, Catholic’s Emmy Moore and Sarah Kate Young had to beat a duo they were all too familiar with in teammates Aisha Merchant and Olivia Hayden as Catholic cruised to the 3rd Region Tournament Team Championship on the girls’ side.
The KHSAA State Tennis Tournament is scheduled for June 1-3 in Lexington.
BOYS SINGLES
Dylan Mather (Owensboro) def. Owen Brown (Grayson) 6-0, 6-2
The last time a Red Devil singles player won a regional title, Owensboro’s Dylan Mather wasn’t even born but the Owensboro junior broke that streak Tuesday when he cruised by Grayson County’s Owen Brown.
“It’s just excitement,” he said was his first feeling. “I’ve been playing high school tennis, this is my eighth year, since fourth grade … I’ve seen someone win that wasn’t me so now it’s finally me.”
Mather was the top-seed in this week’s tournament but it wasn’t new territory for him as he also had the top spot his freshman season for the Red Devils.
Mather admitted he didn’t get the job done two years but he’s a different player now.
“There were definitely a lot of similarities,” he said. “I felt like freshman year I was going into it with the advantage and things came out the way I didn’t want them to. I didn’t play my best. I was still a little cautious because I knew what happened freshman year but this year, I just felt a lot bigger. I felt there’s not as much volatility to my game. When I go out there, I have my game and every time I go out there I just execute.”
Mather has competed in the regional tournament since middle school and he knows nearly everything about it as he picks up more each year.
He said it all came together this week.
“I’ve been around here for a while,” he said. “I grew up around this. As you grow up, you get more mature and I’ve been maturing around tennis my whole life. Now I feel pretty mature in these moments and stuff like this definitely doesn’t phase me too much and just go out there and hitting with a buddy, that’s what I imagine it.”
BOYS SINGLES STATE QUALIFIERS
Dylan Mather (Owensboro)
Owen Brown (Grayson)
Mason Cummings (Grayson)
Tucker Bradley (Meade)
GIRLS SINGLES
Ella Cason (Catholic) def. Charly Hayden (Daviess) 6-1, 6-1
Owensboro Catholic’s Ella Cason and Daviess County’s Charly Hayden were the last match to get underway Tuesday but Cason did what she’s did the entire tournament and grabbed the victory in impressive fashion.
“I’m just so happy that I got to have this opportunity to play and I just felt great,” she said. “I was super prepared. I wanted to be on my game and I was. It just worked out perfectly for me.”
Cason came into the tourney at the No. 1 seed but she admitted she tried to push that out of her mind.
“I was trying to neglect the thought that this was regionals and I was just thinking this was going to be another match,” she said.
Cason is now looking forward to the state tournament and building on what she’s already accomplished before she’s reached high school.
To win a region title and a team title, Cason said it’s a testament to every player on the team.
“As a team we’ve played very well,” she said. “I’m very proud how everyone’s played and gotten better through the year. Especially through Covid, we’ve all grown closer, which I’m very happy about. I’m glad most of us get to go to state.”
GIRLS SINGLES STATE QUALIFIERS
Ella Cason (Catholic)
Charly Hayden (Daviess)
Izzie Weedman (Grayson)
Mia Lampert (Apollo)
BOYS DOUBLES
Graham Sandefur/Camden Clark (Daviess) def. Peyton Johnston/Clay Dupin (Meade) 7-5, 7-5
The Daviess County duo of Graham Sandefur and Camden Clark were the only champion Tuesday that didn’t come into the final as the top-seed as the Panthers were No. 2 on the week but that didn’t stop them from taking down the favorites in Meade County’s Peyton Johnston and Clay Dupin.
The win also gave the Panthers their first 3rd Region Tournament Team Title in 15 years.
“I just love my team. It’s all I can think about whenever I’m out there,” Sandefur said. “We lost last year (2019) to Meade County and it was the same way, it came down to the last match. This meant a lot to the team. We had a few guys lose early but that match was for the team.”
Clark echoed his teammates sentiment.
“I’m over the moon,” he said. “I can’t believe we did it … I couldn’t be more excited about it.”
Both Sandefur and Clark knew coming into the match that a win would mean the team title and both admitted they had more nerves after hearing the news.
Clark said they were able to keep their head in the game and get the job done.
DC coach Jack Etchison talked to the duo when they trailed in the first set, which helped put them at ease.
“So many nerves,” Sandefur said going into the match. “I’ve never been that nervous in my life. It was a great match. We were down 5-2 in the first, looked rough. Jack came over and told us some stuff and we were good to go from there. We rolled.”
There’s never a shortage of emotion coming from the side of Clark and Sandefur as Clark said it makes the game easier knowing his teammate can pick him up.
Sandefur said he’s had to learn how to harnish that emotion and Clark has helped with that.
“It’s a good balance of having emotion and then knowing when you have to settle back down,” he said. “I remember when I first started playing I had a lot of emotion and then I’d keep it and it messed me up. It’s a lot of learning.”
BOYS DOUBLES STATE QUALIFIERS
Graham Sandefur/Camden Clark (Daviess)
Peyton Johnston/Clay Dupin (Meade)
Brett Conder/Tucker Ray (Catholic)
James Solderling/Heath Embry (Muhlenberg)
GIRLS DOUBLES
Emmy Moore/Sarah Kate Young (Catholic) def. Olivia Hayden/Aisha Merchant (Catholic) 6-2, 6-2
Before Owensboro Catholic’s Emmy Moore and Sarah Kate Young took the court in the girls doubles final on Tuesday, they knew early in the tournament that their potential championship opponent could be their teammates in Olivia Hayden and Aisha Merchant — they were right.
Despite playing the most familiar duo they could, Moore/Kate beat their teammates 6-2, 6-2, for the title.
“It’s exciting,” Moore said. “I was a little nervous but I knew if we came out there and played how we could play that we would be good. They (Hayden/Merchant) did so good. They played good. It’s hard playing your teammates, no matter what. It’s definitely the hardest opponent we could of faced. I’m very excited, it’s senior year and you can’t go wrong going out with a regional championship.”
Young agreed and said it’s a great feeling.
“I’m just proud we held it together and were able to play our teammates and not combust and get nervous,” she said. “It was exciting and I’m excited for state now. It’s what we’ve got our eye now.”
With the senior team being the favorite, Young said it came with some nerves.
“I think the pressure came with this match because we knew they were going to be our biggest competition and being our teammates and being younger than us,” she said. “There’s a lot of things and a lot of pressure. At the beginning we were a little shaky.”
Moore said she was asked prior to Tuesday’s match if her and Young ever disagreed on the court and she said they’ve gotten to know each other even more because of tennis.
“We don’t (fight),” she said. “We’ll get really quiet but we don’t fight. I think it’s good because we pick each other up. We know each other so I know she doesn’t want to be talked to right now or I know she does need to be talked to, you just know each other, which is how most doubles teams are but it does help to know her a little bit better.”
Young said despite them cruising through the region, there are still things they need to work on before state.
“A lot of practicing return of serve,” she said. “A lot of practicing baseline because I think our strongest is definitely at the net. As long as we focus on that, we’ll probably be ready for state.”
GIRLS DOUBLES STATE QUALIFIERS
Emmy Moore/Sarah Kate Young (Catholic)
Olivia Hayden/Aisha Merchant (Catholic)
Caitlyn Blandford/Lauren Clements (Apollo)
Sarah-Cate Boggess/Baker Hardison (Muhlenberg)
