Aleeta Pratt’s play went a long way in winning the day for the Aberdeen girls tennis team in a matchup against Centralia that came down to a tiebreaker.
With the teams tied in match wins at three apiece, it came down to total games won as the tiebreaker, with the Bobcats securing the victory, 48-40.
Aberdeen avoided getting blown out in the matches they did lose, but Bobcats head coach Ashley Kohlmeier said getting such a dominant performance from Pratt made the difference.
“The clincher for us was Pratt’s double bagel, since Centralia wasn’t able to get any points from that match,” she said. “Centralia is always a tough team and pulling it out 48-40 games makes it a little more exciting.”
Despite winning 6-0, 6-0, Pratt said she had to shake off a little bit of rust after not being able to play outside leading up to Thursday’s match due to the wet weather, but she was able to fight through some mistakes with accurate shots.
“Honestly, today wasn’t exactly my best but I was getting where I wanted to be,” she said. “I had placement and I was able to do most things pretty well. And I’m glad it was warm out.”
Rainy weather has tested the patience of players and coaches this year, but Pratt credits her new-found steadiness on the court with helping take her game to the next level.
“I have definitely learned how to slow myself down a little more and I’ve gained some patience which I didn’t have last year at all,” she said. “I’ve slowed myself down this year and it contributes a lot to my game.”
In addition to Pratt’s victory, Aberdeen did well in doubles play. The duo of Molly Scroggs and Chase Baller and the team of Kylie Knodel and Abbie Bradt also came away with big wins for the Bobcats on Thursday.
Kohlmeier said a focus on footwork made the difference in doubles.
“We’ve really been focusing on movement with the doubles players, getting our feet going and moving to the ball instead of reacting to the ball once it gets to them,” she said. “I saw an improvement in that today with all of the doubles matches. It was a good day.”
Aberdeen is near the bottom of the league standings with a record of 1-1 but is hoping its young group of players can mature quickly.
Kohlmeier thinks her team is on the right path to make some noise in time for postseason play and understands that dealing rained-out practices and matches goes with the territory.
“We don’t have any control over the weather so the rain is kind of the norm for us,” she said. “When we do get to play outside it’s normally on match day and at this point our matches are practices for postseason.”
If the sunny weather holds, Aberdeen will host Black Hills at 3:30 on Friday.
Results
Singles: Aleeta Pratt (A)) def. Gracie Wiley (Centralia), 6-0, 6-0; Angelica Verloe (C) def. Hannah Erwin, 6-1, 6-2; Shannon Johnson (C) def. Mary Lang, 6-3, 6-3. Rachel Wilkerson/Carissa Kaut (C) def. Sonia Dominguez/Rachel Tageant, 6-2, 6-1; Kylie Knodel/ Abbie Bradt (A) def. Kenhia Hinajosa-Orozco/ Monica Jimenez-Solano, 6-2, 6-0; Molly Scroggs/Chase Baller (A) def. Noelle Pertzborn/Emily Grove, 6-2, 6-0.
