Clear Lake starts quicker, handles Lynx on courts
WEBSTER CITY — A difficult start in singles put the Webster City boys’ tennis team in a hole it was unable to dig out of yesterday afternoon at the Lynx Courts.
Clear Lake was better equipped to handle the at times gusty conditions, as the Lions raced out to sizable leads in the majority of the singles matches. They won five of the six singles bouts and cruised to a 7-2 dual-meet victory.
“The kids played hard,” WCHS head coach Michael Ross said. “We had a rough start and got behind in a lot of matches … Clear Lake has a solid team.”
Three of the singles matches went to a tiebreaker and only George Vila was able to prevail for the Lynx. He dropped the first set to Nathan Lollar in the No. 4 match, but rallied for the win (6-7, 6-3) with a 10-7 tiebreaker tally.
Chase Black and Brody Henderson both fell in singles tiebreakers.
Vila and Henderson prevailed in doubles in yet another tiebreaker for the Lynx. They dropped the first set to Cabot Neuberger and Carter Markwardt, 6-2, and fell behind in the second set before catching fire for a 6-4 win. They then took the tiebreaker, 10-5.
“Vila worked hard all night,” Ross said. “Brody and George never quit and it payed off.”
Walter Moreira-Suarez, Heath Patterson and Seth Nelson dropped singles matches in straight sets.
Clear Lake 7, WCHS 2
Thursday at Webster City
Singles
Jaxson Gerhardt (CL) def. Walter Moreira-Suarez 6-1, 6-2. Ben Loge (CL) def. Heath Patterson 6-3, 6-1. Justin Kerr (CL) def. Seth Nelson 6-4, 6-3. George Vila (WC) def. Nathan Lollar 6-7, 6-3 (10-7). Cabot Neuberger (CL) def. Chase Black 3-6, 7-5 (10-6). Carter Markwardt (CL) def. Brody Henderson 3-6, 6-2 (10-8).
Doubles
Gerhardt/Loge (CL) def. Moreira-Suarez/Patterson 6-3, 6-0. Kerr/Lollard (CL) def. Nelson/Black 6-0, 6-4. Vila/Henderson (WC) def. Neuberger/Markwardt 2-6, 6-4 (10-5).