WAVERLY — The Webster City girls’ tennis team came up short in its quest to reach the state tournament here on Wednesday, but it wasn’t due to a lack of effort.

Exhausted, both physically and mentally after a long day battling in the heat, the Lynx exited the Class 1A regional singles/doubles tournament with a pair of fourth-place finishes.

Senior Jordyn Sullivan reached the singles semifinals, while classmate Kayley Wibholm and her partner Joslin Gourley reached the same round in the doubles draw. Semifinal wins would have guaranteed them spots in the state tournament, but WCHS was unable to pull out a win.

Sullivan and the doubles team both fell in the consolation final as well.

“They were all so spent,” WCHS head coach Mark Fisher said. “I know Kayley and Joslin were emotionally exhausted after the semifinal, but they played so well.”

Wibholm and Gourley — the North Central Conference doubles champions — drew the No. 2 seed and rolled to back-to-back straight set wins over Waverly-Shell Rock’s Maggie Hart and Maddie Leary (7-5, 6-3), as well as Iowa Falls-Alden’s Kadynce Winters and Aubrey Johnson (6-2, 6-2) in the first round and quarters.

In the semifinals, No. 3 seed Kaitlyn Olson and Kendall Olson of Osage handed Wibholm and Gourley a 6-4, 7-5 setback.

“The score doesn’t tell the story,” Fisher said. “Such a hard-fought, close match the entire way. An absolute battle. Those two gave a state-qualifying type performance.”

Sullivan, the No. 4 seed in the singles bracket, pulled out grueling wins in the first round and quarters. But Iowa Falls-Alden’s Lauren Wood — the NCC singles champion — beat Sullivan for the second time in four days, 6-3, 6-1.

“(Sullivan) just absolutely ran out of gas,” Fisher said.

Mackenzie Burney and Makaylee Draeger also entered the doubles bracket, but lost in the opening round to Waverly-Shell Rock’s fourth-seeded Brooke Willis and Grace Gaede, 6-1, 6-2.

“They played much tougher than the score showed, especially in the second set,” Fisher said. “These two have had an unbelievable run the past two years. They have so much to be proud of.”