| Nicole Sanders gets ready for the ball. |
Region 8 playoffs for tennis were held Monday of last week in Ephraim, followed with the state playoffs on Friday in St. George. The Lady Spartans went to Ephraim on Oct. 4 to vie for positions in the state tournament. The first and second singles players, Gwendolyn Coyne and Traci Jensen were each at 6-0 respectively, when the matches had to be canceled because of inclement weather. The play resumed on Monday from where they had left off. Region rankings: singles: Gwendolyn Coyne, 2nd place Traci Jensen, 2nd place Nicole Sanders, 3rd place doubles: Rachelle Killpack and Melanie Johnson, 3rd place Jana Lee Tuttle and Whitney Erickson, 3rd place
In St. George, the singles played at Tonnaquin Park while the doubles teams played at the middle school courts downtown. The first and second singles were able to win their first match, Gwendolyn Coyne (6-2, 6-2) and Traci Jensen (6-3, 6-3). The third singles, Nicole Sanders was defeated in the first match. Emery’s first doubles team, Rachelle Killpack and Melanie Johnson were tied at four all and put up a valiant effort when the other team was able to pull ahead 4-6,4-6. The second doubles team for Emery changed continually throughout the season with Jana Lee Tuttle being a constant but having a revolving door of partners. Whitney Erickson, new to the tennis team this year, was Jana Lee’s partner for region and state.
Coach Tom Hansen was very pleased with the results of the competition and said that many of the girls on his team had just started playing tennis this fall. The Coaches are excited about the caliber of athletes that are being attracted to the sport He has plans to run a summer tennis program that would give those interested in learning about tennis some additional skills before the season begins. Emery High was well represented by these young women, not only for their athletic abilities but by their sportsmanship qualities.