Bath’s Anne Oliver hits a return during Saturday’s Lima City Invitational at the Collett Street courts.
Nate Reynolds | The Lima News
LIMA — Lima Central Catholic senior Libby Simmons knew she had to stay focused.
The windy, wet weather conditions at Saturday’s girls Lima City Invitational at the Collett Street tennis courts, made each swing of the tennis racket a little more challenging.
In the finals of the first singles bracket, Simmons managed to overcome the windy conditions, en route to an 8-3 victory over Bluffton senior Brooke Camper.
Each match was scored as an Eight-Game Pro Set.
Toward the end of Saturday’s first-round matches, a storm moved through the area, which delayed play for nearly an hour-and-a-half.
Fortunately, the heavy rains held off after the delay. However, the wind picked up as the afternoon wore on.
Simmons, a two-time state qualifier, said she had to adjust the way she hit the tennis ball on Saturday.
“The wind was real bad. I kept hitting it too hard, and it would go out,” Simmons said with a grin. “I kept getting mad, which made me hit it even harder. Then I was like, ‘OK, you should probably hit it lighter’. … So, that’s what I did.”
Simmons, the first seed, had a first-round bye on Saturday.
Simmons defeated Wapakoneta’s Brooke Minnig in her semifinal match, 8-1.
Camper, on the other hand, had to battle back from a huge deficit in her semifinal match against Bath’s Anne Oliver.
After getting down 0-5 against Oliver, Camper came roaring back and eventually won the match, 8-6.
“When I was (down) 0-5, it was in my head,” Camper said. “So, I was pretty negative. But then I got a couple points and started to get back into it. Then, I just held my head up the rest of the match, and that really helped. I was pretty tired (after the semifinal match).”
Simmons and Camper know each other pretty well. They work together on their tennis skills during the off-season.
“I play Brooke every season. We practice together (during the winter),” Simmons said.
Added Camper, “Libby just has a lot of different shots in her book.”
Last season, Camper made it to the quarterfinals in the sectional tournament. This year, she wants to take her game to the next level.
“My goal is to go to state. I’ve been wanting to (go to state) since I was little. That’s what I’m working toward,” Camper said.
In second singles, LCC’s Claire Janowski defeated O-G’s Maggie Schmiedebusch for the title, 8-1.
In the final team standings Saturday, Ottawa-Glandorf won the title with 24 points. LCC and Wapakoneta tied for second with 18 points apiece. Bath (16), Bluffton (14), Elida (12) and Lima Senior (3) rounded out the seven-team field.
O-G head coach Jill Leopold-Searfoss pointed to her team’s experience as an important factor for this season. The Titans opened their campaign this past week with a 4-1 win over Findlay.
“We have all varsity players (from last season) returning, except for two. Our three singles players are seasoned players,” Leopold-Searfoss said. “My daughter Megan (Welch) played first singles; and she’s the one who won the consolation bracket. … She is a senior. We have a second singles player, Maggie (Schmiedebusch), who is a sophomore. She (Schmiedebusch) played third singles last year. Then we have third singles player Mya Inkrott, who played second singles last year. She’s a junior.
“So, we’ve had those three experienced girls coming into this season. They were ready to hit the court hard. I know my singles players are where they’re meant to be. Where they played today is their resting spot for the season.”
O-G’s Mya Inkrott defeated Bluffton’s Brooklyn Moser for the third singles title, 8-1.
O-G’s Lauren Niese and Jericha Walls defeated Elida’s Mya Long and Ellen Troyer in the first doubles title match, 8-2.
In the second doubles title match, Wapakoneta’s Liberty Jolly and Brooklyn Mowery defeated O-G’s Savannah Heckman and Sarah Ellerbrock, 9-8 (7-2).
Results
Team Scores: 1. Ottawa-Glandorf 24, 2. LCC and Wapakoneta, 18 each, 4. Bath 16, 5. Bluffton 14, 6. Elida 12, 7. Lima Senior 3.
First Singles
Quarterfinals: Brooke Minnig (W) def. Megan Welch (OG), 8-2; Brooke Camper (Bl) def. Ali Weber (LS), 8-0; Anne Oliver (Ba) def. Emma Stauffer (E), 8-1; Libby Simmons (LCC) bye.
Semifinals: Simmons (LCC) def. Minnig (W), 8-1; Camper (Bl) def. Oliver (Ba), 8-6.
Finals: Simmons (LCC) def. Camper (B), 8-3.
Third Place: Oliver (Ba) def. Minnig (W), 8-1.
Consolation Semifinals: Welch (OG) def. Stauffer (E), 8-0; Weber (LS) bye.
Consolation Final: Welch (OG) def. Weber (LS), 8-0.
Second Singles
Quarterfinals: Maggie Schmiedebusch (OG) def. Rory Youngpeter (Bl), 8-0; Abby Campbell (E) def. Virgo Lee (LS), 8-0; Claire Janowski (LCC) def. Kelsie Carlson (B), 8-1; Donaldson (W) bye.
Semifinals: Schmiedebusch (OG) def. Donaldson (W), 8-2; Janowski (LCC) def. Campbell (E), 8-0.
Finals: Janowski (LCC) def. Schmiedebusch (OG), 8-1.
Third Place: Campbell (E) bye.
Consolation Semifinals: Carlson (Ba) def. Youngpeter (Bl), 8-1; Donaldson (W) def. Lee (LS), 8-0.
Consolation Final: Kelsie Carlson (Ba) def. Donaldson (W), 8-1.
Third Singles
Quarterfinals: Kierra Siefring (W) def. Lyla Hurst (E), 8-0; Megan Brickner (OG) def. Maddie Cheney (Ba), 6-2; Brooklyn Moser (Bl) def. Alexa Heffner (LCC), 8-5; Inkrott (OG) bye.
Semifinals: Brooklyn Moser (Bl) def. Megan Brickner (OG), 8-0; Inkrott (OG) def. Kierra Siefring (W), 8-6.
Finals: Mya Inkrott (OG) def. Brooklyn Moser (Bl), 8-1.
Third Place: Siefring (W) def. Brickner (OG), 8-1.
Consolation Semifinals: Alexa Heffner (LCC); Hurst (E) bye.
Consolation Final: Alexa Heffner (LCC) def. Lyla Hurst (E), 8-0.
First Doubles
Quarterfinals: Mya Long/Ellen Troyer (E) def. MaKayla Rader/DeeDee Brown (LS), 8-0; Lauren Niese/Jericha Walls (OG) def. Emma Skinner/Maria Pignatatro (LCC), 8-4; Tea Sibert/Allyson Harnishfeger (Ba) def. Anja Walters/Kate Eley (W), 8-5; Klinger/Nieman (Bl) bye.
Semifinals: Niese/Walls (OG) def. Sibert/Harnishfeger (Ba), 8-6; Long/Troyer (E) def. Klinger/Nieman (Bl), 8-5.
Finals: Niese/Walls (OG) def. Long/Troyer (E), 8-2.
Third Place: Sibert/Harnishfeger (Ba) bye.
Consolation Semifinals: Walters/Eley (W) def. Rader/Brown (LS), 8-0; Skinner/Pignatatro (LCC) def. Klinger/Nieman (Bl), 8-3.
Consolation Final: Walters/Eley (W) and Skinner/Pignatatro (LCC) tie.
Second Doubles
Quarterfinals: Liberty Jolly/Brooklyn Mowery (W) def. Ava McCamery/Genevieve Gatchel (Bl), 8-0; Hume/Palmer (W) def. Saige Bullock/Katelyn Mack (E), 8-4; Savanah Heckman/Sarah Ellerbrock (OG) def. Lucy Bensinger/Mataya Lewis (LCC), 8-0; Olivia Foster/Brylie Kaple (Ba) bye.
Semifinals: Heckman/Ellerbrock (OG) def. Hume/Palmer (W), 8-1; Jolly/Mowery (W) def. Foster/Kaple (Ba), 8-2.
Finals: Jolly/Mowery (W) def. Heckman/Ellerbrock (OG), 9-8 (7-2).
Third Place: Hume/Palmer (W) bye.
Consolation Semifinals: McCamery/Gatchel (Bl) def. Bensinger/Lewis (LCC), 8-0; Foster/Kaple (Ba) bye.
Consolation Final: McCamery/Gatchel (Bl) def. Foster/Kaple (Ba), 8-1.
Reach The Lima News sports department at 567-242-0451.
