ELK CITY – Both Clinton tennis teams placed in the top three Friday at the program’s Hub City Tournament that’s held in Elk City.
The Lady Reds took home the runner-up hardware and narrowly earned first, trailing tourney champ Altus in points, 30-29. The Reds placed third as a team behind Altus and Elk City.
“Team-wise, we did pretty well on Friday,” Clinton head tennis coach Phil Veazey said. “I was real pleased with the way all of us played. We beat some people that beat us before. I think we made some big gains as far as the way we play.”
As a team, Clinton didn’t beat Altus, but a few spots came out with wins, avenging their early-season losses. The No. 1 doubles pair of Savannah Skiles and Kate Dowdell won their first tourney championship of the season, going 3-0 in their bracket. They took down Altus, 6-1, 6-2 in the finals after losing two previous matches.
No. 2 doubles pair Michelle Nguyen and Emma Dowdell won their bracket as well for their third tourney title of the season. In singles, Halle Cabaniss took third in the No. 1 singles spot with a record of 2-1, while Ramona Ville-gas took fourth in No. 2.
Success in the doubles slots rolled over to the boys. Blake Wolters and Khoa To led the team with a 3-0 record and a tourney title at No. 1 doubles. They defeated Altus, 6-4, 6-4 and Elk City, 6-2, 6-3 in revenge matches to win the title.
Alex and Nate Jones finished third with a record of 2-1 in No. 2 doubles, and sophomore Hunter Staggs went 1-2 to finish fourth in No. 1 singles to add to the scoring. No. 2 singles didn’t place with its entries.