The host Salem High tennis team finished in fourth place at the South-Central Association Tournament, held Wednesday, April 24 at Salem City Park.
Willow Springs won the team championship with 14 points while Mountain Grove was second with nine points, Houston third with eight, Salem fourth with seven and Mountain View Liberty fifth with one.
Top-seeded junior Connor McKinney, from Houston, defended his title as SCA singles champion, wining all four of his matches.
In the doubles championship match Willow Springs’ Aiden Stuart/Montana Coats defeated Salem’s J.J. Smith/Blayne Canaday, earning the Tiger duo all-conference second-team honors.
Also last week Salem lost road dual meets at Lebanon 8-1 Monday, April 22 and at Waynesville 5-0 Tuesday, April 23 in a match ended early due to weather.
The Tigers are 5-7 in dual-meet competition.
This week Salem was to play at Willow Springs Tuesday.
Salem will also host the Missouri Class 1 District 8 Team Tournament, to be held May 6-7 at Salem City Park. Houston, Licking and Osage is also in the district team tournament.
Here are dual meet results, with the Salem players listed first:
April 23: Waynesville 5, Salem 0 – Singles: Braiden Gapsch lost to Patrick Petitt, 8-1. Emmett Headrick lost to Damen Plotner, 8-2. Kaison Wilmont lost to Julian Vargas, 8-0. Blayne Canaday lost to Jacob Dye, 8-3. Jordan Hubbs lost to Jashon Hamilton, 8-1.
April 22: Lebanon 8, Salem 1 – Doubles: Gapsch/Headrick lost to Ethan Fisher/Conor McGruder, 8-0. J.J. Smith/Canaday lost to Kasey Hicks/Dathan Durbin, 8-1. Wilmont/Hubbs lost to Denver Woodruff/Josiah Ruble, 8-4. Singles: Smith lost to Fisher, 8-1. Gapsch lost to McGruder, 8-0. Headrick lost to Hicks, 8-1. Wilmont lost to Durbin, 8-1. Canaday beat Woodruff, 8-2. Hubbs lost to Ruble, 8-3. Exhibition – Singles: Charlie Terrill lost, 6-0. Linkyn Atkinson lost, 6-0. Osmar Ramirez won, 6-4. Robert Gerischer lost, 6-0. Cameron Seay lost, 6-4. Canyon Warden lost, 6-2. Jackson Roderman won, 6-3. Andrew Bennett lost, 6-3. Jessie Fulton lost, 6-3. Tabitha Deller won, 6-0. Doubles: Terrill/Atkinson lost, 6-1. Ramirez/Gerischer lost, 6-4. Seay/Warden lost, 6-1. Roderman/Bennett won, 6-2. Fatima Careaga/Fulton won, 6-4. Austin Cunningham/Kobe Walker lost, 6-3. Jhonine Maralit/Clara Cooper lost, 6-3. Deller/Trinity Haas lost, 6-0.
