The Platte County girls’ tennis team bounced back after a rough start and defeated Raymore-Peculiar in the Pirate’s second home match of the year on Aug. 31.
The Pirates got on the board first when Sophie Curtis and Taylor Mayne continued their undefeated doubles play. The duo ended with a nice 8-3 win for the number two doubles.
The Panthers responded by taking down Platte County’s top doubles team 8-3 and number three doubles team 8-5. The Pirates knew they had to win four out of the last six matches to get the victory, so they stepped up and made plays when it counted.
Pirates senior Molly McBratney serves the ball to her Panther opponent.
“The Pirates and Panthers haven’t met often in the 14 years of the Platte County tennis program,” Platte County head coach Zach Keith said. “Two things can be said about all three of their meetings - they’ve all been very close and we have won all three times.”
Raymore-Peculiar got on the board first in singles, when Chantelle Sheldon beat Molly McBratney in a match-up of the two number one players. Maria Molinari was the first Pirate to get on the board in singles play with a dominant win against the Panther’s number two.
“Molinari looked comfortable out there in singles and played smart tennis all match long to secure the victory. Even though the Panthers appeared to be in control, we looked really good in the last three matches on court,” Keith said.
The Panthers went up 4-2 overall after junior Ellie Fish dropped her singles match, but Taylor Mayne picked up a pair of 4-1 and 4-0 victories for the number five players. Sophie Curtis secured a victory shortly thereafter, which moved the overall score to 4-4 ahead of Rayna Garcia’s single’s matchup.
“Curtis looked good today as she utilized her speed and natural handstand ability to dominate her opponent. Garcia played exactly the type of match you’d expect from her, winning 4-2 and 4-1 to secure the 5-4 overall victory,” Keith said.
Platte County opened with back-to-back home wins, as the Pirates defeated St. Joseph’s Central on August 30. The Pirates will be returning home next against Liberty North on Wednesday, Sept. 8.