Lady Tigers 'serve' up another win

The Lady Tigers’ tennis team is enjoying a modest win streak to begin their 2008 season.

More importantly, the Lady Tigers are now 2-0 in the Central Ozark Conference.

The win over Neosho came from a rain shortened match that saw a few slips and slides before Carthage put away Neosho in three of the first four singles matches.

Veronica Sprenkle, a sophomore, playing in the number six spot won 8-4 over Tori Wood just before the rain really started coming down.

“(In these conditions) it’s really slippery and you have to watch your step or you might fall,” Sprenkle said.

Sprenkle has only been playing tennis for two years. Coach Debbie Smallwood has been impressed with the way she has been able to step up in either the five or six spot and play very well.

If Sprenkle had a choice she said she would pick doubles over singles.

“It’s a team effort,” Sprenkle said.

Sprenkle and her current doubles partner, senior Josie Smith, share a saying on the doubles court – “the game’s in the bag.”

“If we’re down in a match, Josie will remind me the game’s in the bag and it really helps,” Sprenkle said.

Smith has been playing tennis for six years and is currently the number five player for CHS. Smith won her singles match 8-5 Tuesday against Neosho’s Sara Nine. 

“I like singles the most because it’s either all your fault, or all your glory,” Smith said. “There’s nobody else to blame.”

Smith agrees with Sprenkle that rain can wreak havoc on the tennis courts.

“When it’s just sprinkling and the courts still dry you’re OK, Smith said. “When it’s like this and you’re slipping and sliding everywhere, it can get dangerous.”

Smallwood said with the weather conditions the matches were started early.

“We didn’t play in ideal conditions at the end,” Smallwood said. “When it really started getting wet we stopped. We needed five wins to call it a match and we were ahead 3-0 after doubles, we needed at least two singles and we got three wins out of the singles matches. This was very good for us.”

Smallwood is proud of her girls after the first four matches, but wants her team to stay focused on what’s ahead.

“We’ve got a lot of potential, but they have to stay focused,” Smallwood said. “Some of the teams we’ve played are going to get better as we are getting better. We have to make sure that when we go in (to matches) we take care of what we’re supposed to do.”

“A lot of times after winning, you just expect it and you don’t go in and play as hard,” Smallwood added. “We have to continue to grow and if we do I think we’ll continue to find success.”

In doubles play Carthage swept Neosho 3-0 with the No. 1 duo of Chrystal Dalton and Baylee Blagg, the No. 2 duo of Mariah Marsden and Phylicia Lewis and the No. 3 duo of Smith and Sprenkle.

In singles play No. 1 Marsden lost to Jessica Bussey 6-8, No. 2 Dalton defeated Amanda Bogle 8-5, No. 5 Smith beat Nine 8-5 and No. 6 Sprenkle topped Wood 8-4. No. 3 Blagg and No. 4 Lewis were rained out of their singles matches and Carthage took these two as a forfeit to end the match at 6-3.