The two-month 2024 high school tennis journey is coming to an end. The Greenwood Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs completed their regular season schedule at the end of September with two postseason events up next, including the 5A West conference tournament this week in Russellville followed by the state tournament in Searcy, October 14-15.
Head Coach Dexter Pearcy and volunteer assistant Randy Magness have high hopes that their players will be competitive against other league members and get a chance to move on to the state tournament. Over the past few weeks both GHS squads have faced Farmington, Shiloh Christian, Russellville, Alma, and Van Buren, with the Greenwood varsity girls going unbeaten during that stretch.
Greenwood vs. Farmington 9/17/24
Both GHS teams fared very well against the Cardinals of Farmington in mid-September, each going 3-1. It was the second time this season the two schools have met on the courts. In their earlier meeting the two schools split 2-2 in both girls and boys play. In their most recent action, the Lady Bulldogs dropped only one doubles match while the Bulldogs lost only one singles match.
For the GHS girls, #1 singles player Harper Berg won, 4-0, 4-2, and #2 Emma Koenigseder won, 4-1, 4-1. In varsity doubles action, the #1 GHS duo of Mackenzie Magness and Kylah Pearcy were victorious, 4-0, 4-0, adding to their undefeated record on the season. The #2 team of Taelyn Martin and Klaire Holland lost their match, 0-4, 2-4.
In varsity boys’ action at Farmington, Greenwood’s top singles player Caleb Schaefer won his match in crushing fashion, 4-0, 4-0. Wesley Jarrell, the Bulldogs’ #2 player, lost his match in extra play, 0-4, 4-2, and 8-10 in the tiebreaker. In boys’ doubles play, #1 Lucas Hefflin and Alex Schaefer won their match 5-4, 4-2, while the #2 duo of Thomas Veatch and Jon David Hefflin also won, 4-0, 3-5, 10-7.
Greenwood vs. Shiloh Christian 9/17/24
On the same day they played Farmington at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, the GHS girls and boys also faced the Saints of Shiloh Christian, splitting their eight varsity matches with the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs each going 2-2. That’s the same split the Greenwood girls achieved in their earlier match against Shiloh while the GHS boys improved from 1-3 to 2-2.
Greenwood’s Harper Berg lost her singles match, 1-4, 0-4, while Emma Koenigseder won easily, 4-0, 4-0. The duo of Mackenzie Magness and Kylah Pearcy rallied to win their doubles match, 1-4, 5-4, and 10-6 in the tiebreaker. GHS partners Taelyn Martin and Klaire Holland lost, 3-5, 4-5.
For the Bulldogs, Caleb Schaefer won his match handily, 4-1, 4-1, while Wesley Jarrell fell 1-4, 2-4. In doubles action, Greenwood’s duo of Lucas Hefflin and Alex Schaefer won, 5-3, 2-4. The GHS combo of Thomas Veatch and Jon David Hefflin lost 2-4, 1-4.
Greenwood @ Russellville 9/19/24
The two Greenwood teams had polar opposite results against the Cyclones, with the Lady Bulldogs winning 3-1 and the Bulldogs dropping three of their four matches. Harper Berg won her match, 3-6, 6-2, 10-7, while Emma Koenigseder also won, 6-4, 6-3. Greenwood junior varsity #3 singles player Alivia Kittell won her match, 8-1.
In doubles play, the GHS duo of Magness and Pearcy won again, 6-4, 6-3, while teammates and partners Martin and Holland lost their match, 4-6, 2-6. In junior varsity play, Izabella Espinosa and Madison Ngyuen won 8-4 while Greenwood’s Mingyue Vass and Lauralei O’Connor also won 8-4. The team of Charlie Vaughn and Daisy Farris lost 0-8, while the duo of Izabella Espinosa and Madison Ngyuen played again, falling 1-8.
On the boys’ side, Caleb Schaefer lost his match 0-6, 1-6, while Wesley Jarrell won 6-4, 6-3. In junior varsity play, Greenwood’s #3 singles player Jon David lost his match, 4-8. In varsity doubles, Bulldogs’ duo Hefflin and Schaefer lost 0-6, 6-1, 6-10, while partners Veatch and Whitson fell 3-6, 0-6. In JV doubles play, the duo of Sawyer Harry and Jon David Hefflin lost 4-8, and partners Noah Brown and Weston King fell, 0-8.
Greenwood vs. Alma 9/24/24
The GHS girls and boys began the last week of their regular season by hosting Alma on senior day. The Lady Bulldogs went 3-1 while the Bulldogs went 2-2. Due to a lack of enough varsity players, the Airedales had to forfeit two matches to Greenwood.
Harper Berg won her match, 6-0, 6-0, and Emma Koenigseder triumphed, 6-0, 6-1. Alivia Kittell won her junior varsity match, 6-4. In doubles play, Alma forfeited its match with Greenwood’s Mackenzie Magness and Kylah Pearcy, keeping their season record perfect. The GHS duo of Martin and Holland lost, 2-6, 1-6.
In boys play, Caleb Schaefer lost 4-6, 5-7, and Wesley Jarrell lost 5-7, 2-6. Alma forfeited its #1 doubles match to Greenwood’s Lucas Hefflin and Alex Schaefer while the GHS duo of Veatch and Whitson won their match, 1-6, 7-5, 10-6. In junior varsity play, Noah Brown and Weston King lost their match against two Alma opponents, 4-6.
The Lady Bulldogs have five senior girls, including Harper Berg, Emma Koenigseder, Mackenzie Magness, Mingyue Vass, and Lauralei O’Connor. The Bulldogs have just two seniors, Lucas Hefflin and Alex Schaefer. These seven 12th graders were recognized for their contributions to the GHS tennis program.
Greenwood at Van Buren 9/26/24
The earlier match between these two schools was rained out, but they finally met two weeks ago in the regular season finale, with Greenwood winning the girls’ matches, 3-1, while the Bulldogs split their four matches, 2-2. The squads also played a full slate of junior varsity matches to end their regular season.
The Greenwood girls took all three singles matches they played. Harper Berg won 6-3, 6-1; Emma Koenigseder triumphed 6-2, 6-3; and Alivia Kittell won her junior varsity match, 6-0. In doubles play, the duo of Magness and Pearcy were finally beaten, 4-6, 2-6, for their only loss of the season. But #2 doubles partners Taelyn Martin and Klaire Holland won their match, 6-3, 2-6, 10-4. The team of Mingyue Vass and Lauralei O’Connor lost their outing, 4-6, while Izzy Espinosa and Daisy Farris won, 6-3.
Overall, the GHS boys won five of their seven matches against Van Buren, including all three of their junior varsity contests. Caleb Schaefer won his #1 singles match, 6-3, 6-1, but Wesley Jarrell lost, 0-6, 1-6. Sawyer Harry won his junior varsity match, 6-1, while Jon David Hefflin won his outing, 7-6.
In doubles competition, GHS partners Hefflin and Schaefer fell, 4-6, 6-3, and 9-11. The #2 duo of Veatch and Whitson won their match, 7-6, 6-0, while Greenwood’s Sawyer Harry and Jon David Hefflin combined their talents to win 6-1 in junior varsity play.