Last week was a super busy time for the Greenwood High School tennis teams. They concluded their 2023 regular season with multiple matches last week, including three makeup contests due to the heat and bad weather earlier this season. The 5A West conference tournament is also set for Monday and Tuesday, October 2-3, in Russellville at both the high school and Arkansas Tech University. Several GHS netters are in the running to qualify for competition at the state level, hosted this year by Pulaski Academy at Rebsamen Tennis Center in Little Rock on October 9-10.
Last Monday and Tuesday the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs swept the season series from Alma, then slipped past Siloam Springs (5-3) after playing to a 4-4 draw the first time around. Originally, the schedule called for just one outing this week at Siloam Springs, but last Thursday’s home matches with Alma were postponed due to the possibility of rain and were rescheduled for Monday, forcing Greenwood’s netters to play on back-to-back days for the first time this season, something they will be required to do in the conference and state tournaments. But matches against Greenbrier and Harrison, postponed due to the early season heat wave, were also rescheduled and played this past Thursday at Russellville.
Van Buren
On September 14th the two GHS squads took the short drive across the Arkansas River into Crawford County to face a good Van Buren lineup. When the dust settled, the Lady Bulldogs had managed a 2-2 tie while the Bulldogs salvaged one win in four matches (1-3). The three GHS victories came in both #1 singles matches and the girls #1 doubles match, and none of the three contests were really close.
Greenwood’s Bella King skunked her opponent, 6-0, 6-0, and Bulldogs’ #1 singles player J.J. Acosta won his match, 6-3, 6-0. Both King and Acosta are seniors who hope to play well in the upcoming conference tournament and qualify for state. The other Greenwood win came in the #1 doubles contest with Lady Bulldogs Harper Berg and Lydiah Belue earning a convincing 6-2, 6-3 victory. The junior-senior duo also has a chance to make some noise in the postseason.
In the other matches, the Pointers and Lady Pointers took care of business, winning the remainder of the varsity matches. Greenwood’s #2 Emma Koenigseder lost her singles match, 2-6, 5-7, while Alex Schaefer (#2) fell in his match, 0-6, 0-6. The #2 doubles duo of Maleah Cole and Emma Wirth came up short in a very competitive match, losing 0-6, 6-2, 6-8. The Bulldogs’ #1 pair of Lucas Hefflin and Jamie Chang also lost a close match, 5-7, 4-6. The #2 doubles team of Keaton Whisenhunt and Wesley Jarrell fell, 1-6, 0-6.
In junior varsity matches, Greenwood had the edge, 4-2, with the Lady Bulldogs earning three of those wins. Bailey Abbott won her set, 8-7, while teammate Claire Roberts lost her outing, 2-8. In doubles play, Mackenzie Magness and Alivia Kittell won their lone set, 8-6, and Averi Abbott and Marie Fueess teamed up for an 8-3 single-set victory. The GHS combo of Noah Brown and Jon David Hefflin earned an 8-6 win and Caleb Schaefer and Thomas Veatch lost their outing in close fashion, 7-9.
Mountain Home – Russellville
On September 19th Head Coach Dexter Pearcy took his Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs to Russellville for a series of matches against both Mountain Home and Russellville. The GHS girls won three of four matches against the Lady Bombers while the Bulldogs were swept by the Mountain Home boys, 0-4. Against the Cyclones, the Greenwood ladies won three of four matches while the GHS boys lost their only match, with three others postponed due to weather.
Bella King won her singles match handily, 8-2, while Emma Koenigseder also won, 8-3. The doubles duo of Harper Berg and Lydiah Belue won their outing, 8-2. Greenwood’s Maleah Cole and Emma Wirth fell to Mountain Home, 3-8, in doubles play. In boys play, the Bulldogs’ J.J. Acosta fall in a close set, 6-8, and Alex Schaefer also lost his singles match, 1-8. Partners Lucas Hefflic and Jamie Chang lost their doubles match, 0-8, while Keaton Whisenhunt and Wesley Jarrell lost, 2-8.
Against the Lady Cyclones, Bella King won her match, 8-4, but Emma Koenigseder lost, 3-8. The duo of Berg and Belue won their match, 8-1, while partners Cole and Wirth won their match in extended play, 9-7. For the Bulldogs, #2 singles player Alex Schaefer lost his match, 1-8, while J.J. Acosta’s singles match and both doubles matches were postponed due to rain and lightning, and were slated to be made up this past Thursday.
Alma
The Airedales and Lady Airedales were scheduled to come to Greenwood on Thursday, September 21st, but the potential for rainy weather forced a postponement of those matches until Monday the 25th. In those matches, Greenwood swept all four ladies contests while the GHS boys split their matches, 2-2. It was the start of a hectic week for the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs.
Bella King, Greenwood’s top singles player, won her match easily, 6-0, 6-0, while #2 Emma Koenigseder was almost as dominant, winning 6-1, 6-0. In doubles action, Greenwood’s #1 duo of Harper Berg and Lydiah Belue won 6-1, 6-1. The #2 team of Maleah Cole and Emma Wirth also won, 6-2, 4-6, 11-9. In girls junior varsity play, Bailey Abbot and Claire Roberts won their set, 6-4, while Averi Abbott and Marie Fueess won, 6-2. The duo of Mackenzie Magness and Alivia Kittell fell, 3-6.
In boys competition, Greenwood’s J.J. Acosta won his #1 singles match, 6-0, 6-1, while #2 player Alex Schaefer lost his match by identical scores, 1-6, 1-6. In doubles play, the GHS duo of Lucas Hefflin and Jamie Chang won easily, 6-1, 6-2, while Caleb Schaefer and Wesley Jarrell lost in a close match, 5-7, 7-5, 4-10. In JV play, Jon David Hefflin lost, 3-6, and partners Noah Brown and Thomas Veatch lost their set, 4-6.
Siloam Springs
The next day the GHS girls and boys traveled to Siloam Springs for what was scheduled to be the last match of the regular season, but they also had makeup matches against Greenbrier and Harrison at Russellville last Thursday. Last Tuesday the Lady Bulldogs won three of four matches while the Bulldogs went 2-2 against Siloam Springs.
Bella King won her match, 3-6, 6-1, 10-4, and Emma Koenigseder won, 6-2, 6-2. In doubles play, the duo of Berg and Belue won their outing, 6-2, 6-1, but the team of Cole and Wirth lost their match, 4-6, 2-6. In junior varsity play, Greenwood’s Bailey Abbott and Claire Roberts won, 6-3, while Averi Abbott and Marie Fueess lost, 2-6. The duo of Mackenzie Magness and Alivia Kittell lost, 3-6.
The Bulldogs won both of their varsity singles matches but lost both doubles contests. J.J. Acosta won handily, 6-3, 6-0, while Alex Schaefer won 6-3, 6-1. In boys doubles play, Greenwood’s duo of Lucas Hefflin and Jamie Chang lost a close one, 6-4, 3-6, 8-10, while Greenwood’s #2 duo lost, 4-6, 0-6. In junior varsity singles play, Jon David Hefflin won, 6-4, then lost to a different opponent, 0-6. In JV doubles action, the team of Brown and Veatch lost their set, 5-8, while the duo of Caleb Schaefer and Wesley Jarrell won this set, 6-1.
Harrison
After these matches were postponed earlier in the season due to the August heat wave, they were rescheduled for last Thursday, and the GHS teams faired very well on the courts at both Russellville High School and Arkansas Tech University. The Lady Bulldogs led the way for Greenwood against both Harrison and Greenbrier, going 8-0 on the day. The Bulldogs finished the day 6-2 overall.
Against Harrison, Bella King won an extended and very competitive match, 9-8 (10-6) while Emma Koenigseder dominated her opponent, 8-1. In doubles play, Harper Berg and Lydiah Belue won, 8-2, and the team of Maleah Cole and Emma Wirth won, 8-3. There were no junior varsity matches. On the boys side, Greenwood’s J.J. Acosta won his match, 8-0, and Alex Schaefer won by the same score. Lucas Hefflin and Jamie Chang lost their doubles match, 5-8, but Keaton Whisenhunt and Wesley Jarrell won, 8-3.
Greenbrier
The GHS ladies kept up their domination against the Lady Panthers, going 4-0, while the GHS boys finished 3-1. Bella King won, 8-2, and Emma Koenigseder won, 8-5. The team of Berg and Belue won easily, 8-0, and the duo of Cole and Wirth won, 8-5. J.J. Acosta remained perfect on the day by winning his match against the Panthers, 8-2, and Alex Schaefer followed suit by winning, 8-6. The GHS duo of Hefflin and Chang lost their extended doubles match, 8-9 (3-10), but partners Keaton Whisenhunt and Wesley Jarrell won their match, 6-8.
The two GHS teams were slated to return to Russellville this past Monday and Tuesday for the 5A West conference tournament to determine which players qualify for the state tournament next week in Little Rock. Head Coach Dexter Pearcy and volunteer assistant coach Randy Magness believe several GHS players could make the cut and move on to state competition. Senior J.J. Acosta is playing singles this season but qualified for state the past two years as a doubles player, so he has the most postseason experience among all current GHS players.