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Rundle, Shaban talk their way to 3rd for HHS

RUNDLE, SHABAN TALK THEIR WAY TO 3RD FOR HHS

Courtney Rundle and Sara Shaban believe they are communicating better. They do seem to be on the same page regarding upcoming qualifications for the Class 6A state tournament – it is a big deal. “We’re trying so hard,” Shaban said. “This is our only chance to get to that level. Go hard or go home, right?” The pair of Hutchinson High seniors took third in No. 1 doubles at their home invitational, helping push the Salthawks to a tie for second place with Newton in the team standings with 27 points. Garden City was first with 34. Rundle and Shaban went 3-2 on the day. It was the final match on the docket, though, that really put their improvement in perspective. The duo clicked, talking each other through points in a victory over Newton. Communication between the two has always been there, but with imperfections. It is completely in sync now, and at just the right time. Regionals are next week. Rundle and Shaban were stuck behind eight seniors a year ago, keeping them out of the varsity lineup. To ensure their spots this season, they spent hours practicing over the summer, and even recruited members of Hutchinson’s boys’ tennis team to play against them. “I feel like we’ve improved a lot as players, just with this tournament,” Rundle said. “I’m really happy with how it turned out.” They were not able to overcome Garden City’s highly skilled pair of Claire Schmidt and Shai Cartmill. Schmidt and Cartmill won their head-to-head match-up 8-2. Schmidt and Cartmill, state qualifiers a season ago, have only lost three matches this year – all to a doubles team from Great Bend. Garden City’s star doubles squad went 0-2 in its visit to state in 2013. “With that being Shay’s first time, Claire’s partner, first time going to state, she saw what it is, got a taste of it, and didn’t like what she tasted – leaving without a medal,” said Garden City coach Rod Robinson. “That’s all they’ve talked about, is getting a medal at state.” Garden City took first in No. 1 singles, too, as Sofia Mattsson swept through the round robin. Mattsson is from Sweden. “She was raised hitting indoors on clay. The wind has been a big change for her,” Robinson said. “She has a really high toss. Out here, high tosses can mess with you. She’s adjusted.” Mattsson handed Hutch-inson’s Raegan Wessel her only loss of the event, an 8-4 decision. Wessel was second. “I let myself think about the hit too much, instead of just trusting myself and swinging through,” Wessel said. Wessel’s teammate, Kaleigh Gardner, also had her negatives on a mostly positive afternoon. She dropped her final match against Newton’s Tasha Westhoff. Gardner got upset with Westhoff during the match, and it simmered into Gardner’s game. “I kind of let that control me,” Gardner said. “You learn from it anyway, because clearly it got me nowhere. You always have to control your anger.” Westhoff finished first in No. 2 singles, and Gardner was second. Dodge City’s Hannah Sowers and Susana Arkell took first in No. 2 doubles, going 4-1. Hutchinson Tennis Invitational Team scores: Garden City 34, Hutchinson Blue 27, Newton 27, Wichita Heights 20, Dodge City 17, Hutchinson Gold 16. Individual results: No. 1 singles: Sofia Mattsson, Garden City 5-0; Raegan Wessel, Hutchinson Blue 4-1; Susannah Epp, Newton 3-2; Molly Kinney, Hutchinson Gold 2-3; Leah Stein, Dodge City 1-4; Lizzy Kennedy, Wichita Heights 0-5. No. 2 singles: Tasha Westhoff, Newton 3-1; Kaleigh Gardner, Hutchinson Blue 3-1; Tania Carmona-Pastrana, Garden City 3-1; Carla Tro, Wichita Heights 1-3; Fermina Orosco, Hutchinson Gold 0-4. No. 1 doubles: Schmidt/Cartmill, Garden City 5-0; De la O/Tritschler, Wichita Heights 3-2; Rundle/Shaban, Hutchinson Blue 3-2; Scott/Wedel, Newton 2-3; Field/Reiser, Hutchinson Gold 2-3; Rodriquez/Rodriquez Dodge City 0-5. No. 2 doubles: Sowers/Arkell, Dodge City 4-1; Dinkel/Victor, Garden City 4-1; Turner/Marshall, Newton 3-2; Proett/Brown, Hutchinson Blue 3-2; Johnson/Rust, Wichita Heights 1-4; Reiger/Rivas, Hutchinson Gold 0-5.

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