The West Plains Zizzers boys tennis team saw its season come to a close with a 5-0 loss to Springfield-Central in the Class 2 District 6 tournament, held May 4 through May 7 at the Gillenwaters Tennis Complex in Springfield.
West Plains Head Coach Nathan Huddleston praised senior Brett Harris for battling his way through a tough matchup in the top spot of the lineup.
“Our senior Brett Harris performed well, but couldn’t pull out a win over Central’s strong No. 1 player," Huddleston said.
The coach also noted that sophomore Travis Mahurin was playing a strong game at No. 6 singles, but he did not get the chance to finish his match because play is suspended as soon as a team secures the overall victory.
With the season concluded, Huddleston said the foundation for next year is already set.
“Looking forward to next year with eager younger players and new leadership under Coach Jordan Letterman,” he said.
OMC Tournament
Before districts, the Zizzers opened their postseason push on April 28 at the Ozark Mountain Conference (OMC) tournament at Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield. West Plains battled through a short-handed lineup, resulting in team losses to Branson and Marshfield.
Without its No. 1 player available, West Plains was forced to default the No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles positions in both duals, putting the Zizzers at an immediate deficit and shifting the rest of the lineup up a spot across the board. The team had also been without its No. 2 player for recent stretches, limiting consistency.
“We were a player short, so everyone had to play up,” Huddleston said. “That makes it tough right out of the gate, but our boys played their best. We’ve been missing our No. 1 and No. 2 quite a bit lately. It’s been hard to get traction because of that.”
Late Regular-Season Action
Earlier in April, West Plains used its final regular-season matches as a measuring stick. At the West Plains Invitational on April 22, senior Reilly Jolliff went 2-1 in the No. 1 singles flight to place fifth. Sophomore Brady Anselm finished 1-2 in No. 2 singles to place sixth.
In doubles action, the No. 2 team of sophomores Travis Mahurin and Carter Smith went 1-2 and placed fourth, while seniors Mason Lancaster and Mikey Strong finished 0-3 in No. 1 doubles to place eighth. Forsyth won the team title, with Rogersville finishing second.
“We competed better across the board,” Huddleston said. “Reilly set the tone for us, and you can see the sophomores starting to figure it out.”
On April 21, the Zizzers dropped a narrow 5-4 decision to Springfield Hillcrest in West Plains. Seniors Brett Harris, Mikey Strong and Logan Ray earned wins, along with Anselm.
“We were right there,” Huddleston said. “A point here or there and it’s a different story.”
The Zizzers fell 8-1 to Mountain Grove on April 20, with Anselm recording the lone singles win.
“Brady keeps showing up,” Huddleston said. “He’s not backing down from anybody.”
West Plains also went 1-2 on April 17 at the Rolla Invitational, falling 5-0 to Rolla and 3-2 to Willow Springs before earning a win by default over Smith-Cotton. Wins came from the doubles team of Strong and Ray, along with a singles victory by Roman Waddell.
