Tigers Tame Tennis Courts

In the 7A girls tennis state tournament finals, there was simply no stopping Bentonville. After back-to-back team championships, head coach Paul Pautsch's Lady Tigers had their sights set on making it three in a row and did just that while accumulating 18 total points to easy outdistance Little Rock Central and Mount St. Mary's with six points each. Abbey Sharpe paced the winners with an impressive conquest in the singles championship, easily besting Little Rock Central's Ellen Yeatman 6-1, 6-1. Yeatman was the defending Class 7A champion. In doubles competition, it was an all Bentonville final with Alice Havner and Amy Anderson teaming to edge fellow Lady Tigers Anna Bever and Arden Brazzeal 7-6, 6-3, 6-1. Little Rock Central's boys team kept the Tigers of Benton County from making it a complete sweep. Central's John Makris defeated Bentonville's Andrew Todd 6-1, 7-5 in the boys final. Makris knocked off Kyle Walker, also of Bentonville, 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals. Todd, meanwhile, upset Central's Mario Martinez 6-1, 6-4 to reach the title match. INDIVIDUAL SINGLES, DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIPS Bentonville's Sharpe also made it to the overall singles title match, but suffered a 6-2, 6-1 setback to freshman phenom Kaitlin Ray of Pulaski Academy. The doubles final was a rematch of Bentonville's 7A state tourney championship with Havner and Anderson again besting Bever and Brazzeal, 6-2, 6-1. HSSTM ALL-AREA TEAM A look at our Western Arkansas top volleyball stars GIRLS Name School Abbey Sharpe Bentonville Alice Havner Bentonville Amy Anderson Bentonville Anna Bever Bentonville Arden Brazzeal Bentonville BOYS Name School Andrew Todd Bentonville Kyle Walker Bentonville