As Phoenixx Penke detailed their doubles victory together, Blair tennis senior Maicy Lourens laid down on the ground in the Bears' usual, blanket-covered spot under a shade tree at Stemmermann Park.
Though BHS fell to Gretna 6-3 Tuesday evening, Lourens was 2-0 with back-to-back wins by tiebreaker. Her 9-8 (7-2) match against the Dragons' Rachael Gablenz was preceded by the 9-8 (7-4) win alongside Penke.
“We both moved a lot, very well,” Lourens' partner said. “Maicy did really good at the net and I think I did good playing back. That was the positive of that match.”
The Bears duo remained positive even when the Gretna pairing of Harper Wood and Laouren Paul earned points back into the match. High-pressure, tight wins are a positive with just weeks remaining in the high school tennis campaign, Penke said.
“It helps boost our self-esteem especially since we are so close to the end of the season with state coming up,” she noted.
The Bears' third victory against the Dragons also came in doubles play. The BHS pairing of Bailey Dingfield and Addy Nilges won their match 9-8, using another tiebreaker to come out on top. The duo is now 9-2 this season, according to NSAA statistics.
Overall, coach Matt Aschoff's Blair team was 2-1 in doubles with only a 9-7 loss for Caitlyn Haggstrom and Alexandra Nilges. The pair lost singles matches 8-3 and 8-2, respectively.
Addy Nilges, Penke and Dingfield lost singles matches as well, though their coach complimented the whole team for its effort against Gretna.
The Bears were scheduled to play Thursday at Omaha Skutt before their Eastern Midlands Conference Tournament showing Monday at the Woods Tennis Center in Lincoln.
