Owen slips past Polk County in WHC tennis showdown

Published 8:00 am Thursday, April 12, 2018

Polk County’s drive toward a Western Highlands Conference boys tennis title took a detour Tuesday.

Owen maintained its undefeated record, handing Polk County a 5-4 setback in a matchup of WHC co-leaders at Polk.

The Warhorses (8-0, 3-0) won the day by the thinnest of margins, with an exciting match at No. 2 doubles helping decide the outcome.

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With the two teams tied at 4-4, all eyes turned to the court where Polk County’s Henry Monts and Henry Heider faced Owen’s Wyatt Lehman and Hunter Haynes. A back-and-forth match turned the Wolverines’ way when Polk grabbed an 8-7 lead and served for the match, but Owen notched a service break to set up the tiebreaker.

Lehman and Haynes pulled ahead and grabbed a 6-2 edge, but Monts and Heider fought off three match points. Haynes finally ended the match with a forehand lob that landed just inside the line, giving Owen the victory.

Polk County’s Ryan Heider (10-0), Henry Heider (10-4) and Months (10-1) earned singles wins while Ryan Heider and Payton Stott teamed for an 8-0 win at No. 1 doubles.

The two teams meet again next week at Owen.

Polk County (7-2, 2-1) returned to the court on Wednesday, traveling to East Henderson for nonconference action.

SINGLES

1. Ryan Heider (PC) d. Joseph Frita 10-0; 2. Henry Heider (PC) d. Wyatt Lehman 10-4; 3. Henry Monts (PC) d. Lorenz Hoover 10-1; 4. Hunter Haynes (O) d. Payton Stott 10-6; 5. Brandon Knightindale (O) d. Ethan Edwards 10-8; 6. Ethan Kadav (O) d. Jesus Avellaneda 10-4.

DOUBLES

1. R. Heider-Stott (O) d. Frita-Hoover 8-0; 2. Haynes-Lehman (O) d. H. Heider-Monts 9-8 (7-5); 3. Knightindale-Kadav (O) d. Edwards-Avellaneda 8-4.

– Submitted by PolkSports.com