Comet netters stopped in regional

Charles City won four matches this season, most from past three years

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

DECORAH — Not all tennis matches end in victory, defeat or tie.

Charles City sophomore Jodie Sindlinger was engaged in a tight No. 2 singles match with an Osage opponent during the Class 1A Region 2 Team Tournament, Saturday at Decorah.

“But when a team reaches five victories, they stop play in any other matches still in progress,” Charles City tennis coach Brian Parrott said. “Jodie was playing a good match, but they stopped it.

“It’s a rule that I and several other coaches don’t like. It saves time, but you like to see the girls finish their matches.”

The Comets were eliminated by the Green Devils, 5-0. Osage later was stopped by Decorah, 5-1, in the regional final.

The Vikings advance to the regional semifinals on Saturday where they will play Waverly-Shell Rock.

The season is still not over for several Comet players

For the Regional Singles and Doubles Tournament starting Thursday at Waverly-Shell Rock, the teams of Morgan Kellogg and Emilee Bilharz, and Emma Heidebrink and Mackenzy Wilson or Sandra Bontemps will compete in the doubles competition.

Sophomores Amy Boggess and Jodie Sindlinger will compete as singles.

“We had several highlights this year,” Parrott said. “We had four wins this season, which was better than the two years before.

“Also at the (North Central Tennis Conference) tournament, we had four girls make Academic All-Conference,” Parrott said of Bilharz, Bontemps, Kellogg and Heidebrink. “You had to have had a grade point average of at least 3.5 to qualify, and we would have had more but they didn’t consider grades lower than junior.”