The Teutopolis Lady Shoes capped another highly successful tennis season by capturing the championship of the Effingham St. Anthony Sectional.
T-Town’s Macy Probst and Isabelle Hemmen teamed to win the doubles competition, while St. Anthony’s Emily Kowalke was the singles champion.
The Lady Shoes finished with 24 team points and St. Anthony was runner-up with 18. Paris was third with 15 points, followed by Effingham with 14, Casey-Westfield 13, Robinson 12, Charleston 4, Newton 4, Mattoon 4 and Shelbyville 0.
In the singles competition, Emily Kowalke posted four straight victories without dropping a set to emerge as the sectional champ. After a first round bye, she beat Madison Mapes (Effingham), 6-3, 6-0; Carley Habing (Teutopolis), 6-3, 6-0; and Kendall Mathews (Paris), 6-2, 6-4 to reach the finals. Kowalke then defeated Grace Hoene (Teutopolis), 6-4, 6-2.
Hoene finished second overall in singles. To reach the finals, she beat Elaina Short (Mattoon), 6-3, 6-0; Madison Emmerich (Newton), 6-1, 6-0; and Riley Arend (Effingham), 6-4, 6-3.
Arend was fourth overall. She beat Lily Graham (Pairs), 6-0, 6-0; and Lisa Henry (Robinson), 6-3, 6-3 to reach the semifinal round. She then lost to Hoene and Matthews.
Also competing in singles play was Ali Adams from St. Anthony.
In doubles play, T-Town’s duo of Probst and Hemmen also swept through four matches without losing a set. After a first-round bye, they beat Delaney Keown/Aleah Wallis (Shelbyville), 6-0, 6-0; Eden Wendling/Lydia Kull (Effingham), 6-0, 6-1; and Eva Richardson/Gwendalyn Eckerty (Casey-Westfield), 6-2, 6-1 to reach the championship match. In the finals, Probst/Hemmen beat Allison Kowalke/Caroline McDevitt (St. Anthony), 6-2, 6-1.
The Kowalke/McDevitt team won their first three matches to reach the finals. They beat Kenna Koester/Lexi Will (Teutopolis), 6-2, 6-1; Emily Sherwood/Emma Mason (Casey-Westerfield), 6-4, 6-1; and Sarah Staller/Lucy List (Robinson), 6-3, 6-2.
Also competing in doubles play were St. Anthony’s Peyton Sehy/Grace Karolewicz and Effingham’s Aila Woomer/Gracie Kroenlein.
Normally, girls would advance to the state tournament, but due to COVID-19, there will be no state tournament this year.