NORWALK — Bryan’s women’s tennis team scored 56 points and took third place in the six-team Norwalk Doubles Tournament Saturday at Norwalk Middle School.
The Golden Bears were led by juniors Molly Hess and Hannah Andrews, who took third place in doubles. Senior Reese Grothaus and second Caitlyn DeWitt finished second in the No. 1 group in doubles.
Hess and Andrews, who earned a first-round bye, earned a 6-2, 6-2 win over Norwalk’s Lauren Brown and Kenzie Smith in a winners’ bracket semifinal and advanced to the championship.
The Bryan duo cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 win over Shelby’s Zada Marquis and Cami Wuchich to claim the third doubles draw.
The score distribution was 30 points for first place, 20 for second, 15 for third, 10 for fourth, six for fifth, and zero for sixth.
Grothaus and DeWitt beat Milan Edison’s Alli Vogus and Brynleigh Dail 6-3, 6-3 in their opener.
The pair then beat Norwalk’s Megan Miler and Sidney Sage 6-0, 6-2 in a winners’ semi-final but fell to Ashland’s Audra McBride and Chloe Ediger in a long title match. McBride and Ediger won 5-7, 6-2, 10-6.
Bryan senior Emma Shininger and junior Lucy Vashaw, meanwhile, earned fifth place in the No. 4 doubles draw. Norwalk’s Kendall Hammersmith and Abby Mozina beat Shininger and Vashaw 2-6, 6-3, 10 -8 in the opening game.
Shininger and Vashaw, however, bounced back and won their fifth place match against Findlay’s Simone Stolick and Jocelyn Barberree 8-2.
In the second doubles category, Golden Bears senior Taylor Peel and junior Katelan Nagel finished last. The pair lost 6-3, 6-4 to Shelby’s Gracie May and Bella Carver in an opener and lost their match for fifth place (8-6) to Maya Philips and Ana Osborn of Norwalk.
Ashland won the six-team tournament with 96 points, while Shelby was second with 65. Norwalk (51 points) was fourth, Findlay (30) fifth and Edison (26) sixth.
Bryan will be back in action against Bowling Green in a game at 4:30 p.m. Monday at Bryan High School.
