BY FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
The M-S season ended at the Champaign Central Class 1A Sectional on Saturday, but only after the Bulldogs established a new school-record for points scored in the postseason.
M-S ended in a tie for fifth place in the 12-school event with 12 points. All four Bulldog entries won a match.
Both singles entries were ousted in the quarterfinals.
Mrinali Kesavdas lost to eventual third-place finisher Ashley Mills, from St. Thomas More 6-4, 6-3. Kesavadas opened the postseason with a 6-0, 6-2 triumph.
Annie Bao was victorious in her first tournament match, 6-3, 6-0 before falling to Bishop McNamara’s Emma Gerth 1-6, 7-6, 6-0. Gerth wound up finishing fourth.
Both of the Bulldogs’ double entries – after winning in their first matches – were beaten by opponents that ultimately played for the sectional championship.
Emma Clements and Molly Fried dropped a 6-1, 6-0 decision to the eventual champs, from St. Thomas More.
Britta Slupski and Amalie Fried lost by the same 6-1, 6-0 score to a duo from Maroa-Forsyth that eventually finished in second place.
St. Thomas More captured team honors at the sectional with 21 points.
On Thursday, M-S clinched its first above-.500 season in dual meets, overpowering Gibson City-Melvin Sibley 6-2 in Gibson City.
The Bulldogs won five of nine dual meets this fall.
Manvika Kohli didn’t lose a game at No. 6 singles against GCMS, prevailing 8-0.
The Bulldogs’ other singles winners were Bao (No. 1), Kesavadas (No. 2) and Clements (No. 5).
M-S captured both doubles matches which were completed. Bao and Kesavadas were narrow winners at No. 1, prevailing 9-7.
At No. 3, Clements and Molly Fried triumphed 8-2.
For all matches this season, five of the team’s six singles players had at least .500 records. Bao was the leader with eight wins.
Teammates at .500, or better, in singles were Kesavadas, Amalie Fried, Clements and Kohli.
In doubles the Bao-Kesavadas duo and the Clements-Molly Fried duo had at least .500 final records and shared the team-lead with six wins.
