Hound rackets stay hot with win over Burlington Notre Dame

BY CHUCK VANDENBERG

PCC EDITOR

FORT MADISON - The Fort Madison Bloodhounds boys tennis team stayed hot with a 6-3 win over Burlington Notre Dame Friday in a makeup of a postponed Thursday match. The Hounds are now 3-0 in team play on the year.

The Hounds took four of six in single matches and two of four in doubles matches with some exciting tennis at No. 1 singles and doubles.

Fort Madison's Sam Avery downed the Nikes Travis Wills 6-0, 7-5 at No. 1 singles. Avery had his way with Wills in the first set, but Wills came back with some better pace on his first service in the second set.

Wills had Avery down three games to four and the two would both win their next two service games to make it 4-5. Facing a second-set loss and a possible tie breaker, Avery broke Wills next service game to tie the set at 5.

With Avery down 30-40 serving the next game, Wills hit back-to-back blistering forehands to Avery who got caught in from the baseline. But the Holy Trinity senior fought off the barrage with some nifty hands at midcourt to stay in the point, and Wills eventually committed an unforced error into the net to tie it up at deuce.

Wills would then miff on Avery's serve at deuce for the win in the "no-ad" contest. No-ad games declare the winner on the first point of deuce.

The two would stay knotted a 15, 30 and finally deuce in the final game and another unforced error by Wills off Avery's serve would end the match.

The rest of the top four for Fort Madison had easier runs through singles action with Jason Thurman downing Dilan McElderry 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2, Vasin Thurman rolling the Nikes' Cole Williamsn 6-0, 6-1 at No. 3 singles and junior Reed Fehseke rolling Tyler Dameron at No. 4, 6-1, 6-0.

Bryce Workman hits a forehand return in his match with Notre Dame's Cordell Scarborough Friday night. Scarborough would win the match 6-4, 6-3. Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC

Notre Dame would get two wins at No. 5 and 6, when Cordell Scarborough downed Bryce Workman 6-4, 6-3 and Kaleb Allen downed the Hounds Levi Sissell 7-6 (8-6 tiebreaker) 7-5 in a close match on the east end of the Bloodhound tennis courts.

Fort Madison's top four singles players are undefeated on the year at 3-0.

In doubles action, the Thurman twins activated with an entertaining 6-2, 6-2 win over Wills and Williams at No. 1 doubles.

Although the score was a bit lopsided the two squads had some nifty net play with Jason Thurman and Williams exchanging about six volleys at the net with Notre Dame down 0-3. Thurman was able to get a lane through to the back right side of the court to end the point.

"We had a good display of doubles action by Thurmans, and Fesheske and Avery," Head Coach Good serving and attacking. Singles matches.

The Thurmans went to state in doubles action last year and were the only freshman team in the state to make it to Waterloo.

Fehseke and Avery knocked off McElderry and Dameron 6-2, 6-1 and Ty Hill and Riley Ruther won a first-to-10 No. 3 doubles match over Workman and Sissell 10-7.

The Hounds host Keokuk in Fort Madison on Monday.

Fort Madison's Levi Sissell tracks down a shot from Burlington Notre Dame's Kaleb Allen Friday at the Bloodhound tennis courts. Sissell would fall in a tiebreaker 7-6 (8-6), 7-5. Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC