Polk County opened Western Highlands Conference play Wednesday with a strong showing at the top of its lineup, earning a 6-2 victory at Mountain Heritage in Burnsville.
The Wolverines won five singles matches before adding a victory at No. 1 doubles, with the afternoon eventually cut short by lightning.
Jill Brown set the tone at No. 1 singles, not dropping a game in a 6-0, 6-0 victory. Paige White was nearly as dominant at No. 2, winning 6-0, 6-2, while Virginia Then fought through a tighter second set for a 6-0, 7-5 victory at No. 3.
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Addie Buss also controlled her singles match throughout in a 6-1, 6-2 win. Alix Henderson faced the toughest challenge among Polk’s winners, taking a first-set tiebreak before pulling away for a 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 victory.
“The girls looked good today, and we had a lot of really good shots out there,” Polk County coach Tracy Becker said. “Our No. 1, 2 and 3 players had exceptional matches, and Addie Buss played extremely well against her opponent.”
Brown and White teamed at No. 1 doubles for an 8-1 victory. Then and Malia Robinette battled in an 8-6 loss at No. 2 before lightning prevented the No. 3 doubles match from being completed.
Becker saw plenty to like in Polk’s opener, but also some clear areas for improvement.
“We’re hitting the ball well and putting together some really good points, but we definitely need to tighten up our service game and cut down on the unforced errors, especially balls going into the net,” she said. “Those are things we can clean up in practice, and doing that will make us a much stronger team as we move forward.”
Polk County is scheduled to return home Monday to face Avery in another Western Highlands Conference match.
