Platte County found an electrifying way to deliver Scott Blakley the first dual of his head coaching career. Thursday’s Suburban Conference White Division with Belton went down to the sixth and final singles match.
Platte County junior Ellie Kaser hits a shot during a dual with Park Hill on Tuesday at Platte County High School.
Up from No. 4 in the lineup to No. 2, Platte County sophomore Macie Keith fought off three different match points to earn a dramatic 9-8 (8-6) tiebreaker victory to give Platte County a 5-4 team victory.
Belton led 2-1 after doubles with Platte County’s team of junior Ellie Kaser and Keith earning an 8-6 victory at No. 1. They are the only two players who were on both the singles and doubles lineup in last year’s postseason.
Platte County (1-2) again plays a tough schedule and were looking to build off of a strong performance in the previous week’s Platte County Invitational in the conference opener. The Pirates entered off of a 6-3 loss to Class 3 Park Hill earlier in the week but showed the development of a seven-player lineup with three completely new pieces.
To pull the comeback on Belton, Kaser — a returning Class 2 MSHSAA Tennis Championships qualifier in doubles — scored a dominant 8-0 victory at No. 1 singles, while sophomore Jayne Muir won 8-1 at No. 5 and junior Macy Doll 8-6 at No. 6 before Keith came up with the deciding result. Kaser played No. 2 as a sophomore, while Doll played No. 3 doubles for Platte County in the postseason as part of a unique eight-player lineup.
Platte County freshman Clare Hayter hits a serve during a match in a dual with Park Hill on Tuesday at Platte County High School.
Platte County doesn’t have a senior in this year’s lineup, but junior Lillian Goodale (No. 4) also brings back prior varsity experience.
Against Park Hill on Tuesday at Platte County High School, Platte County led 2-1 after doubles thanks to victories from Kaser and Keith at No. 1 (8-6) and Doll and freshman Clare Hayter at No. 3 (8-6). The Trojans came back to win five of six singles matches with Kaser’s 8-2 result at No. 1 the only exception.
Platte County plays three more conference duals this week, first at home against William Chrisman and Ruskin on Monday and Tuesday before traveling to Fort Osage on Thursday. The Pirates also have the Liberty Invitational on Friday to start the busiest two weeks of the season.
Warrensburg Invitational
Platte County finished third out of eight teams on Friday in Warrensburg with a pair of finalists and three top-three showings in the doubles-only tournament.
With four total flights, Blakley used the opportunity to make some switches. Kaser and Keith placed third in the A bracket for Platte County, while Muir and sophomore Katelyn Newberry, making her varsity debut, ended up with the D championship. Doll and Goodale teamed up and reached the C final before finishing as runnerup. The Pirates also moved Hayter, currently playing doubles only in duals, up to the B bracket to play alongside junior Addison Fleming, a junior in the No. 3 spot as a first-year starter.
