Platte County hit another tough but hopefully not demoralizing stretch of the schedule.
After a split of two duals earlier in the week, Platte County went 1-2 in the Liberty Tournament on Friday at Clayview Country Club in Liberty. The good news ended up being a 6-3 victory over Kickapoo sandwiched between losses to Liberty (9-0) and Liberty North (7-2).
Platte County now sits at 7-7 going into a winnable cluster of duals to close the regular season.
“Liberty is in the running for being the best team in the entire state right now,” Platte County coach Zach Keith said. “We played really well against Kickapoo, which was very encouraging for our girls. We didn’t play our best tennis against Liberty North in the third-place match, but matches that are played late in the afternoon on a Friday after a long week of tennis are always unpredictable.”
After Liberty’s dominant shut out in the opener of the tournament, Platte County bounced back in quick fashion. The Pirates took 2 of 3 doubles matches, starting with a 6-1 triumph for seniors Olivia Holbrook and Delaney Bachmann at No. 2 and including a tight 6-4 win for junior Lily Fish and senior Lucy McClain at No. 3.
Platte County’s four singles victories came from senior Addy Mayne (6-2 at No. 1), junior Maggie McBratney (6-1 at No. 2), Holbrook (6-3 at No. 3) and Bachmann (6-3) at No. 5.
Advancing to the third-place match, Platte County lost all three doubles matches to Liberty North, while McClain (6-4 at No. 6) and Mayne (6-4 at No. 1) managed to hold in tight one-set matchups. Bachmann lost in a tiebreaker, while McBratney (7-5) and Fish (6-4) were in their matches until the end.
Grain Valley 9, Platte County 0
The Pirates lost the battle for the Suburban Conference White Division title Thursday at Platte County High School in shutout fashion.
Grain Valley dominated start to finish in a matchup of potential Class 2 playoff teams. The Eagles won last year’s matchup 7-2 to win the league title outright and went on to reach the state semifinals before placing third.
Grain Valley was very good on Thursday,” Keith said. “They showed why they are not only the best team in our conference right now but certainly a favorite to compete in the final four (of Class 2) again.”
Platte County 8, Kearney 1
The Pirates likely enter Class 2 District 8 play as a favorite after a dominant nonconference win on the road Tuesday in Kearney.
Thanks to a tight 9-7 win from a team of Bachmann and McClain at No. 3, Platte County swept three doubles matches. Mayne and Holbrook, returning Class 2 Missouri State Tennis Championships doubles qualifiers on separate tandems, teamed up for an 8-1 win at No. 1, while McBratney and Fish recorded an 8-0 shutout at No. 2. The Pirates continued to look at a retooled lineup for options ahead of the upcoming Class 2 District 8 individual tournament.
In singles, Platte County won all but the No. 6 match, including an 8-0 shutout for Mayne at No. 1, while none of McBratney, Holbrook, Fish and Bachmann lost more than two games in their one-set victories.
“We did get a nice win against a longtime rival and district opponent,” Keith said. “I thought the girls handled that match really well. We were the better team, and we played like it basically from the first ball hit.”
Platte County sent two doubles teams to state in one season for the first time last year, but both Mayne and Holbrook lost their partners to graduation. The Pirates have decisions to make after junior No. 4 Summer Jenni suffered a season-ending knee injury early in the season, pushing McClain into a more prominent role after opening as a potential doubles-only player.
In addition, Platte County currently should have the inside track toward the top seed again in the team tournament. The Pirates have lost to St. Pius X each of the past two seasons, including as the No. 1 seed in the 2022 championship match.
Platte County has never won a district title.
