Knights Have Success In Mid Missouri Tournament
The boys tennis team competed at the Mid Missouri Tournament in Columbia on Saturday, April 9. The team faced tough competition and walked away with second place for the first time in school history.
In the first round, the boys defeated a tough Park HIll team, 7-2. Richey King and George Colombo won 8-3 at #1 doubles, while Bobby King and Sankeerrh Gandhari did the same, 8-1 at #2 doubles. At #3 doubles, Dylan Markey and Aaram Salam came from behind for a 9-8 (7-5) win. In singles, Richey King dominated 8-1, while both Bobby King at #2 and Sankeerth Gandhari at #3 both won handily 8-2. George Colombo handled his business easily with an 8-3 win at #4 singles.
In the second round, the Knights played host team Rock Bridge whom the Knights had never beaten in 14 years. The Knights opened with an impressive sweep of the doubles competition, all in close matches. Richey and Bobby King won at #1 doubles in an 8-6 thriller and George Colombo and Sankeerth Gandhari held on for a 9-7. Dylan Markey and Aaram Salam came from behind for an 8-6 to complete the sweep. That left only two wins of the six remaining singles to get the job done.
The first win came from senior Richey King over a talented #1 from Rock Bridge, 8-5. The fifth and decisive point was captured by Sankeerth Gandhari, 8-0 at #3. Bobby King won handily, 8-1 at #2 to push the margin. to 6-1. And at #5 for the Knights, Dylan Markey continued his personal tradition with a 9-8 (11-9) nail-biting win. Finally, at #6, Aaram Salam came back from a deep 2-6 deficit with steady serves and a consistent forehand and net game to win 9-7, wrapping up an impressive 8-1 team score. In an impressive exhibition doubles matches, freshmen Liam Groden and Shayan Ahmed won all three doubles matches they played, 6-1, 6-3 and 4-0.
The first win came from senior Richey King over a talented #1 from Rock Bridge, 8-5. The fifth and decisive point was captured by Sankeerth Gandhari, 8-0 at #3. Bobby King won handily, 8-1 at #2 to push the margin. to 6-1. And at #5 for the Knights, Dylan Markey continued his personal tradition with a 9-8 (11-9) nail-biting win. Finally, at #6, Aaram Salam came back from a deep 2-6 deficit with steady serves and a consistent forehand and net game to win 9-7, wrapping up an impressive 8-1 team score. In an impressive exhibition doubles matches, freshmen Liam Groden and Shayan Ahmed won all three doubles matches they played, 6-1, 6-3 and 4-0.
In an abbreviated finals, the Knights lost to the reigning St. Louis Class 2 state champion, Priory High School, 1-5. Richey King remained undefeated in his singles play with an impressive, dominating 8-4 performance. When the match was called with the decisive 5th point, three matches, Dylan, Sankeerth and Liam were essentially tied at 7 all. The Knights walked off with 2nd place iron for the first time in their Mid Missouri history of play. Congratulations!
