Bruins tennis team 3rd in state

This was an unfamiliar position for the Bruins, to say the least.

With a 20-1 record, the Rock Bridge tennis team hadn’t come close to being shut out in a dual meet this season, so coming out of doubles down 0-3 to St. Joseph’s Academy was a shocking experience.

Coach Ben Loeb knew the Angels were serious competition. Last week, he called the team the “heavy favorite” to win the state title, and as it turns out, he was right.

“I thought we played well,” he said. “We just couldn’t get a win.”

The Bruins lost their Class 2 state semifinal match against St. Joseph’s 5-0 on Thursday morning, but recovered in the afternoon, beating Kirkwood 5-1 to secure third place.

The Bruins’ No. 3 doubles team came closest to grounding the Angels. Lauren Kane and Erica Sher won the first set 6-2, but Allison Smith and Katie Thome won the second 7-6 to force a tiebreaker, which they won. Kane and Sher lost the tiebreaker and the Bruins’ best chance to prevent the shutout.

“We got tentative while they got aggressive,” Loeb said. “That was a big match, because if we could have gotten on the board, I think it would have lifted our spirits a little bit.”

Against Kirkwood, both the Bruins’ No. 1 and No. 3 doubles teams dropped their first sets, but both rallied to win the second and third sets, winning their matches and providing some positive results for the team.

“After how it went in the morning, to come back and win those doubles matches was very big from a momentum standpoint,” Loeb said.

Loeb called his team’s season “very good,” and the coach cited big dual wins against Pembroke Hill and Shawnee Mission East as high points. Both are Kansas City area teams

“We’re going to celebrate,” Loeb said. “We had some big wins during the season, and we have a lot to be proud of.”

Individual state competition begins at 9 a.m. today, and the Bruins’ top two doubles teams will compete against the state’s best, but Loeb is already enthusiastic about the team’s chances next season.

“I think if our girls work hard between now and next year, we have a chance to make it to another final four, and to place high like we did this season.”