Topeka tennis starts season strong at Wamego Invite

The Topeka High School Lady Trojan tennis team opened the 2012 season in convincing fashion Thursday afternoon at the Wamego Invitational while the home-standing Lady Raiders all but turned in a come-from-behind attempt for second place in the five-team, season-opening tournament.

Topeka High won the team crown with 34 poiints, Sabetha finished second with 28 points and Wamego finished third with 22 points.

The tournament was a round-robin format with Sabetha and Wamego matching up in the final round in all four divisions. But Sabetha had built up enough of a lead in the opening rounds to withstand the Lady Raider’s final home-standing push.

“I was really nervous,” Wamego coach Jim Page said about his feelings of opening the season. “I moved some of kids around that hadn’t played at these positions last year. I really kind of wanted to experiment with some different teams and different looks. Honestly, we are playing like it is the first meet of the year.”

Individually Topeka High earned two titles, winning both No. 1 crowns (Whitney Holmes (singles) and Rianna Maples/Kim Buzbee (doubles)). The Lady Trojans also picked up a second-place individual finish from Clair Joems at No. 2 singles.

Wamego won the No. 2 doubles title from Rikki Alderson/Katie Baker and picked up a second from their No. 1 doubles tandem of Kaylee Page and Lanie Page.

Sabetha won the No. 2 singles title with Emilee Ostertage and picked up second-place finishes from Jennifer Stallbaumer at No. 1 singles and the doubles tandem of Alison Rogenkamp and Andrea Rogenkamp at No. 2 doubles.

“It is very nice to begin the season and it is nice to be at home,” Page said. “Win, or lose, you don’t have an hour drive back home. You just go home and you can recover and go back to school the next day. You learn from it and take what you learn back to the next day in practice."

While Topeka finished first (34), Sabetha was second (28) and Wamego was third (22), Wabaunsee and Atchison High Schools completed the five-team tournament. Wabaunsee finished fourth with 13 points while Atchison finished fifth with 3 points.

“We have a lot of experience,” Page said of his team in 2012. “I’m hoping we can get a couple of people back to state but it is really hard. Last year, things just came together for us and we got some through.”