Sahana Madala and Allie Wayne give John Burroughs as good a one-two punch at the top of the lineup as any girls tennis team in Missouri.
Madala, a senior, has four top five finishes in the individual state tournament, while Wayne, a sophomore, has a second- and fourth-place finish in her two years.
But the success of a team in high school tennis often depends on the bottom half of a lineup. And John Burroughs proved throughout the season that may be their biggest strength.
That was certainly the case in the Class 3 girls team tennis championship match Saturday. The Bombers won at No. 2 and 3 doubles and at No. 4, 5 and 6 singles in winning over previously undefeated Liberty of Kansas City 5-1 at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield.
The championship was the 12th overall for the Bombers and gave seniors Madala, Megan Liu and Eva Kasal a championship sandwich as they were also part of the team that won state in 2020 when they were freshmen.
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“This team has amazing depth,” Madala said. “Everybody contributed to this title. The No. 5 and 6 girls (Isabelle Hawkins and Mayumi Ross) don’t always get the headlines, but they have been so clutch for us. They are the players who really seal the deal.”
Hawkins and Ross won their doubles match at No. 3 doubles against Liberty and then won in their singles matches.
“I have other coaches who ask me, that’s your number five, that’s your number six?,” John Burroughs coach Lindsay Carlile said. “What a gift I had one through six this year. The top of the lineup with Sahana and Allie were always good for some points and Isabelle and Mayumi were always good for three points. They were great anchors. And we had the seniors (Kasal and Liu) who provided experience and solid play in the middle of the lineup. That lineup set us up for success in our dual matches.”
And the Bombers had plenty of success, going undefeated against schools from Missouri.
Their only loss came against Hinsdale Central, one of the top teams from Illinois.
“This has been a very special group of young women,” Carlile said. “As good as they were on the court, they were even better teammates and humans.”
Madala, who fell just short of an individual title in her four years, said she is more pleased being a part of two team champions.
“It’s bittersweet that it is over,” Madala said. “It is a sad ending, but certainly also a happy ending. It’s always nice to win. We were able to put the cherry on top.”
Lafayette, which lost to John Burroughs in the semifinals Friday, ended its season with a victory. The Lancers defeated Lee’s Summit North 5-0 in the third place match.
The Lancers swept the doubles and then got wins from the Yin sisters, Amber and Megan, in singles.
Amber Yin capped off an undefeated season with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Ashley Fowler at No. 1 singles.
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