Explorers blank Roxana 9-0 to open girls tennis season

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GODFREY – Roxana and Marquette Catholic got together for a girls tennis match at Lewis and Clark Community College’s Simpson Tennis Center Monday afternoon.

The Explorers went on to record a 9-0 win over the Shells in very warm conditions; the matches were reduced to 10-game pro sets due to the heat, which reached the low 90s.

“I was thrilled,” said Explorer coach Mike Walters. “(A) 9-0 (result) against a Roxana team that’s very well coached – to beat them 9-0 is incredible. They have some very good talent – like I said, they have some very good coaches, so I’m happy.

“With the weather being as hot as it is, it could have gone a little bit the other way, so we got the breaks and we won – we’re very happy with our first match of the year.”

Walters isn’t sure what kind of team he’ll have this season. “At this point, I really don’t know,” Walters said when asked what kind of team the Explorers will be this year. “Roxana, I know, has a good team – beating them 9-0 was a great start, but we have other teams out there that could probably just as much give us a challenge, if not a lot more, so we’ll see; at this point, I really don’t know.”

“It was a little rough,” said Shell coach Mike Kathriner of his team’s performance on the day. “I think the heat played a factor; Marquette’s pretty good, even though they graduated Shelby (Jones) and everybody; they’re pretty tough. They returned almost everything we could give them. My girls, we’re a little new; we’re a little green and we’re still learning as we go along as well.

“No one likes getting beat 9-0, but it is what it is – we’ll rebound and we’ll be OK.”

The Shells have had some weather difficulties the opening weeks of the season, having had a couple of meets rained out and more rain in the forecast later in the week. “It’s a pretty important match,” Kathriner said, “with the sectional down the road – it’s good we got this in. It’s always a good experience.

“Like I said, we’ve got a bunch of players who are brand new, who are learning their way around the tennis court, learning how it works.”

Maria Wendle, Leah Hoefert, Emily Fazio, Emilie Berkenbile and Kaya Theis all won the singles matches on the day for Marquette; doubles winners were Wendle/Hoefert, Berkenbile/Lettie Brown and Grace Schultz/Theis to complete the shutout.

The Explorers were scheduled to travel to East Alton-Wood River for a Tuesday afternoon match, then head to Mascoutah for a 4 p.m. Thursday match; the Shells host Waterloo at 4 p.m. Wednesday and EAWR in a backyard rivalry meet at 4 p.m. Sept. 5.

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