Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Rogers doubles team looks to defend title
Jenna Kate Bohnert and Grace Lueders got a wake-up call a couple of weeks ago and it looks to have come at just the right time.
The Rogers High pair dropped their first match in almost two years a couple of weeks ago 6-4, 7-5 to the Bentonville West team of Darby Allison and Cassie Cerventes. But they refocused and cruised through the conference tournament, beating Allison and a different partner in the finals in straight sets.
They will look to defend their Class 6A state girls doubles title beginning today at Rebsamen Tennis Center in Little Rock.
Both players agreed the loss was good for them.
“I feel like it was good for us because we had been undefeated before and there’s a lot of pressure,” Bohnert said. “I think we needed some humbling. It gave us more things to work on.”
The bond between the two has grown beyond the tennis court, too. They are great friends and spend time together off the court. Bohnert said Lueders gives her the support she needs if she’s struggling.
“I’m pretty negative, critical,” Bohnert said. “Grace is always there to support me and pick me up if I’m down on myself.”
Lueders said it goes both ways for the team, which also won the girls Overall doubles titles a year ago, too.
“She knows me and knows if I’m playing bad and in my head, she knows how to get me out,” Lueders
said.
Bentonville High’s Ella Coleman lost in the state finals a year ago, but she learned from that defeat and a week later came back to win the Overall girls’ singles crown. The sophomore, who won the 6A-West Conference title for the second straight year, will look to take that final step and claim the 6A title this week.
Coleman hasn’t been able to play many tournaments in the summer since they have been canceled because of the covid-19 pandemic. She’s instead focused on increasing
her fitness level and it’s paid off.
“It’s hard not to play matches and compete consistently,” Coleman said. “It’s hard to know where you’re at because training is completely different. You get in a rut.
“I’ve been work a lot on my fitness which was part of my game I needed to work on. I’ve done a lot more running. I’m not a huge fan but it was good. I got to work on it and I’ve actually gotten a lot faster on the court.”
Hayden Swope will also be trying to earn a second consecutive state title, but with a different doubles partner this year. He and Conor Clardy won the 6A boys doubles title a year ago, but this year he’s got a familiar partner in his brother, Carter.
The Swope brothers claimed the 6A-West Conference title with a straight-set win in the finals. But it was tough for a while. They trailed
4-3 and 5-4 in the opening set before winning nine straight games to earn the title.
“I feel like every day we’re getting better and better,” Hayden Swope said. “We balance each other so well with our styles and it’s a different bond with your brother. We’ve been playing together for like a decade.”
But the younger Swope said they have to continue to work and improve.
“We need to be more aggressive at the net and put shots away the first time,” Carter Swope said.
Collin Matthews is new to the high school tennis scene, but is the top-ranked juniors player in Arkansas in high age group. The sophomore from Rogers High is undefeated in boys’ singles play this season and heads into the state tournament as the 6A-West Conference champion.