YANKTON, S.D. — Mitchell Kernels girls tennis team closed out its regular season with a strong performance at the Eastern South Dakota Conference tournament Tuesday in Yankton, finishing second in the team standings.
The Kernels collected 275 points behind only Harrisburg’s winning total of 312. Host Yankton placed third with 241, while Aberdeen Central finished fourth at 207.5.
Mitchell placed in the top three of five of six singles flights and in two of three doubles flights, highlighted by individual championships from Elliot Smith at Flight 5 singles and Ava Prunty at Flight 6 singles. Smith, the top seed, dominated her bracket with a combined 30-5 margin over three matches. Prunty, seeded second, survived a 10-8 semifinal battle before defeating Watertown’s Jennika Kettwig 10-6 in the final.
At Flight 2 singles, Matteah Graves reached the championship match but fell 10-2 to Yankton’s Sabrina Krajewski. Mia Larson, seeded third at Flight 4, also advanced to the finals with a 10-5 semifinal win before dropping a 10-4 decision to Harrisburg’s Hope Gabel.
Megan Mastel provided another key result at Flight 1, finishing third. After a 10-4 win in her opener, Mastel fell to Yankton’s Nora Krajewski in the semifinals but rebounded with an 8-7 (7-3) tiebreak victory over Watertown’s Leyla Meester for the podium spot.
In doubles play, the teams of Mastel and Graves at Flight 1 and Smith and Prunty at Flight 3 both earned runner-up finishes. The Flight 1 duo advanced with dominant early wins before falling to Yankton’s Krajewski sisters in the championship. At Flight 3, Smith and Prunty reached the finals before being topped by Harrisburg’s Jessi Muth and Hannah Frye.
Larson and Katie Morgan reached the semifinals at Flight 2 doubles, finishing fourth after a narrow 10-8 loss in the semis and a setback in the consolation final.
The ESD showing marked Mitchell’s final competition before the Class AA state tournament, scheduled to begin Thursday, Oct. 9, in Sioux Falls.