Blue Jays notch first West Region victory

After a seven-hour, indoor marathon at Dickinson High School on Saturday the Jamestown Blue Jay girls’ tennis team picked up its first West Region victory of the season.

The Jays notched 3 of 6 singles victories over the Midgets, and won 2 of the 3 doubles matches to take down Dickinson 5-4.

“We’re starting to come together as a team,” JHS coach Pat Mullowney said. “We’re still short-handed and are missing a couple of girls, but we showed a lot of resiliency out there. A lot of things we have been working on in singles and doubles, the players are starting to apply and that’s good to see.”

Jamestown junior Melissa McMillan dominated for the Jays at No. 1 singles, taking down Dickinson’s Rachael Kelly 6-3, 6-1. Kara Fix, a freshman for the Jays, defeated Brittany Jalbert 6-2, 6-2 at No. 3 singles, and Jamestown sophomore Jessica Truax out-swung Taylor Storley 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 at No. 5.

“Melissa had an outstanding win at No. 1 singles. She never really let her opponent in the match,” Mullowney said. “She’s really stepped up her game the last couple of weeks.

“That was Jessica’s first varsity singles win, which was great for her and the team,” Mullowney added. “Kara went 2-0 on the day and she’s playing with a lot more confidence.”

Fix teamed up with Sarah Muhs at No. 1 singles, surviving a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) battle with Dickinson’s Kelly and Steph Wallace. Winning at No. 2 doubles for the Jays were McMillan and Erin Mullowney over Jalbert and Taylar Jerome 6-1, 6-0.

“At No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, we were pretty much in control from the beginning,” coach Mullowney said. “It’s a confidence booster for the team. We’re right back in it for a mid-level seed in the region if we can get a few more wins. We hope to build on this.”

The Blue Jays improved to 2-4 overall and are now 1-3 in the West Region following the win over the Midgets.

Jamestown is scheduled to host Minot Ryan at Bollinger Courts on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Jamestown 5, Dickinson 4

Singles

No. 1: Melissa McMillan, JHS, def. Rachael Kelly, 6-3, 6-1.

No. 2: Steph Wallace, DHS, def. Sarah Muhs, 6-3, 6-4.

No. 3: Kara Fix, JHS, def. Brittany Jalbert, 6-2, 6-2.

No. 4: Brooke Lietzke, DHS, Erin Mullowney, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.

No. 5: Jessica Truax, JHS, def. Taylor Storley, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.

No. 6: Taylar Jerome, DHS, def. Kendra Rachel, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

Doubles

No. 1: Muhs/Fix, JHS, def. Kelly/Wallace, 6-3, 7-6, 7-4.

No. 2: McMillan/Mullowney, JHS, def. Jalbert/Jerome, 6-1, 6-0.

No. 3: Lietzke/Storley, DHS, Truax/Melanie Etter, 6-1, 6-1.

Sun sports writer Michael Savaloja can be reached at (701) 952-8461 or by email at mikes@jamestownsun.com

Tags: high school, sports, tennis, jays, jhs, girls