By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
SAVANNAH - The Savannah girls' tennis team largely blazed through their regular season schedule, and that pattern has not changed in the postseason.
The top-seeded Savages (12-1) earned a 5-0 sweep over No. 2 seed Benton (9-5) in the Class 1 District 16 girls' tennis championship at Savannah High School Tuesday.
The Savages have now earned this crown in back-to-back seasons.
"The girls played great and have just been improving all year," said Savannah head coach Kelly Jones. "We knew we had a good shot coming in. So, we were excited."
Savannah picked up a quick pair of victories in doubles to lead things off Tuesday, as Iris Alvarez and Allie Moore picked up an 8-0 win in No. 2, and Kate Fischer and Reagan Alexander did the same in No. 3 doubles.
"We showed up ready to play today and ready to win our second district title," Alvarez said. "With us playing really well, that helped us get through that (doubles round) pretty easily."
Seniors Saige Blake and Maddie Till had to fight for a win in No. 1 doubles against Benton's Madeline Burright and Maria Stocking.
Blake and Till, who are district champions in the individual doubles tournament, grinded out a 9-8 victory Tuesday, including a 7-4 win in the final round.
Moore and Alexander each picked up wins in singles to seal the deal, with Alexander winning 6-0, 6-0 and Moore winning 6-0, 6-1.
The Savages now advance to team sectionals, which will take place on Monday in St. Joseph.
After falling in state quarterfinals to Chillicothe last year, Savannah is ready to make another push for the Final Four.
"We didn't lose much from last year," Jones said. "And the ones we did lose, we filled with just as good of players. They've just kept improving and each match have gotten a little better each time."
Alvarez, along with Blake and Till, will compete in individual sectionals this Friday in Trenton. This is Blake and Till's first time competing in the individual state bracket.
Alvarez, meanwhile, is a three-time individual district champion in singles, making it all the way to state semifinals last fall.
Now in her last go-around as a senior, she simply wants to enjoy this last ride with her team.
"This year has been the most special so far," Alvarez said. "I enjoy my teammates so much. Winning is great, but winning together is really what I enjoy. This is just a special day for us."
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