West Newsmagazine 11-27-19
Local news, local politics and community events for West St. Louis County Missouri.
Local news, local politics and community events for West St. Louis County Missouri.
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WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM<br />
November <strong>27</strong>, 20<strong>19</strong><br />
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE<br />
I SPORTS I 25<br />
Lafayette’s Ferguson concludes sophomore season at tennis championship<br />
By WARREN MAYES<br />
Lafayette sophomore Katie Ferguson<br />
ended her season where she wanted to be –<br />
the Class 2 state girls singles tennis championship.<br />
But the final match didn’t end the<br />
way Ferguson had hoped for.<br />
Colby Kelley, Liberty High senior,<br />
defeated Ferguson 6-4, 6-1 for the singles<br />
title. Ferguson ended with a <strong>19</strong>-2 record in<br />
singles play.<br />
“I thought my season was successful,”<br />
Ferguson said.<br />
It was Ferguson’s second year playing at<br />
the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield,<br />
Missouri for the Lancers. She finished<br />
fourth in Class 2 singles last year.<br />
Lafayette coach Emily Peska said Ferguson<br />
should be proud of her sophomore<br />
campaign.<br />
“[It was] a very strong season,” said<br />
Peska, who is in her first year coaching the<br />
Lancers squad. “She had great accomplishments<br />
her freshman year and came back<br />
and topped many of those this season …<br />
With only one loss in postseason, in the<br />
championship match at state, she really<br />
showed the depth of her game this season.”<br />
Ferguson wanted to do better in her<br />
sophomore season. And she did.<br />
[Left to right] Coach Emily Peska and<br />
Lafayette player Katie Ferguson<br />
Ferguson won the District 4 title when<br />
she defeated St. Joseph’s Academy freshman<br />
Abby Gaines. In the sectional, Ferguson<br />
stopped Kirkwood’s Grace Runge 6-0,<br />
6-0 to earn a trip back to state.<br />
“I went to state this year prepared and<br />
focused,” Ferguson said. “I spent extra<br />
time hitting both outside and inside with<br />
my coach to be ready for either outdoor or<br />
indoor matches.”<br />
Peska said Ferguson was ready.<br />
“She trained hard all season and was<br />
mentally ready,” Peska said. “I think being<br />
a sophomore and having a better perspective<br />
on the competition this year also gave<br />
her more confidence.”<br />
In her first match at state, Ferguson<br />
defeated Jefferson City’s Sandhiya Baskar<br />
6-1, 6-0. In the quarterfinals, Ferguson<br />
defeated Rock Bridge’s Maggie Lin 6-2,<br />
6-0. Ferguson then went on to score a 6-3,<br />
6-0 win over Staley’s Claire Thimgan in<br />
the semifinals.<br />
In the championship match, she faced a<br />
player she had never played before.<br />
“I have played USTA matches since I was<br />
8 years old and I had never played Colby<br />
Kelley,” Ferguson said. “She is a very consistent,<br />
hard hitting, aggressive player with<br />
lots of experience behind her.”<br />
It was a learning experience for Ferguson.<br />
“I felt ready to go and felt good,” Ferguson<br />
said. “The first four games went<br />
fast and I was unable to slow things down<br />
and got down 0-4. I was able to play my<br />
game which helped me come back to tie<br />
the match 4-4.”<br />
The next game became the critical game<br />
for Kelley to go up 5-4 and then she was<br />
able to serve it out to win the set.<br />
“The second set, I was able to get the first<br />
game and felt the momentum could change.<br />
However, the next three games went to<br />
deuce and with ‘no ad’ scoring, it became<br />
a do-or-die mentality and unfortunately, I<br />
couldn’t convert any of these games,” Ferguson<br />
said. “She is an experienced USTA<br />
player who has been to state all four years<br />
of high school. I thought she played well.”<br />
Peska said Ferguson competed well in<br />
the match.<br />
“It was a great match,” Peska said. “She<br />
showed great mental toughness in that first<br />
set and was able to regroup and get things<br />
rolling, finding a groove with her shots.<br />
Kelley came out more aggressive from the<br />
start of the match and that ended up working<br />
to her advantage.”<br />
While she enjoyed her individual play,<br />
the highlight of the season for Ferguson<br />
was being able to play No. 1 doubles with<br />
her sister Meghan, a senior and four-year<br />
varsity player.<br />
“She is one of my biggest supporters<br />
during my first two years of high school,”<br />
Ferguson said.<br />
For Peska, coaching Ferguson for the<br />
season was a “pleasure.”<br />
“I was consistently impressed by her<br />
game and felt like every time I watched<br />
her, I learned a new strength of her game,”<br />
Peska said.<br />
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