Rain delays photo finish

Tuesday morning's severe weather, including a tornado warning in Pasco County, forced everyone to wait another day for the exciting finish of the Class 2A, District 6 Tournament.

With singles finals set for 8 a.m., followed by the final two rounds of doubles, host Sunlake postponed the resumption of play until Wednesday morning at the same time.

When the players do take the court again, two-time defending district champion Nature Coast will look to hold off Wiregrass Ranch.

The Lady Sharks held a two-point lead following Monday's action, 11-9, with four players advancing to the singles finals and both doubles teams still alive.

Regardless of the remaining outcome, Nature Coast can finish no worse than second and thus has clinched a regional berth.

"I thought they did very well," Nature Coast Head Coach Louise Downey said. "I was impressed. They kept their cool and played well in pressure situations."

The Lady Sharks will square off with Wiregrass Ranch in two critical singles finals, with junior Olivia Williams facing Hannah Still at No. 2 and freshman Mallorie Pickersgill playing Amber Fahrner at No. 3.

Another freshman, Delaine McCabe, will take on Gulf's Alyssa Lukish at No. 4, and No. 5 sophomore Kaitlyn Bugden will shoot for her second straight district title when she battles Pasco's Candace Peter.

Bugden picked up a huge semifinal victory against the Lady Bulls' Katie Bonti, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2). That made up for No. 1 Rachel Conter's semifinal loss to Wiregrass Ranch's Sydney Simpson, 6-2, 7-5.

The Lady Sharks mostly cruised throughout the rest of their Monday matches, including the duos of Conter and Williams and Pickersgill and McCabe in the first round of doubles.

Pickersgill and McCabe must go through Still and Bonti in the next round, the match Downey felt could decide the tournament.

The Lady Bull tandem of Fahrner and Simpson remain alive at No. 1 doubles, as well.

Nature Coast agreed to a lineup change prior to the tournament, moving the undefeated Williams from No. 4, where she had played all season due to a rotator cuff injury. She won the district crown at No. 2 in 2008.

"I don't have a problem moving her up," Downey said. "I didn't want anyone to say we cheated or it was a set-up. So we went ahead and changed her.

"My girls are tough girls. They've handled it mentally well and they've handled it by their performance, too."

Hernando eliminated

Perhaps due to some bad luck, Hernando took a goose egg in the tournament, losing all seven of its first-round matches Monday.

The Lady Leopards drew either Nature Coast or Wiregrass Ranch in 4-of-5 singles brackets, as well as Conter and Williams at No. 1 doubles.

"When you get a draw like that, it's tough," Hernando Head Coach Pete Lahey said. "There's nothing you can really do. But you've got to play no matter what's there.

"It's a little disappointing, but it is what it is. We had to make the best of it and go from there."

Class 2A, District 6 Girls Tennis Tournament
at Sunlake High (singles finals, doubles semifinals and finals postponed to Wednesday due to rain)
1. Nature Coast (NCT) 11, 2. Wiregrass Ranch (WGR) 9, 3. Gulf (GUL), Sunlake (SL), Zephyrhills (ZEP) 5, 6. Pasco (PAS) 2, 7. Hudson (HUD) 1, 8. Hernando (HER) 0

No. 1 singles
First round
Sydney Simpson (WGR) over Stephanie Little (GUL), 6-0, 6-1.
Rachel Conter (NCT) over Ali Steiner (HER), 6-2, 6-0.
Carly Buhr (SL) over Mallory Bodine (PAS), 6-7, 6-4, 6-4.
Sarah Vandeberg (ZEP) over Hallie Bislick (HUD), 6-0, 6-0.
Second round
Vandeberg (ZEP) over Buhr (SL), 6-0, 6-1.
Simpson (WGR) over Conter (NCT), 6-2, 7-5.
Final
Simpson (WGR) vs. Vandeberg (ZEP)

No. 2 singles
First round
Hannah Still (WGR) over Catherine Erana (HER), 6-2, 6-1.
Demi Durkin (GUL) over Ashley Larkin (PAS), 4-6, 7-5, 6-0.
Tara Freibert (HUD) over Kaylee Canalungo (SL), 0-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Olivia Williams (NCT) over Chelsea Smith (ZEP), 6-0, 6-0.
Second round
Still (WGR) over Durkin (GUL), 6-2, 6-2.
Williams (NCT) over Freibert (HUD), 6-0, 6-2.
Final
Williams (NCT) vs. Still (WGR).

No. 3 singles
First round
Amber Fahrner (WGR) over Olivia Wagner (HER), 6-0, 6-0.
Caitlyn Ungerer (ZEP) over Allison Tisdale (PAS), 6-3, 6-2.
Kelsey Comb (SL) over Amanda DeMorrow (HUD), 7-5, 6-3.
Mallorie Pickersgill (NCT) over Miranda Gillespie (GUL), 6-1, 1-6, 6-3.
Second round
Fahrner (WGR) over Ungerer (ZEP), 6-0, 6-1.
Pickersgill (NCT) over Combs (SL), 6-0, 6-1.
Final
Fahrner (WGR) vs. Pickersgill (NCT).

No. 4 singles
First round
Delaine McCabe (NCT) over Ashley Stephens (WGR), 6-2, 6-2.
Haley Levengood (SL) over Shannon Wiley (HUD), 6-4, 6-0.
Alyssa Lukish (GUL) over Casey Miller (HER), 6-1, 6-3.
Stacy Trovillion (ZEP) over Sarah Hink (PAS), 7-5, 6-2.
Second round
McCabe (NCT) over Levengood (SL), 6-0, 6-1.
Lukish (GUL) over Trovillion (ZEP), 7-5, 6-3.
Final
McCabe (NCT) vs. Lukish (GUL).

No. 5 singles
First round
Kaitlyn Bugden (NCT) over Christa Goad (GUL), 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.
Katie Bonti (WGR) over Hannah Spencer (HER), 7-6 (7-5), 6-2.
Madison Zimmerman (SL) over Kari Fairbanks (HUD), 6-3, 6-2.
Candace Peter (PAS) over Rachel Wise (ZEP), 6-1, 6-0.
Second round
Peter (PAS) over Zimmerman (SL), 6-1, 6-2.
Bugden (NCT) over Bonti (WGR), 6-2, 7-6 (7-2).
Final
Peter (PAS) vs. Bugden (NCT).

No. 1 doubles
First round
Conter/Williams (NCT) over Steiner/Wagner (HER), 6-0, 6-0.
Little/Lukish (GUL) over Bodine/Hink (PAS), 6-0, 6-2.
Vandeberg/Ungerer (ZEP) over Buhr/Levengood (SL), 6-0, 6-0.
Fahrner/Simpson (WGR) over Bislick/Freibert (HUD), 6-1, 6-0.
Second round
Conter/Williams (NCT) vs. Little/Lukish (GUL).
Vandeberg/Ungerer (ZEP) vs. Fahrner/Simpson (WGR).

No. 2 doubles
First round
Durkin/Gillespie (GUL) over Smith/Trovillion (ZEP), 6-0, 6-2.
Combs/Canalungo (SL) over Edwards/Erana (HER), 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Still/Bonti (WGR) over Larkin/Tisdale (PAS).
Pickersgill/McCabe (NCT) over Wiley/DeMorrow (HUD), 6-0, 6-0.
Second round
Durkin/Gillespie (GUL) vs. Combs/Canalungo (SL).
Still/Bonti (WGR) vs. Pickersgill/McCabe (NCT).