Carson girls tennis falls to McQueen

It was a frustrating end to an otherwise strong season for the Carson High girls tennis team.

Carson, the No. 3 seed from the Sierra League, lost to McQueen, the No. 2 seed from the High Desert League, 12.5-10 on Tuesday in the first round of the zone playoffs.

"It was disappointing," Carson coach Diane Baker said. "We were a better team than what we showed."

The Senators needed just one more win in doubles to defeat McQueen. That win almost came in the first round when Jenae Jeppson and Staci Cobler lost in a tiebreaker 6-7 (6-8).

"If we had won the first round doubles, we would have won the match," Baker said.

Cobler and Jeppson also had another frustrating 5-7 loss. Jeppson and Cobler did win their other match 7-6 (7-5).

Michelle Van Epps also had a tough 4-6 loss in a match that could have gone either way. Van Epps did give Carson one win in singles with a 6-4 victory.

Natalie Rogers continued her strong play by sweeping her matches 6-4, 6-2, 6-0. Kelsey Joyce and Aaren Porteur won two matches in doubles, 6-4, 6-4.

Baker was also pleased with the play of Amber Whitworth, who teamed with Katie Elverum for a 6-4 win. "Amber Whitworth played her heart out," Baker said.

With only six losses on the season, Rogers should have a high seeding for the zone singles tournament. Jeppson and Cobler will also play in doubles in the zone tournament.

Baker said she's still undecided who her other singles player and other doubles team will be in the zone event. Joyce will play either in singles or doubles and other possibilities include Porteur and Van Epps.

"We're not sure who the other doubles is going to be," Baker said.