By Jayson Henderson

The Clay Center Lady Tigers competed in the Smoky Valley Tennis Classic on Thursday, September 12th, finishing third with a total of 36 points. The tournament, hosted at Smoky Valley High School and Bethany College, saw teams from around the region compete in both singles and doubles matches.

Ellsworth secured first place with 60 points, followed by Hesston with 38 points. Clay Center finished strong, earning 16 points in singles and 20 points in doubles, putting them in third place overall.

Clay Center’s players included Adalyn Pfizenmaier, Tovah Catlin, Ella Kramer, Elizabeth Larson, Isley Lee, and Annalea Hendrickson, who contributed to the team’s solid performance.

The competition followed an 8-game pro set format with a tiebreaker at 7-all for front-side matches, while back-side matches used a short deuce format. Medals were awarded to the top five finishers, and points were allocated based on team and individual performance.