Poplar Bluff senior Addie Layne returns a volley Monday in a match against Caruthersville. (Brian Rosener/DAR)

By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor

With the MSHSAA district tournament looming, the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules tennis team started the final week of the regular season with a day off. Facing a Caruthersville team that featured only three players, the varsity team watched their teammates sweep the Lady Tigers.

Poplar Bluff's lone senior, Addie Layne, earned a 6-1 victory against Caruthersville's Christa Bradley while Ciera Baker and Lisa Keele each won their matches 6-0.

"I've seen a lot of improvement with varsity and JV," Lady Mules coach Michelle Massey said before the match.

With no seniors in the top six varsity spots, Massey hopes that improvement continues over the summer. She said some of the girls are already talking about attending summer camps.

"I feel like they're really getting in shape now at this point in the season," Massey said. "The Springfield Invitational helped."

Last week at the tournament, which was set up like a district event, the Lady Mules picked up 11 points featuring a lineup that Massey said will play at the Class 2 District 1 tournament on Oct. 10 in St. Louis.

Last year, the Lady Mules finished fifth in the district.

"They saw some really good tennis (at Springfield), and playing against Jackson and Charleston this week will help too," Massey said. "I feel like that's just getting them ready for districts."

The Lady Mules (4-6) travel to Jackson today and again Saturday for a tournament while also heading to Charleston on Thursday to wrap up the regular season.

Rachael Brodell and Emily Gilmore will compete in singles play at district, Massey said, along with the doubles teams of Jessica Gray and Allie Poteet, as well as Jenni Hubbard and Kelsey Olsen.

At Springfield last week, Gray and Poeteet reached the third round. Massey said the two complement each other and have played together for the last couple of years.

"Allie is good at the net," Massey added. "Jessica is good at strokes, she moves her feet and gets to everything."

Hubbard and Olsen are 7-3 in their matches together this fall, losing in the second round at Springfield.

"Both of those girls are good either way, net or ground strokes," Massey said. "I think they really have a good chance at advancing."

Brodell and Gilmore will face tough competition from the St. Louis schools in the district that tend to place their top players in the singles bracket, Massey said. To prepare, the pair will work on moving their feet and getting to every ball they can.

"That's going to be the biggest asset for them," Massey added, "is just getting that ball back to their opponent and let them make the mistake."

SOFTBALL: The Lady Mules won their fifth straight Monday with a 4-1 victory at Kennett.

Brandy Perry's two-run single in the fifth broke a scoreless tie while the junior struck out five, walked none and gave up one earned run on six hits for the victory.

Perry also started a double play in the fourth after giving up a leadoff single, as Breanna Moore took the throw at second.

"Big momentum shift," Lady Mules coach Dustin Benson said.

The Lady Mules (12-7), who three times in the fifth, host Kelly today.

Chelsea Coleman hit a one-out double over the center fielder's head in the fifth. Pinch runner Hillary Succaw moved to third on a single by Meagan Stucker and the two scored on Perry's single. Hailey Foust later drove in the third run of the inning.

In the sixth, Alex West doubled, moved to third on a groundout by Ashlee Mattox then scored on Coleman's ground out to the right side to give Poplar Bluff a 4-0 lead.

Kennett scored its lone run in the seventh, avoiding a second shutout against Poplar Bluff, which won 4-0 a week earlier at home.

In the JV game, the Lady Mules won 3-0.