Pembroke Hill’s Fitzgibbons and Somers win doubles in state tennis

Source: The Star

MARK SCHIEFELBEIN | Special to The Star

Pembroke Hill’s Chris Somers (right) and Teddy Fitzgibbons were unbeatable this season.

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SPRINGFIELD | Teddy Fitzgibbons and Chris Somers only played nine doubles matches together this season, but the Pembroke Hill duo had the same result in each — they won.

Their ninth and final win came Saturday afternoon at the Missouri Class 1 and 2 state tournament at the Cooper Tennis Complex.

Fitzgibbons and Somers defeated Spenser Newman and David Evans of Thomas Jefferson in the Class 1 doubles finals, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.

“There was a big crowd watching the match and I think our stuff was just a little off to start with,” Fitzgibbons said. “We just never really got going in the first set.”

But after they lost the first set, things turned around in a big way. The Raiders became the aggressors, cruising to victories in the next two sets.

While the duo had played just nine matches together this season, they had trained together previously at Kansas City United Tennis Academy. Their comfort on the court together showed in the final two sets.

“We played our game in the final two sets,” said Somers, who will play at Tulane next season. “We got to the middle of the net better and came out with a victory.”

While Fitzgibbons and Somers were the only champions from the Kansas City area on the final day, the Liberty doubles team of Michael Wiskirchen and James Lee reached the finals, falling in three sets to Columbia Rock Bridge’s Blake Buchert and Aaron Skinner, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Wiskirchen and Lee entered the match against the defending state champions somewhat as underdogs, but according to Lee they began to realize they had a very real chance to win the title when they went up a break in the third set.

“We felt right then that we were going to do it,” Lee said. “But then we moved to the other side and the sun started to get in our eyes and we lost a break and it just went from there.”

The two doubles teams were joined on the medal stand by several other KC-area participants.

Tommy Aliber of Pembroke Hill finished third in Class 1 singles. Nick Monaco of Blue Springs South overcame a loss in the opening round and battled back to finish fifth in Class 2 singles.

Rockhurst’s Dominic Palmieri and Thomas O’Neill defeated Trenton Piepergerdes and Peter Gardner of Lee’s Summit West in the Class 2 third-place doubles match.

submitted by COLE YOUNG - 2009-05-30 21:58:01