Irish: Whitney Ritchie, Trinian O'Neil rise up to occasion...

By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com

It was dubbed by me as the tennis match worth the price of admission. And if you had a chance to watch it on Court 8, you might tend to believe that.

However, the Bishop McGuinness doubles team of Whitney Ritchie and Trinian O’Neil did not allow there to be any drama in a 6-1, 6-2 victory against the very talented team of Haley Martin and Abby Tolson of Tulsa Edison.

The key was the start as the Irish absolutely blitzed the Eagles early, taking a 5-0 lead before you could even blink. In particular, Ritchie (gunning for her fourth state title), came out ready to dominate.

This was the first time I’ve seen Martin, and she really is as good as advertised. She has some solid ground strokes. Most importantly, she knows how to keep the ball low, which is so crucial against players with the talent of McGuinness.

After the Eagles took a 2-1 lead in the second, McGuinness closed it out in style by winning the final five games. There was one absolute ridiculous point where Ritchie was able to get to a ball near the fence and force a Martin error. Tough to explain.

We’re rolling along here on Day 2, but it will be tough to beat that type of buzz that was in the air for that one. The drama should be in 6A, though, where who knows who will win it between Edmond North and Jenks.