Kimbrough stepping up

Sunday, April 22, 2007
Joe Warren/Herald-Tribune Nevada senior Ryan Kimbrough returns during a match this season against Neosho. Kimbrough is 5-1 in singles play.

Herald-Tribune

NEVADA, Mo. -- In a season where Nevada's tennis team has taken its lumps, senior Ryan Kimbrough has been a bright spot.

Kimbrough, the Tigers' No. 1 singles player for the second year, has seen his game take off in 2007.

The fourth-year varsity veteran dominated Neosho's top player Thursday, beating Justin Fox 8-1 in a match the Wildcats controlled the rest of the way.

It was just the latest win for Kimbrough (and loss for the Tigers) in what has been a season of mixed results.

As a team the Tigers are 2-4 in the team standings. That hasn't stopped Kimbrough from winning though. The senior is 5-1 this year in singles play, and has led the Tigers' No. 1 doubles team to a 4-2 record.

Unfortunately the team success hasn't followed, as the rest of the team is a combined 10-32. The other five spots in singles play have gone 7-23, while the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams have combined to go 3-9.

The frustration was evident Thursday, as Kimbrough and teammate Jake Holmes were battling Neosho's top pair, and held a 5-4 lead.

Neosho got hot, and the Wildcats won the final three games of the match to hand Kimbrough and Holmes only their second doubles loss of the season.

After the last point was scored, Kimbrough spiked a ball with his racket that soared to the other side of the four-court tennis grounds.

Nevada head coach Dennis Pendrak said it's that desire that has Kimbrough playing at a level that might allow him to continue his career in college.

"He has a real desire to do well this year," Pendrak said. "Not that he didn't before, but it's his senior year and he'd like to play in college."

"I'm looking at playing at Northwest (Missouri State)," Kimbrough said.

The Tigers have a history of sending players to Northwest Missouri State to play tennis. The girls' program has sent all three of Pendrak's daughters to play for the Bearcats, an NCAA Division II school.

Mark Rosewell coaches both the men and women at Northwest. Kimbrough said he went to visit the campus last week and was impressed.

"I liked it," was what the soft-spoken Kimbrough said.

Pendrak said his top player has always had the ability to take his game to the next level.

"He's always had the tools," Pendrak said. "We've always thought he was a quality athlete."

Pendrak said work this past offseason and after hours in practice this spring has paid big dividends.

"He's made a real effort to improve, and he has," Pendrak said.

"Coach Pendrak's helped me a lot," Kimbrough said. "I've got my serve in a lot more (than last season), and it's helped me a lot."

In the short term Kimbrough still has goals to reach. One of them is to go to state.

It's a goal that isn't out of reach for the Tiger who was Nevada's No. 3 player by the end of his freshman season.

Kimbrough already owns wins over some of his toughest competition. He's beat Neosho's Fox twice, and also beat Bolivar's Brady Fox and Mount Vernon's Brett James. The only loss Kimbrough had this year in singles play was to Thomas Jefferson's William Humphreys, a returning state qualifier from last season.

This weekend's tournament at Thomas Jefferson in Joplin could be a measuring stick to see how close Kimbrough is to reaching that goal. Many of the players he will see at the district tournament will be there.

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