{gallery}04_14_09/tennis{/gallery}Powell's Todd Lewis gets on top of this service return during dual action in Cody last week. Lewis stretched Cody's Wiley Newsome to three sets before dropping a 6-0, 4-6, 6-4 match in the Panthers' first tennis action of the spring. Tribune photos by Randal HorobikPHS tennis team just looking to learn The Powell High School Panthers opened spring tennis season last Tuesday with the boys falling to Cody by a 5-0 count and the girls slipping by a 4-1 score. For head coach Ray Bieber, those scores are hardly what matters at this stage.“We lost our top six girls and our top two boys from last fall,” said Bieber. “We are a very young team right now. We're young enough that I had to devote time this past week to just teaching how to keep score. Our goals right now are simply to improve and learn the game.”

That learning curve was hampered by inclement weather that plagued the team's attempts to practice outside in preparation for their first spring match. Bieber noted Tuesday's matches against Cody were “only the second day” his teams had been able to get outside since spring practice began.

Lisa Schiermeister walked away with the only win of the day for Powell. Schiermeister, who typically found herself a part of the Panthers' number three doubles tandem last fall, scored a decisive 6-2, 6-0 solo win as the team's number two singles player. Brittany Feller fell 6-0, 6-1 at number one singles for Powell.

In doubles play, the number one tandem of Lacey Eckerdt and Lacy Ebersberger fell 6-1, 6-3 to their Cody counterparts. Cicily Bennion and Jenna Price were 6-1, 6-0 victims at number two doubles and Cecelie Lopez and Lexa Lazar were swept 6-1, 6-4 at number three doubles.

In boys' competition, both number one singles player Robert Speiser and number two singles player Todd Lewis extended their opponents to three sets before coming up short. Speiser fell by a narrow 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 margin. Lewis rallied from a lopsided first set to extend matters before succumbing 6-0, 4-6, 6-4.

“Robert was playing number two doubles for us last fall and Todd was playing number three doubles, so that shows, again, just how young we are right now,” said Bieber. “A lot of the kids we had playing today were at the junior varsity level this past fall.”

In boys doubles competition, the number one tandem of Seth Agee and Nathen Fulton went down 6-0, 6-0 to their more experienced Cody counterparts. The number two doubles tandem of Regan Solai and Ashton Solai fell by identical 6-3 counts in both sets and Billy Cummings and Dillon Jeffs pushed Cody to a 7-5 first set before dropping the second set 6-0 at number three doubles.

“I thought we competed and hit the ball well,” Bieber said of the Panthers' varsity performance. “We were able to win some games and sets against a more experienced Cody lineup. I think a lot of our kids today learned what it is going to take to compete. We just have to improve. That's all there is to it.”

While the Panther varsity was in Cody, the junior varsity and middle school players were in town.

Macy Kwan and Ashley Good grabbed a 6-2, 4-6, 4-0 doubles win. Brennan Althoff split sets in a 3-5, 4-0 singles match.

At the middle school level, Breann Hollenbeck and Courtnie Zorgati swept their opponents by a 4-3 (7-5), 4-2 final count.

Lena Vega and Marisa Sanders won the first set before dropping the next two for a 4-3, 2-4, 1-4 loss. Venice Saltz and Laurren Hopkin lost in straight sets 4-2, 4-1.

Doubles pairings of Sheridan Roling and Taylor McCarthy, Rachel Bright and Marina Pomeroy, Brandi Voss and Sarah Wurzel and Shelby Saldana and Amber Munjar each competed in mixed doubles matches against teams containing Cody boys. No scores were kept in those matches.