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Sisters shrug of sub-par round

Emily and Megan Van Etten are standouts for Mitchell and finishing out of the top two at a recent match won't change that.

By STEVE LEE
Published September 27, 2006

TRINITY - The Van Etten sisters have shared plenty of highs as teammates for the unbeaten Mitchell girls golf team. They dealt with a low point on Monday.

Still, Emily and Megan Van Etten agreed that Megan's rough afternoon on the Heritage Springs course was not something to dwell on.

A 170-237 win over River Ridge that extended Mitchell's win streak to 64 matches marked the first time this season that Emily and Megan did not finish as their team's Nos. 1 and 2. Emily, a senior, shot 3-under 32, but Megan had her highest score 48 as a freshman.

"Megan just had a bad day," Emily said. "It's only one round, so I just try to encourage her. I told her people know that she's better than that. I see a lot of great things in her future."

"She's going to grow from that," Mitchell coach Joe Castellano said of Megan, who carries a 43 average. "She can't focus on that. I'm interested in how she bounces back."

Having had her share of success as a state qualifier last season, Emily has led the Mustangs in each match and has a 35.5 average. She also is a calming influence over her sister.

"She's so mentally mature on the golf course," Castellano said of Emily. "She will definitely be able to help her sister out over the next couple of matches."

For her part, Megan does not view the River Ridge match as a lingering setback: "I just try to forget the bad holes."

Emily does not see too many bad holes in her sister's future and predicts that soon Megan, who at 5-foot-5 is 3 inches taller, will drive the ball farther than her.

"She and I hit the ball the same distance now," Emily said. "I'm proud of her. I see a lot of great things in her future."

For now, the Van Ettens are focused on the team goal of keeping the unbeaten string intact.

"It's amazing," Emily said of the streak. "That's something I want to keep going."

Contact Steve Lee at lee@sptimes.com.

[Last modified September 26, 2006, 22:38:24]