The Russellville High School varsity girls’ tennis team is nearing the end of its regular season campaign and looking forward to the section tournament in mid-April. Up to this point it’s been another solid season for a Golden Tigers squad who is sitting on just one section defeat going into their final few matches of the year.
“The season has been going good for us,” Russellville head coach Charlotte Dollar said. “Our only loss in section, as far as a team, has been to Brooks and we split with them. We beat them one time and they beat us one time, and both times it was 5-4.”
The Golden Tigers, the reigning Section 8 champions, are expecting a tough fight to keep a hold of the section crown.
“We’d really like to win the section tournament—we’ve won it several years in a row—but it’s going to be a lot closer this year than it has been in the past,” Dollar said. “Us and Brooks are going to be a real close match and Deshler, too. We’ve beat Deshler both times this season but the matches have both been pretty close. So I think it’s going to be a real tight race between us and Brooks and Deshler.”
“That’s not counting anyone out,” she added. “The teams that haven’t done as well up to now, any of them could come on strong at the end.”
Russellville is hoping for the return of the team’s number one, Peyton Parrish, soon. Parrish, who signed to play collegiate tennis at North Alabama in December, suffered an injury early in the season and has been out since.
“We’re hoping she’s coming back after spring break, but we don’t know that for sure. We’re hopeful she’ll be back,” Dollar said. “It’s tough when you’re missing your number one out there.”
Her return would be a big boost to the Golden Tigers heading into the tournament, but in the meantime, Russellville has had players step up in her absence.
“(Parrish’s) replacement, which has been Lakin Derrick, has played phenomenal to be coming up and subbing in there. She’s played exceptionally well,” Dollar said.
Derrick, alongside Dollar’s number two, Sofia Tiffin, are undefeated in section action, as well as the doubles team of Lily Cate Pace and Kinsley Palmer. Others, if they have a section loss, have just one, Dollar said. That's in section play, but the Golden Tigers have seen some defeats this year against larger schools. Dollar said that experience against top non-section competition will be valuable for the team at tournament time.
“We went to some big tournaments where we played big 7A schools. We played Hoover and Hewitt-Trussville and big schools like that, and we lost in some of those matches,” Dollar said. “You try to play tough matches so that they learn to play from behind, learn to play in tight situations so when they get to section tournament or…if they make it to state then you’re used to playing some teams that are tougher and have experience in those types of situations.”
Of course, the goal is always to win the section and advance to the state tournament, but there are more than a half-dozen players with a real incentive to continue the success the girls’ tennis team has seen in recent years and conclude the year in a satisfying way.
“We have seven seniors this year, so we’re losing a big chunk of our experience and talent this year,” Dollar said. “With all of these seniors we’d really like for them to have a great senior season and end everything on a positive note. We’re hoping that they’re able to do that, pull it all together, and have a great ending to the season at the section tournament.”
The Golden Tigers will travel to Muscle Shoals on April 1 for their next match and play their final section match against Wilson on April 2. Russellville will then cap the regular season with matches against Decatur and Florence before hosting the section tournament at the RHS tennis complex April 15-16.
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