Lady Golden Tigers finish 12th at state tennis championships
A week after securing the runner-up position in the Class 4A-5A Section 8 tournament, the Russellville High School varsity girls’ tennis team competed in the AHSAA Class 4A-5A Tennis State Championships at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center in Mobile. The Lady Golden Tigers fought hard but ultimately came up short of the main goal, walking away on Tuesday with nine points and a 12th-place finish in the final team standings.
“We had a really, really hard draw down there (at the state tournament),” Russellville head coach Charlotte Dollar told the Franklin Free Press. “A lot of teams there were way better this year than they have been in the past. Some private schools, teams like Briarwood and Saint James were really, really good. So we had some tough draws, but I’m proud of how our girls played; they played well—some of them played really well—but it is what it is when you get down there and you go up against some very tough competition.”
Competing for Russellville in singles play were seniors Lily Cate Pace, Maria Gonzalez and Lakin Derrick and juniors Josie Burcham, Ella Copeland, and Kennley Francisco. Junior Nelly Juarez rounded out the squad, joining Gonzalez to make up one of Russellville’s doubles teams.
In singles action, three of Russellville’s six competitors advanced out of the opening round before being eliminated in round two. Copeland dropped LAMP’s Jiyoun Lin 6-0, 6-0 before falling in a sectional championship rematch to Deshler’s Adeline Norris 6-2, 6-1. Francisco advanced to the second round by beating Anna Catherine Lightcap of St. Michael Catholic School 6-0, 6-0 before being knocked out by Elizabeth Downey of The Donoho School 7-5, 6-0. And Derrick eliminated St. Michael’s Courtney Vaughan 6-3, 6-2 before being eliminated herself 6-2, 6-1 by Briarwood’s Emma Jahraus.
Pace, Gonzalez, and Burcham were ousted from the tournament in the first round. Pace and Gonzalez were beaten by The Donoho School’s Avery Barnett and Bentlee Pahman, respectively, while Burcham was defeated by Randolph’s Val Bedoya-Roig 7-5, 6-2.
Doubles action saw the team of Derrick and Francisco advance past the opening round but the teams of Pace and Burcham and Gonzalez and Juarez were knocked out in their first action.
Derrick and Francisco first faced off against Olivia Green and Anna Berrios from St. Michael’s and beat the duo 7-5, 6-1 before dropping their second round match to Sardis’ Taylor Johnson and Landrey Johnson 6-3, 6-0.
Pace and Burcham, who received a bye in the first round, met Randolph’s Lova Stenberg and Val Bedoya-Roig in their first doubles match and lost 6-0, 7-5. Gonzalez and Juarez were defeated 6-1, 6-3 by the eventual runners-up, Lila Bryant and Julia Phillips from Sardis.
After all matches were played, Saint James, with 63 points, clinched the Blue Map trophy and Briarwood, with 62 points, was the runner-up. With nine points, Russellville finished one point behind Guntersville and Westminster Christian which tied for 10th.
After the tournament was all wrapped up, Dollar praised her team for reaching the state meet. The talent of other teams in Russellville’s section has grown, but the Lady Golden Tigers have continued to meet the ever-rising bar and qualify for the AHSAA championships.
“These girls have worked really hard. We have a really tough section with Deshler and Wilson, who are really tough competitors,” Dollar said. “The girls really stepped up to get us to state, and we’re really glad to have the experience of going down there to compete.”
Finally, Dollar saluted her three senior student-athletes—Pace, Gonzalez, and Derrick—whose prep tennis careers ended in Mobile.
“We’re graduating three seniors so with losing those three we’re losing a lot of talent and experience,” she said. “I’m very proud of them. They’ll be tough to replace, but we’ll do our best to train up the younger ones coming up from (junior varsity) and fill those big shoes.”