Post-season girls tennis takes center court

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State playoff action in girls tennis ramped up last week and the results for Chatham County teams came back successful.

On Tuesday afternoon down in Bear Creek, Chatham Central opened up the NCHSAA 1A Dual Team state playoffs by hosting Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy out of Mooresboro.

The contest went back and forth the entire afternoon before Ellie Phillips and Olivia Brooks, a freshman tandem for Central, recorded an 8-0 rout of Danielle Coldren and Kaylon Jones of TJA at No. 3 doubles to break a 4-all tie and propel the Lady Bears to a thrilling 5-4 victory and on into the second round.

Chatham Central (17-3-1) was scheduled to travel to Polk County (9-4) up in Columbus in the western North Carolina mountains on Tuesday, October 22, weather permitting.

The contest got off to an inauspicious start for the Bears on Tuesday as the Lady Gryphons took three of the opening four matches to go up early 3-1.

Only a victory in singles at No. 3 by junior Sophie Phillips kept the locals from going down 4-0 and on the brink of elimination.

Kate Fletcher won the singles top-seeded match over Taylor Hughes 6-0, 6-2 for Thomas Jefferson (6-3) before Claudia Dearment bested Cameron Hughes 6-4, 4-6, 10-2 at No. 2 in the best played singles match of the day.

At No. 4, Margaret Schweppe topped Mary Grace Murchison 6-1, 6-3 to send the Gryphons in front 3-1.

Then came the rally for the Lady Bears as Ellie Phillips downed Jones 6-0, 6-2 at No. 5, and Brooks routed Coldren 6-1, 6-0 at No. 6 to even the score at 3-3 headed into doubles.

In top-seeded doubles action, the Hughes twins fought fiercely and edged Fletch and Sophia Hayes 8-7 to send Chatham Central in front for the first time in the match 4-3.

Thomas Jefferson would not go down without a fight, however, as Dearment and Schweppe outlasted Sophie Phillips and Murchison 8-6 at No. 2, setting up the winner take all showdown at No. 3 won by a heroic effort from Ellie Phillips and Brooks.

Down in Williamston on Thursday afternoon, Chatham Charter opened the NCHSAA 1A Dual Team state playoffs with a convincing 9-0 thrashing of Riverside-Martin.

The Lady Knights dominated from start to finish with Rachel Brookshire starting things off by demolishing Khugboo Patell 6-1, 6-0 at No. 1 singles.

Emery Eldridge followed with a 6-0, 6-0 blanking of Lindsay Sexton at No. 2 before Lorelei Byrd hammered Sydney Sparrow 6-0, 6-1 at No. 3 to move the lead to 3-0.

At No. 4, Ashlyn Hart topped Meredith Eure 6-1, 6-0 before Emily Stecher rolled past Brieanne Guidry 6-0, 6-0, and Rebecca Brookshire cruised past Haven Howard 6-3, 6-1 at No. 6 to send the Knights into doubles leading 6-0 and the match clinched.

In doubles, Rachel Brookshire and Byrd slammed Patel and Sparrow 8-1 at No. 1 before Rebecca Brookshire and Byrd disposed of Sexton and Eure 8-3 at No. 2.

Hart and Stecher closed out the win in style by drubbing Howard and Sexton 8-0 at No. 3 to cap off the 9-0 triumph for the Knights.

Chatham Charter (9-5) was scheduled to battle East Carteret (11-4) down on the NC coast on Tuesday, October 22, weather permitting.

In individual state play, Avery Headen and Lindley Andrew of Jordan-Matthews qualified for the NCHSAA 2A State Championships in doubles by virtue of their performance on Friday and Saturday at the Mideast Regionals in Carrboro.

Headen and Andrew open state play on Friday, October 25 versus Megan Smith and Lindsay Ray of Forbush High School. A win would propel the Lady Jets to the second round against the victors of the match between Lindsay Dickens and Alyssa Byrum of Bertie versus Olivia Pursley and Anna Trace of Hendersonville.

Individual state championship tennis action will take place at the Burlington Tennis Center.