The Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish defeated Baylor in the TSSAA Division II-AA girls team tennis state championship on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, at Adams Tennis Complex in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Parker)
By DAVE LINK
MURFREESBORO – The Catholic girls’ tennis team pulled off a monumental feat Wednesday afternoon at the Adams Tennis Complex.
The Lady Irish (10-0) defeated Chattanooga Baylor 4-2 in the Division II-AA state championship match, ending the Lady Red Raiders’ winning streak of nine consecutive state titles.
“It was in the back of our heads,” Catholic sophomore Maeve Thornton said. “Like we knew (of Baylor’s winning streak), but it gave us more motivation to beat them because we wanted to end their streak.”
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Catholic’s girls won Division I Class A-AA state titles in 2016 and ’17 before moving to Class Large, where it lost in the 2019 state sectionals to Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett.
The Lady Irish were moved into Division II-AA for the 2020 season, which was cancelled due to the pandemic, and this year got their first chance to compete against the largest private schools in the state.
“We’re very proud because we have a lot of respect for this region we joined and how elite their programs are and how elite their coaches are,” Catholic coach Rusty Morris said.
“Just to compete with those people to us was a big thing, and then to win was just huge for us because it’s such a big jump to play with them. To come out successful shows you how much fight our girls have and how talented they are.”
Baylor’s girls fell short of breaking the record of 10 consecutive state titles held by the Webb School of Knoxville girls’ team, whose streak ended with Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to University School of Jackson in the Division II-A state semifinals.
On Wednesday, the Lady Irish clinched two of the three doubles matches for a 1-0 lead going into the six singles matches.
Thornton and GiGi Sompayrac won at No. 1 doubles, beating Baylor’s Agda Laakso and Samantha Helton, 8-4.
The Lady Irish’s Camilla Thurman and Anne Harris got the win at No. 3 doubles with an 8-7 victory over Gabby Czarnecki and Claire McOmie, winning the tiebreaker 7-4.
The Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish competed against Baylor in the TSSAA Division II-AA girls team tennis state championship on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, at Adams Tennis Complex in Murfreesboro. (Photo by Danny Parker)
Thornton gave the Lady Irish a 2-0 lead with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Laakso at No. 1 singles.
“Doubles was especially hard,” Thornton said. “It was a tough match. We just brought a lot of energy, and then singles, it was good. I just tried to stay focused and get done quick.”
Also winning singles matches for the Lady Irish were Vivian Schroeder at No. 4 and Thurman at No. 5.
Thurman defeated McOmie 6-2, 7-6 (5), and Schroeder, a junior, had the match-clinching win, a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Czarnecki.
“It was great,” Thornton said of Schroeder’s match. “She was down the first set and came back in the second. She was on fire. She had great energy, was really loud, saying a lot of ‘Come ons!’ It was great. She had a lot of fight in her.”
The Lady Irish had that all season – including during a 4-3 victory at Chattanooga Baylor.
“We knew it could potentially happen because we beat (Baylor) during the regular season,” Morris said. “We knew we had a good team, but look at how (the Lady Irish) battled Baylor. They have great pride and we knew it was going to be tough. They’re a great team, and it’s just great being able to play with those people.”
CAK GIRLS DROP FINAL
Christian Academy of Knoxville’s girls lost in the Division II-A state championship match to University School of Jackson, 4-2.
USJ took a 3-2 lead into the doubles matches, which are played after singles unlike the format in Division II-AA.
CAK’s Allie Faulkner won at No. 1 singles and Lia Schreuder won at No. 4 singles.
The Lady Bruins had a chance to clinch the match at No. 4 singles, but Schreuder rallied for a 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 victory over Addy Measley.
“I was really excited to get to doubles,” CAK coach Charli Thomas said. “I’m really proud of my girls. They fought the entire time, and I would still pick this team over any other team. I’m proud of them.”
USJ clinched the match at No. 2 doubles, where Measley and Zainab Baba beat Courtlyn Walsh and Larkin Bristow, 8-2.
Carson Welch, who played No. 2 singles, is CAK’s only senior, although Schreuder will graduate in December.
“I didn’t really know what to expect after last year and COVID,” Thomas said, “and only one of these girls (Welch) has ever played in the state tournament, and she played No. 5 (at state in 2019), so I kind of have a group of brand-new girls that are out here. I’m just really proud of them.”
WEBB BOYS LOSE, 4-3
The Webb boys fell short of their state title hopes, losing to Nashville’s Christ Presbyterian Academy 4-3 in the state championship match.
The Spartans trailed 3-2 after doubles.
Webb tied the match at 3-all when Wilder Dewhirst and Alex Juergens beat Aiden Menzie and Leo Menzie 8-3 at No. 1 doubles.
CPA then clinched the match and state championship when Nathan Irwin and Clark Danelz defeated Zach Reynolds and Trent Valeriano 8-4 at No. 2 doubles.
Webb got singles victories by Dewhirst at No. 1 and Juergens at No. 3.
Dewhirst beat Irwin 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, while Juergens defeated Danelz, 6-1, 6-3.