The tone of the day seemed to be illness and injuries. South Granville arrived at Emry Park in Roanoke Rapids with only five players. Due to injuries and sick players, that’s all coach Ted Campbell had left to play. This meant that Roanoke Rapids would have two automatic wins in the match due to forfeit. This would turn out to be the only two wins the Lady Jackets would get, falling to the Lady Vikings, 2-7.
Things started out pretty well for the Lady Jacket’s #1 seed Jenny Sheley. She and South Granville’s Akelo Agingu fought back and forth in a very tight match until Sheley became ill and was not able to finish.
With RRHS’s #2 seed Addie Nixon still out fighting a virus, Emily Burnette stepped up to face the Lady Vikings’ Sarah Campbell. This was without a doubt the match of the day. Burnette jumped out quickly to take the first set of the match, 6-2. Campbell would scratch her way back into the match, though, taking the second set 4-6. Ultimately, Campbell would take the match, defeating Burnette in the tie break for the match, 2-10.
Lady Jacket #4 seed Mary Alice Clements stepped up into the #3 slot vacated by Burnette to take on South Granville’s Skylar Chavis. Clements would fall to Chavis, 0-6, 2-6. The #4 slot was left open due to forfeit. RRHS #5 seed Mary Carlson faced off against South Granville’s Natalie Russell. Carlson dropped the match, 2-6, 2-6. In the #6 match, RRHS’s Emma Barber fell to Haylee Allen, 3-6, 0-6.
In doubles, the RRHS pair of Burnette and Clements, who usually occupy the #2 slot, stepped up to take on South Granville’s #1 duo of Agingu and Campbell. This was a very heated battle, with both teams engaging in fierce volleys and continuously breaking each other’s serves. The match went well into the evening, with the RRHS pair finally falling, 7-9. This match went a long way towards preparing the scrappy Burnette and Clements for next week’s conference tournament.
The #2 doubles featured RRHS’s Joan Navarro and freshman Abby Mederos. They faced the combo of Chavis and Allen. Although the Lady Jackets pair played really hard, they fell to the Lady Vikings duo, 0-8. South Granville forfeited the #3 doubles slot.
This was the final regular season match for the Lady Jackets. Including a forfeit against Warren County, who was unable to field a team this season, they finish the season with a 4-3 record in the Northern Carolina 2-A Conference.
Next the Lady Jackets will travel to Raleigh for the conference tournament. They will be represented by the doubles teams of Jenny Sheley and Addie Nixon, and Emily Burnette and Mary Alice Clements. In singles, they will be represented by Mary Carlson and Emma Barber. Those who make it through the second round of the conference tournament may qualify for the regional tournament, which is in Goldsboro.
Congratulations to the Lady Jackets on a good season and best of luck in tournament play.
