The Mathews High School girls’ tennis team is off to a great start defeating AAA Gloucester by a 7-2 margin and Northern Neck foe Essex, 9-0.
In last Thursday’s match with Gloucester, top-seeded Devil Aly Collins took a loss to a tough Christine Riddett, 8-1. At number two, Amy Collins played well and won, 8-3, against Olivia Edwards. Kasey Lynn Lyerly, playing three, easily won against Kelsey Lineberry, 8-1. At four, Mallory Hurst defeated Forrest Eversole, 8-2. Lamar Saunders played six and won 8-0 over Katie Masiak. Sixth-seed Leanne Moughon also defeated her opponent Rebecca Bish, 8-0.
In doubles, the number-one team of Amy and Aly Collins, was handed a tough loss by Gloucester’s Riddett and Edwards, 7-9. Hurst and Mercedes Wells teamed up to give Mathews an 8-1 win over Masiak and Lineberry. Number three, Lyerly and Moughon won, 8-2, against Eversole and Bush. In exhibition matches Saunders won, 8-1, Elizabeth Ransone won, 8-0, and Kate vanEmmerik won, 8-2. Ransone and vanEmmerik played again and won 8-0 and 8-1, respectively. Katherine Ransone and Melany Slaughter teamed up for doubles with a 6-3 loss.
MHS played Essex on Friday. In singles play, the #1 and #2 seed Collins twins, along with number four Hurst and six Tillage, all won, 8-0. Number three Lyerly and five Saunders both won, 8-2. In doubles, Amy and Aly Collins won, 8-0, along with the number three team, Lyerly and Moughon. At number two, Hurst and Tillage won, 8-1. In exhibition matches, Hudgins and Davis-Ruskovitz had a tough loss of 8-6 and Slaughter and Katherine Ransone lost, 8-2.
Mathews lost to AA Grafton, 5-4 on Tuesday. In singles at number one Aly Collins lost, 8-5, to a strong Sydney Short. Amy Collins defeated Kayla Jefferson, 8-4, with lots of deep topspin shots. At number three, Lyerly fell to Sophia Lin, 8-4. Number four Hurst played a long, tough match losing, 9-7, to Jordan Keith. Saunders pulled out an 8-4 victory at five seed over Marisa Mosier. Playing six, Moughon also picked up an 8-4 win, beating Trilby Brush. The Collins twins lost in #1 doubles to Short and Keith, 4-8. Hurst and Lyerly then lost, 0-8, to Lin and Jefferson. The number three team of Saunders and Wells got an 8-1 win.