The Mathews High School girls’ tennis team easily defeated Essex on Tuesday, 8-1.

MHS coach LaDonna Crain let her number-one player, Elizabeth Ransone, and the number-two player, Kate van Emmerik, sit out this match. This allowed some of the others on the team play in a match since Mathews defeated Essex, 9-0, the last time the two teams faced one another.

The revised lineup did quite well, with Morgan Johnson (8-0), Ashley Hudgins (8-0), Alexis Wells (8-3), Rachel Steward (8-2), Emma Wood (8-0) and Maddie Brown (8-0) all posting convincing wins in singles play. The girls continued to play strongly in doubles. Playing number one doubles, Hudgins and Johnson played strong at the net to win, 8-1. At number two, subbing for the first time in the lineup, Kathryn Bray and Katherine Ransone took the only loss for the Mathews team, 2-8. Also, playing for the first time in the lineup, Madelyn Johnson and Ali Haynes teamed up to finish things off for the Lady Devils defeating their oppo...