The Mathews High School varsity tennis team didn’t miss a beat coming back from spring break on Monday to shut out the Essex Trojans, 6-0. The victory improved the Lady Devils’ season record to 9-0.

Quick matches for the top five players each earning a 8-0 victory were Morgan Johnson vs Brittany Harmon, Ashley Hudgins vs Destiny Roane, Rachel Stewart vs Canee Beachamp, Maddie Brown vs J’Keyah Gaskins, and Emma Wood vs Mandy Byrd.

Head coach LaDonna Crain and assistant coach Chandler Rogers decided to play freshman Sarah Brown at number six singles due to the fact that Essex only had an eighth grader left to play the number-six position. This situation made the number six match an automatic win for the Mathews Lady Blue Devils because the Essex eighth grader was ineligible to play varsity. Sarah Brown played quick on her feet and used strong forehand shots to defeat Taylor Grace Mitchell, 8-2. In doubles play, the top-seeded team of Johnson and Hudgins breezed throug...