The Mathews High School varsity tennis team’s season came to an end last week, as the girls fell, 5-1, to Radford High School, the Group 1A West champions, on June 10 in the VHSL state semifinal game.

Elizabeth Ransone, the Lady Devils’ top-seeded player, had also advanced to the state tournament as a singles player. In that state semifinal match, held last Thursday, June 12, she played the same singles foe she faced two days before, 1A West singles champ Leah Patterson from Radford. Unfortunately for Ransone, it ended up the same, with the Mathews girl losing this time in two sets by scores of 6-4, 6-1.

Mathews ended the year placing fourth overall in the state, with Ransone finishing fourth in the state in singles play. Head coach LaDonna Crain and assistant coaches Chandler Long, Mark Brown and Dan Wood were very pleased with their team’s performance, considering all the top six players were freshmen and sophomores, with the exception of Ransone, who graduated on...