NEWBERRY — On September 11, the Newberry High School girls’ tennis team faced off against Fairfield Central High School at the Oakland Mill Courts. The match started at 6 p.m. when the players started getting warmed up for what was going to be an intense and competitive evening.
The Newberry Bulldogs formed their singles line-up with Zoe Reid, Madeline Kemper, Jackie Hernandez, Katie Gamez, and Dayanara Reyes. The sisters Jaslyn and Jasmin Lopez-Lorenzo played the doubles. The FCHS Griffins’ singles line-up featured Rayvin Trapp, Arianna Weldon, Zoe Cameron, Aaliyah Lyles and Abeni Burrell, while Thiana Maccornel and Nikia Davis played in the doubles.
After the warm-up, the matches started with both teams’ energy, excitement and nervousness. Gradually, the girls gain confidence and trust in their shots. Reid and Trapp had an epic battle on the first singles with intense points and strategic rallies. However, Reid imposed her game in two straight sets, 6/1 and 6/1, with consistent forehands and few unforced errors. Kemper had a forceful first set against Weldon on the second court, winning 6/1.
Nonetheless, Weldon started playing consistent groundstrokes and longer rallies that made her lead 5/3 on the second set. Consequently, Kemper had a remarkable comeback, winning four straight games and another win for the Bulldogs.
On court five, Reyes and Burrell engaged in what would become the longest match of the night. Both players were winning their game serves with high balls and long rallies. The first set was tight, but Reyes found the way to win the tie-breaker 7/5. The battle was not over yet, and Burrell started the second set with few unforced errors, leading the rallies with her forehand. After another set of intense points, Reyes found her way to win the night’s last match.
On the doubles side, the sisters Lopez-Lorenzo took the doubles point against Maccornel and Davis, scoring 6/0, 6/2. The Newberry Bulldogs secured a decisive victory with a 6/0 score, achieving a complete sweep of their opponents. This victory was necessary for the Bulldogs to gain confidence as the season progressed. The Bulldogs have two wins and five losses this fall season; however, anything can happen in this sport and results can change from one day to another.
The Newberry Bulldogs will play the Predators of Fox Creek High School in an away match in North Augusta, South Carolina.
Hopefully, the Bulldogs will sustain their performance and continue accumulating victories.