Written by Jim O'Hara, Rome News-Tribune Sports Editor, published 4/14/2007
The Darlington girl’s tennis team knows what it takes to win a state championship. And they’re not about to lose their focus on doing it again.
Proving that they are ready to defend their Class AA state title, the top-ranked Lady Tigers breezed to the Region 7-AA crown Friday afternoon at the Rome-Floyd Tennis Center in workman-like fashion as Darlington swept both the girl’s and boy’s championships.
While Darlington’s girls closed out the tourney downing Calhoun with a third-straight 5-0 decision in the event, the Tigers clinched their championship with a 4-1 win over feisty Adairsville in a match that included two of the best singles matchups of the season.
In the two consolation matches of the tournament, Armuchee’s girls edged Pepperell 3-2 for third place, while LaFayette stopped Rockmart to clinch the boys’ third-place trophy. All four teams head to the state tournament that begins in two weeks, with the top two teams hosting the opening round. And the Lady Tigers, who gave the school its seventh state title last year, are once again ready to make a run.
“There’s definitely pressure being the No. 1 team,” senior Emily Morrow said after her team kept the region’s top trophy. “But we all feel confident that we can defend the state championship. We know we have to stay focused and take one match at a time.”
Against Calhoun, that was the case as Natalie Maffett (6-1, 6-2), Morrow (6-0, 6-0) and Katherine Knight (6-0, 6-0) won their singles matches, and the doubles teams of Caroline Coble and Katie Stout (6-1, 6-1), and Alicia Wright and Nina Oltmanns (3-6, 6-3, 10-2) capped the sweep.
“I’m really proud of the girls,” said Lady Tigers coach Rachel Rice, who is leaving the team at the end of the season. “But we’ve got a tough road ahead. The girls know that it’s not in the bag. They know they have to work hard.”
The Lady Tigers will host the No. 4 team from Region 6-AA in the opening round of the state tourney, while Calhoun — the Lady Jackets advanced to the final with wins over Coosa and Pepperell — host the No. 3 squad from 6-AA.
While Darlington’s girls clinched its title quickly, the boys’ final match wound up with the top two singles showdown taking the spotlight. Darlington took a 2-1 lead when Elliott Echols won his No. 3 singles test (6-2, 7-5), while the No. 1 doubles team of Drew Fuller and Lee Cantrell won in three sets (6-7, 6-0, 6-1).
Adairsville’s point came at No. 2 doubles from Trent Coker and Taylor Smith in another three-setter (6-1, 5-7, 6-3). Those results shifted the focus to the top two singles matches, which both squads hinged their hopes on.
Darlington’s Rea Law settled the matter outlasting Tanner Smith in three sets (6-1, 4-6, 6-4) at No. 2 singles, which clinched the region championship for his team. But that didn’t stop what had become a true test of wills in the No. 1 battle between Darlington’s Michael Schecter and Adairsville’s Murat Voral, a match that featured long points and amazing shots, and finally ended after more than two hours with Schecter taking a 7-5, 6-4 win.
“I was here with a vengeance,” Schecter said, noting that he had lost a three-setter to Voral last December in the Rome Junior Winter Open. “I expected a good match. (Voral) is good and he’s quick, but I was determined to win. I had no idea how anyone else did and I didn’t ask. I just wanted to focus on my match.”
“It was a great match,” said Tigers coach Dan Bishop. “You don’t see that kind of quality matches at some of the colleges. It’s amazing how they all help each other. They’ve all bonded really well together.”
