Lady Jackets down Lovett, advance to first-ever finals
Calhoun sweeps singles points to defeat Lady Lions 3-1 in Final Four
The Calhoun Lady Jackets had one hurdle between themselves and program history on Monday, and they cleared it with room to spare.
The Lady Jackets hosted Lovett in the Class AAA State Final Four Monday afternoon at the Calhoun Tennis Center, and when it was all said and done, they had earned their first- ever trip to the State match.
Calhoun ( 20- 1) defeated the visiting Lady Lions 3-1 behind a sweep of all three singles spots thanks to the play of McCartney Kessler, Carly Briggs and Emma King.
Calhoun coach Robin Proffitt said her team came out on a mission on Monday and didn’t let up until it was completed.
“The girls played great today,” said Proffitt. “They were awesome out there. We got very quick wins at Championship No. 1 and No. 2 singles, and then Emma King clinched it at No. 3 singles. Our doubles came up a little short today as they weren’t on their game, but Emma stepped up and took charge. Once she won her first set, she looked really confident and closed things out. We’re very proud of her and all the girls to step up in a match like this and get the job done.”
Calhoun, who was playing in just their second-ever Final Four in program history, advances to the Class AAA State Championship on Saturday at Clayton County International Park Tennis Center in Jonesboro. They will face off against Westminster for the title, after the Lady Wildcats defeated North Hall 3-0 on Monday. The teams will report to the site at 10:45 a.m. and the match will start shortly after that.
Kessler started things off on Monday for the Lady Jackets with momentum as she ran through her opponent at No. 1 singles for a 6-0, 6-0 win to put the team up 1-0. Carly Briggs followed suit herself shortly thereafter with a 6-0, 6-0 victory of her own at No. 2 singles.
Lovett jumped back into contention in the match with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Calhoun’s No. 2 doubles team of Sammy Bramlett and Molly Mashburn to make the score 2-1.
But that’s when the freshman King took con- trol and shut down any hopes of a Lady Lions comeback. The No. 3 singles player followed up a 6-2 win in the first set with an even more impressive 6-1 advantage in second set to clinch the third point, the match and the Lady Jackets’ trip to the Class AAA State Championship match.
The No. 1 doubles spot was pulled shortly after the match was no longer in doubt. The team of Marlee Nichelson and Jalen Holland dropped the first set 6-3 in a competitive, backand- forth affair, and were trailing 4-1 in the second set before the match was pulled.
The Calhoun girls are now in the same position that their boys team was in two years ago as they made their first- ever trip to the State Championship match and faced Westminster for the title. The Jackets lost that match 3-2 to bring to a close their best season to date for the program.
The Lady Jackets will try to complete the goal they set out to accomplish at the first of the season by bringing home a state championship trophy on Saturday, and Proffitt said she feels confident they can achieve that if they are focused and stay together.
“This team has really come together and bonded,” said Proffitt. “We are excited and ready to play for a state title. In the state tournament, we know as coaches that you are almost always going to have to go through the private schools to try to win a state title, and we’ve gotten past two now. We’ve got one more to go with Westminster. We know it’s going to be a battle, but I feel confident with this team. We’ve got to stay focused and be ready for the challenge.”