Calhoun girls, boys advance to Elite Eight with clutch wins
all three singles spots by 6-0, 6-0 scores to clinch the match. Both of Calhoun’s doubles teams were up a set as well when the matches were pulled as the result was no longer in doubt.
“The girls were focused and ready to play,” said Calhoun coach Robin Proffitt. “Our singles and doubles were definitely very consistent today and could see they were feeling confident early on.”
Earning singles wins for the Lady Jackets were Carly Briggs (No. 1), Emma King (No. 2) and Jalen Holland (No. 3). The No. 1 doubles team of Neeley Abernathy and Rachel Frankenberger won their first set 6-0 and were in a tight second set trailing 3-2 when their match was ended. The No. 2 doubles team of Emma Blackstock and Molly Mashburn won their first set 6-1 and were up 2-0 when the match was pulled.
“It’s definitely key to have three singles players like the ones we have,” said Proffitt I think these ladies do an excellent job of setting the tone for the team”
The Calhoun boys (164) hosted North Hall on Wednesday afternoon in their second-round matchup and had to dig deep to put the Trojans away and earn the EliteEight clinching win. The Jackets took a 1-0 lead when the No. 1 doubles team of Matthew Turner and Hunter Hartsfield won in two sets 6-3, 6-3. A few minutes later, No. 3 singles player Matthew McCanless followed suit with a 6-3, 6-3 victory to make it 2-0.
Calhoun’s Coen Marcus completed the victory with the team’s third point as he won his No. 1 singles match 6-1, 7-5 over North Hall’s Masa Kobayashi. After cruising through the first set, Marcus saw his opponent Kobayashi take a 5-2 lead in the second set before rallying to win five straight games to clinch the set and the match.
“I think this was good for them to feel the pressure and seeing how they stepped up today, it was a great win and we gained confidence going into the next round,” said Calhoun coach Brian Proffitt. “(The Elite Eight) is where they have been the past two years, and one of the goals they set for this year was to go further than the Elite Eight. I know they are excited to be back at this point to get another chance to make it to the Final Four.”
The No. 2 doubles team of Rucker Reeves and Dawson Williams won their first set 6-2 and were tied 5-5 in the second set before the match was pulled. Calhoun’s Luke McKenzie fell 6-3 in the first set of his No. 2 singles match but rallied to win the second set 6-4. He and his opponent Christian Boychuk were tied 1-1 in the third set when the match was pulled.
Next up for both the Calhoun girls and boys is an Elite Eight showdown against Brantley County. The teams will meet halfway to play the matches at a neutral site at Mercer University with a time to be announced. Both teams have a lot of confidence that they can keep this postseason run going and play in the Final Four.
“We are very excited and looking forward to the next round,” said Robin Proffitt. “This team definitely has the potential to go very deep into this tournament but the key is going to be to maintain confidence. With each win you can see confidence is being gained and they need to keep that momentum going.”
“We feel good going into the next round,” echoed Brian Proffitt. “Now getting to play Brantley Co. in the same round we did two years ago and fell short in a close match, I think this will motivate the boys even more.”