Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Unfamiliar entrant leaves impression in girls bracket
Players who make it to the Arkansas Overall tennis championships are not often caught by surprise when they examine the draw sheet.
If a player is good enough to win a state title, regardless of classification, there’s a good chance they’ve run into the other entrants previously on the United States Tennis Association circuit or in other junior events.
But that was not the case for Mount St. Mary senior Presley Southerland during Monday’s quarterfinal round of the girls bracket.
Southerland, the Class 6A singles champion, took note when she saw the name of Leena Cashman, a freshman from Haas Hall-Fayetteville on the bracket.
“I watched her play the morning, and I was like, ‘This girl can hit the ball,’” said Southerland, who watched Cashman advance to the quarterfinals. “She is serious. I told myself, ‘This is going to be a match.’”
Southerland won to advance to this morning’s semifinals, but it took more than 90 minutes for her to eliminate Cashman 6-2, 6-3 at the Burns Park indoor tennis facility in North Little Rock.
Cashman, a slender freshman, returned most shots Southerland struck to her.
“She got everything back to me,” Southerland said. “She threw in all kinds of balls — lobs, drop shots, slices. All kinds of stuff.”
Southerland persevered to advance to one of this morning’s semifinals, to be played on the outdoors courts, where she will meet Valley View’s Cydney Rogers, a 6-0, 6-0 winner over Abigail Woodring of Greenwood.
Jonesboro’s Jenna Payne, the Class 5A champion, defeated Pulaski Academy’s Julienne Angluaco 6-0, 6-1 to advance to the other semifinal.
Payne will play Bentonville’s Ella Coleman, the Class 6A singles runner-up, who defeated Riverside’s Lotti Hoffman 6-0, 6-0.
All semifinals — in boys and girls singles, and doubles — are scheduled to start at 9 a.m., with the winners meeting at 1 p.m.
Southerland, even as the Class 6A champion, said she will take nothing for granted against Rogers.
“I feel like there are going to be some good matches again,” she said. “Tough matches.”
Rogers, the Class 4A champion, said winning the singles title at the state tournament was her primary goal.
“State’s what is really important to me,” she said. “I really wanted to do it for my school. The Overall, I think it’s more fun. Lots of good players here. I’m just going to go for it.”