Tennis: Ramblers pick up sweep at Ridgeland
The LaFayette Lady Ramblers moved to 3-0 on the courts this past Thursday afternoon with a 5-0 sweep of Ridgeland in Rossville.
Madison Denny won at No. 1 singles, defeating Nicole Payne, 6-0, 6-0. Rachel Wallin won at No. 2 singles with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Calissa Morgan and Aubrey Steadman shutout Savannah Holgan, 6-0, 6-0.
In doubles, the team of Madison Harris and Asberri Freeman defeated Payne and Lexie Mitchell, 6-3, 6-1, while Hannah Durham and Ida Scoggins finished the sweep with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Morgan and Lana Veal.
In boys’ action, the Ramblers improved to 2-1 with a 4-1 victory.
The Panthers’ lone point came from Austin Long, who came back after dropping the first set to Jarrod Sitton, 6-2. Long won the second set, 6-2, before a 10-6 win in the tiebreaker to post the victory.
However, the Ramblers would win the rest. Noah Matthews beat Tristan Card, 6-0, 6-1, and Brad Templeton stopped Luke Edwards, 6-1, 6-0.
Corey Housley had an 8-1 win for Ridgeland in an exhibition match against Brady Beard.
In doubles, Aaron Asbeury and Dillon Hughes defeated Card and Edwards, 6-1, 6-0, and Andrew Long and Isaiah Southern beat Anthony Woodard and Blake Espy, 6-0, 6-2.
Thursday marked the first matches of the year for Ridgeland.
LaFayette stumbles at Trion
After three straight wins to begin the season, the Lady Ramblers were forced to put a mark in the loss column this past Friday as the Trion Lady Bulldogs picked up a 3-2 home win.
Both of LaFayette’s wins came in singles. Denny beat Lorin Walraven, 6-1, 7-5, and Wallin took down Chloe DeBerry, 6-1, 6-3.
But Haley Price would win at No. 3 singles for Trion, beating S.J. Oxford, 7-5, 6-1, and the Lady Bulldogs would go on to sweep the doubles matches.
Laurie Gentry and Shayla Youngblood held off Harris and Freeman, 6-7, 6-3, 10-5, and the team of Emily Patterson and Sydney Day also needed a third-set tiebreaker to get past Durham and Scoggins, 4-6, 6-2, 10-2.
Trion also won the boys’ match by a 4-1 count, dropping the Ramblers to 2-2 on the season.
The lone point for LaFayette came at No. 3 singles as Templeton stopped Jeremi Shealy, 6-2, 6-0.
Trion’s No. 1 singles player, Jon York, defeated Sitton, 6-2, 6-1, while Chanty Bridges outlasted Matthews, 5-7, 7-6, 10-6, at No. 2 singles.
The No. 1 doubles team of Jarrett Van Gurp and Josh Smith scored a 7-5, 6-0 win over Asbeury and Hughes, while Gavin Smith and Jacob Patty beat Long and Southern by scores of 7-6 and 6-3.
Due to newspaper deadlines, results of LaFayette’s matches against Gordon Lee on Monday were not available as of press time.
LaFayette will play at Dade County on Tuesday and at home against Northwest Whitfield on Thursday. Ridgeland will be at home against Heritage on Tuesday, at Gilmer on Thursday and at home against Dade County on Friday, while Gordon Lee will play Tuesday at Trion.