Lady Jackets win region title
♦ Rockmart girls will host the first round of the Class 3A state playoffs.
Rockmart’s girls’ tennis team rode the momentum of a nearly perfect season into last week’s region tournament. And when the dust settled, the Lady Jackets stood tall as region champions once again.
Playing last Wednesday and Thursday at Lakeshore Park in Dalton, the Rockmart girls swept their way through match after match and were able to win a region title for the first time since 2019. They will now wait to see who they will play in the first round of the state playoffs later this month.
Rockmart won its first two matches in the region tournament on Wednesday, March 30, to advance to the finals the following day against Murray County.
The Lady Jackets’ doubles teams of Megan Clanton and Maddie Owens, and Ava Shae Culver and Ansley Lanier each won their matches by the score of 6-0, 6-1, meaning just one of Rockmart’s three singles players needed to emerge victorious to clinch the championship.
Sophomore Emma Scott pulled off an amazing comeback at No. 3 singles, winning the first set 6-1 before coming back from down 4-1 to force a tiebreaker and take the second set 7-5 and secure the team’s victory and put their season record at 14-1.
The Lady Jackets will host the No. 4 seed from Region 8-3A in the first round of the GHSA state playoffs. A date and time will be announced once their opponent is determined. All first round matches must be completed by April 21.
Rockmart’s girls last won a region title three years ago and advanced to the Final Four in the Class AA bracket.
In last week’s first two rounds, the Lady Jackets defeated LaFayette in the first round, 4-0. Scott and No. 2 singles player Eisley Pope each won their matches in straight sets, as did both of Rockmart’s doubles teams.
With the team’s win already in hand, No. 1 singles player Maryann Earwood was pulled in second set up 6-2, 3-0.
In the second round, Rockmart won 3-0, with the victories coming from Earwood, and the doubles teams of Clanton and Owens, and Culver and Lanier. Pope and Scott were both pulled while up a set against their opponents.
Rockmart’s boys were unable to reach the tournament semifinals last week and failed to earn a state playoff berth.
Both Rockmart teams will be back in action next week as they host Sonoraville on Tuesday, April 12, and then travel to Cedartown on Thursday, April 14.