Trojans Defeat Stallions in Cross Town Rivalry Match

Playing without the services of our top two players, the Lady Trojans played very well tonight as they handed the Stallions of South Pointe a loss in a rivalry match. While we didn't complete the sweep tonight, we came as close as we can without doing so. The win improves our overall record to 4-3 on the season as we get ready to start our region matches next Tuesday and Thursday at Clover and Rock Hill High respectively.

I was extremely proud of Betsy Creech and Lauren Cox tonight who filled in at #1 & #2 singles. This marked the highest that either girl has ever played in the Trojan lineup and they had their hands full with two talented players from South Pointe. Betsy secured a win at #1 6-3, 6-3.

Lauren took advantage of several early errors by her Stallion opponent at #2 and took the first set 6-0. I made sure to let Lauren know to not anticipate those errors to continue as I have seen this player get hot before. She certainly did tonight as she claimed the second set from us 2-6. The tiebreaker was knotted at 6-6 through the second changeover and played even until the end when South Pointe took the #2 line 9-11 in the match tiebreak.

From #3 through #2 doubles, we only dropped a total of 5 games in the four matches. I preached to the girls before the match that they shouldn't be concerned if they are playing higher than they are used to and that I am still trying to figure out what our strongest lineup is as we head into region matches next week. Well, they didn't make it any easier on me as they all played good tennis and took advantage of playing opportunities at a higher spot.

Challenges tommorrow and a practice on Monday are all that we have left to prepare for Clover and Rock Hill High next week. If we make the most of these two opportunities to get better, we should find success in those two matches. If we don't, we will struggle against these two formidable opponents.

Go Trojans!

Location: South Pointe HS
Result: Northwestern 5, South Pointe 1

1s: Betsy Creech def Shelly Restificar 6-3, 6-3
2s: Lieren Monteith (S) def Lauren Cox 0-6, 6-2, 11-9
3s: Alexis Peddy def Brittany McDaniel 6-0, 6-0
4s: Karlee Fox def Kuira Cruz 6-0, 6-0
5s: Courtney Cox def Tatiyana Gladden 6-1, 6-2

2d: Emily Edwards/Erin Brooks def Timistry Nelson/Taylor Madsen 6-1, 6-1
Records: Northwestern 4-3, South Pointe 0-2

Trojans Defeated by Nation Ford

We traveled up I-77 to take on the Falcons of Nation Ford. We were able to claim 1 out of the initial 6 varsity lines, but fell short in the other 5 matches to drop the non-region contest. The loss drops us to 2-3 overall and we have one remaining non-region contest before we start plowing through the region 3-AAAA schedule.

Tommorrow, we will venture over to South Pointe. The Stallions had a small roster last year that has increased by at least one that I am aware of. I have not confirmed how many players that South Pointe will have available for a JV match, but I anticipate that our reserves will likely play challenge matches against each other.

Go Trojans!

Location: Nation Ford
Result: Nation Ford 5, Northwestern 1

1s: Ashley Trull def Maggie Orr 6-2, 6-3
2s: Jordan Bowers def Chandler Green 7-5, 6-3
3s: Betsy Creech (N) def Suzanna Goss 7-6, 0-6, 10-8
4s: Melanie Mullen def Alexis Peddy 6-1, 6-4
5s: Riley Smith def Karlee Fox 6-1, 7-5

2d: Olivia Whitener/Morgan Jasper def Courtney Cox/Lauren Cox 7-5, 6-4