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

Trojans Claim Second Straight Match Over Byrnes

Another warm night at Northwestern and another victory for the Lady Trojans tonight. The girls got a little revenge for a match that we dropped last season at Byrnes. We again played down a player at the top, but made up for it with depth at the bottom.

The first match to finish was Courtney Cox tonight at #5 singles. To me, it looked like Courtney was looking in the mirror at herself as she played a girl with a very similar style who was simply just left handed. Courtney played the game better and claimed our first win 6-2, 6-2.

The doubles team of Emily Edwards and Erin Brooks was the next to finish. I can best describe this match as one in which the Trojan girls improved as the match wore on. The first set result was closer than I thought it would be after seeing it in the early going. Erin & Emily then took off in the second set to put us ahead overall 2 matches to none.

Lauren Cox played strong tennis tonight at #3 singles against a quality opponent. Lauren's return of serve was the key for her tonight as she was able to go on the offensive early in points and broke her opponent's serve several times. The score seemed closer than the match played out as Lauren won 6-4, 6-4.

Maggie Orr re-entered the lineup tonight after sitting out the last few matches with a sore shoulder. I knew that Maggie had it in her to be the better player, but would have to overcome some rust to take out Byrnes #1 player as she hadn't hit anything overhand in a couple weeks. The first set was really close until the end when Byrnes took it. The second set didn't play as even when Byrnes gained confidence from the first set.

As we lead the overall match 3-1, two matches went to tiebreakers. Betsy Creech had dropped her first set6-1 at #2 while Alexis Peddy had dropped hers in a set tiebreaker. Both girls went on to win their second sets by 6-4 margins. Betsy was the first match tiebreak to finish and dropped it 7-10. Alexis remained the sole player on the front courts for us and clinched the overall team win by a 10-7 margin on her birthday.

With the match decided, we didn't pair up a traditional #1 doubles team and instead are just referring to Emily & Erin as tonight's #1 double pair. Karlee Fox & Caroline Herron will get credited with the #2 doubles match after they were able to claim a win 6-2, 6-0.

Most of the girls are ready for the holiday weekend and need some time to let their bodies recover. While I hope they are active over the weekend, I also ask that they be smart in choosing what kind of activities they participate in. Being on a boat sounds like a good time, but maybe being the person on the wakeboard or tube wouldn't be the best idea.

Go Trojans!

Location: Northwestern HS
Result: Northwestern 5, Byrnes 2

1s: Celena Sneddy (B) def Maggie Orr 6-4, 6-1
2s: Jessica Wang (B) def Betsy Creech 6-1, 4-6, 10-7
3s: Lauren Cox def Saige Allison 6-4, 6-4
4s: Alexis Peddy def Kylie Birch 6-7, 6-4, 10-7
5s: Courtney Cox def MK Flynn 6-2, 6-2

1d: Emily Edwards/Erin Brooks def Arkeia Drummond/Allyson Hollis 6-4, 6-1
2d: Karlee Fox/Caroline Herron def Zee Jah/Brandi Geter 6-2, 6-0

Trojans defeat York

The fall regular season was kicked off with a Trojan victory at our home courts tonight. The match played out a little closer than expected due to some unforeseen circumstances. In the end, we claimed 4 matches to York's 2 and now stand at 2-2 overall after our tournament results last weekend.

The doubles team of Courtney Cox and Lauren Cox posted a complete shutout of the York doubles team tonight. I am very confident in these two girl's ability to play doubles and win a lot of matches for us this year. They showed me tonight that they can put away an opponent and not let them in the match at any point. That is precisely what I wanted to see.

Emily Edwards filled in at #5 singles tonight and claimed our second overall team win. After blitzing ahead to a 5-0 first set lead, the York #5 took advantage of some errors & grabbed two games before Emily finished the set 6-2. Emily played nearly error free in the 2nd set & shut out her opponent to claim our third line win.

At this point, we lead 3-0 and had matches still being played at #1, #3, and #4 singles. Chandler Green had won her first set 6-3 @ #1 and Karlee Fox had won her first set in a tiebreaker. Alexis Peddy had gone to a set tiebreaker as well, but came out on the losing end.

Unfortunately, we had to concede line #1 as Chandler couldn't continue to play. Fortunately for the Trojans, Karlee came alive in set #2 and shutout York's #4 in the second set to give us the overall team victory.

I told the girls after our match that Byrnes will be a little late getting to us on Thursday & our match likely won't begin until 5:30. Seeing as the weather forecast is nearly the same as tonight, I am going to make an adjustment to our warm up routine and shorten it so we don't spend too much time in the heat before our match begins. Therefore, Thursday's schedule is:

4:45 Snack - in shade under trees
5:00 On court warm up
5:15 Clear courts
5:30 Introductions / Begin play

Hopefully, this will allow us to play at a high level without the effects of the heat as we felt today.

Go Trojans!

Location: Northwestern
Result: Northwestern 4, York 2

1s: Michelle Goss (Y) def Chandler Green 3-6, 3-2 ret(ill)
2s: Betsy Creech def Brandi Neely 6-2, 6-1
3s: Mary Goss (Y) def Alexis Peddy 7-6, 3-6, 10-1
4s: Karlee Fox def Katia Patrick 7-6, 6-0
5s: Emily Edwards def Samantha Roush 6-2, 6-0

2d: Courtney Cox/Lauren Cox def Kate Shirley/Sarah Webb 6-0, 6-0

Border Challenge Day 2

Well, it was a good day for Northwestern. The football team was able to defeat South Pointe in the late afternoon. Unfortunately, the girls tennis team had a different experience in the morning and early afternoon results. We dropped two matches at the hands of a powerful Marvin Ridge squad & a formidable Butler team.

While dissapointed in how the scoreboard looks, I am keeping in perspective that we played split lineups all through the tournament while we were without Maggie Orr at the top of our lineup. We probably would not have been able to overcome Marvin Ridge this morning with a full strength lineup, but I am curious as to whether we could have beat Butler. Regardless, it was good to get players like Betsy Creech & Alexis Peddy some experience playing at a higher position than they are used to. In the long run, I foresee this weekend was a positive thing for us.

We'll get back to practice next week in preparation of home matches on Tuesday and Thursday against York and Byrnes respectfully.

Go Trojans!

2010 SC v NC Border Challenge
Location: Northwestern HS, Rock Hill SC

Friday Results:

Match #1 Northwestern 6, Piedmont 0
Match #2 Marvin Ridge 6, Fort Mill 0
Match #3 Nation Ford v. Butler - Suspended, inclement weather

Saturday Results:

Match #3
Nation Ford 4, Butler 2
1s: Hollie Champion (B) def Jordan Bowers 6-1, 6-0
2s: Emily Larkin (B) def Ashley Trull 6-1, 6-3
3s: Rylee Smith def Kelly Russell 6-4, 6-1
4s: Suzanna Goss def Emery Carlough 6-2, 6-1
5s: Melanie Mullen def Callie Strachan 6-3, 6-2

2d: Olivia Whitener/Kendall Lucas def Alaina Partin/Megan Scott 8-2

Match #4
Marvin Ridge 6, Northwestern 0
1s: Mariel Emery def Chandler Green 6-2, 6-1
2s: Paige Nestor def Betsy Creech 6-2, 6-1
3s: Robyn Buchanan def Alexis Peddy 6-0, 6-3
4s: Danielle David def Courtney Cox 6-1, 6-0
5s: Meredith Sawry def Karlee Fox 6-0, 6-1

2d: Allie Kmee/Erin Foley def Emily Edwards/Erin Brooks 8-6

Match #5
Nation Ford 6, Piedmont 0
1s: Jordan Bowers def Sarah Venn 6-1, 6-1
2s: Ashley Trull def Edy Kemo 6-2, 6-1
3s: Suzanna Goss def Sarah Hedley 6-1, 6-2
4s: Melanie Mullen def Grace Brooks 6-0, 6-0
5s: Morgan Jasper def Hannah Venn 6-0, 6-4

2d: Olivia Whitener/Kendall Lucas def Taylor Barrineau/Lauren Mullis 8-0

Match #6
Butler 4, Fort Mill 3
1s: Hollie Champion def Mady Katz 6-0, 6-2
2s: Emily Larkin def Kayla Blakeney 6-3, 6-2
3s: Emery Carlough def Ali Jensen 7-6, 3-6, 10-8
4s: Persephone McCollough (F) def Jaclyn Auara 6-2, 6-0
5s: Addie Brown (F) def Megan Kenny 6-0, 6-0

1d: Hollie Champion/Kelly Russell def Mady Katz/Kayla Blakely 8-6
2d: Reagan Paff/Laine Touchberry (F) def Callie Strachan/Sarah McIntosh 8-1

Match #7
Butler 4, Northwestern 1
1s: Hollie Champion def Chandler Green 6-1, 6-0
2s: Emily Larkin def Betsy Creech 7-5, 6-2
3s: Kelly Russell def Alexis Peddy 6-4, 7-5
4s: Emery Carlough lead Lauren Cox 6-4, DNF
5s: Jaclyn Auraro def Erin Brooks 6-3, 6-3

2d: Karlee Fox/Caroline Herron (N) def Mertan Kenny/Callie Strahan 8-4

Match #8
Fort Mill 6, Piedmont 0
1s: Mady Katz def Sarah Venn 6-2, 6-4
2s: Kayla Blakely def Edy Kemo 6-2, 6-3
3s: Ali Jensen def Sarah Headley 6-2, 6-1
4s: Persephone McCollough def Grace Brooks 6-2, 6-1
5s: Addie Brown def Hannah Venn 6-2, 6-7, 11-9

2d: Reagan Paff/Laine Touchberry def Morgan Miles/Christa Whaley 8-0

Match #9
Marvin Ridge 5, Nation Ford 1
1s: Mariel Emery def Jordan Bowers 6-0, 6-3
2s: Paige Nestor def Ashley Trull 6-0, 6-1
3s: Hannah Farley def Rylee Smith 6-2, 6-1
4s: Meredith Sawrey def Suzanna Goss 7-5, 6-1
5s: Melanie Mullen (N) def Suzanne Treske 1-6, 6-4, 13-11

2d: Robyn Buchanen/Laura Gough def Olivia Whitener/Kendall Lucas 8-7

Final Tournament Records

Marvin Ridge 3-0 (NC & Overall Champion)
Nation Ford 2-1 (SC Champion & Overall Runner up)
Butler 2-1
Fort Mill 1-2
Northwestern 1-2
Piedmont 0-3

SC v NC Border Challenge - Day 1

Day 1 of our hosted tournament was 2/3 of a success. We finished off Piedmont in just under 2 hours and Marvin Ridge swept Fort Mill in about the same time. Unfortunately, Nation Ford and Butler had most of their matches nearing an end to their first sets when lightning struck just north of the school. That match was suspended and will be completed first thing in the morning.

I was fairly pleased with our results tonight. We had an outmatched opponent & we put them away like we should. I am really pleased that we have already played two scrimmages so that the nerves of competing against a new opponent are minimalized. I'm sure Caroline was dissapointed in her result, but I told her afterwards that I was super proud of how hard she fought against a much older player from Piedmont.

I would have to say that the player of the day for Northwestern was Emily Edwards. Emily played her first singles match of this year for us after playing some singles, but mostly doubles, last year. She hit the ball very clean tonight & made several great hussle plays that made me smile. (Emily - Sorry, but I had to use last year's picture)

The Nation Ford / Butler delay will throw a slight kink in tommorrow's schedule. I texted the captains to communicate to our team that our 2nd match time will be delayed 30 minutes. Clearly, I understand that the girls want to get to the football game at 4. However, we need to be respectful of the schools we have asked to spend their Saturday with us & give some rest time to Butler who now has to play 2 1/2 matches in 5 1/2 hours.

The new match times are posted below the box scores for tommorrow.

Go Trojans!

Day 1 Results - SC v NC Border Challenge

Location: Northwestern HS, Rock Hill SC

Result #1
Northwestern 5, Piedmont 1
1s: Chandler Green def Sarah Venn 6-1, 6-0
2s: Betsy Creech def Edy Kemo 6-2, 6-3
3s: Alexis Peddy def Sarah Headley 6-2, 6-0
4s: Emily Edwards def Grace Brooks 6-0, 6-1
5s: Hannah Venn (P) def Caroline Herron 4-6, 6-2, 10-7

1d: DNP
2d: Courtney Cox/Lauren Cox def Miranda Leazer/Megan Brewer 8-0

Result #2
Marvin Ridge 6, Fort Mill 0
1s: Mariel Finery def Mady Katz 6-3, 6-0
2s: Paige Nestor def Kayla Blakeley 6-0, 6-0
3s: Hannah Florian def Ali Jensen 6-2, 6-2
4s: Minali Nigam def Persephone McCollough 6-0, 6-3
5s: Hannah Farley def Addie Brown 6-0, 6-0

1d: DNP
2d: Danielle David/Robyn Buchanan def Reagan Paff/Laina Touchberry 8-2

Result #3

Nation Ford v. Butler - Suspended due to lightning

Schedule for Sat 8/28:

8:00 Nation Ford v Butler (Resume match from 8/27)
9:00 Northwestern v Marvin Ridge
11:00 Fort Mill v Butler
11:30 Nation Ford v Piedmont
1:30 Northwestern v Butler
3:00 Fort Mill v Piedmont
3:30 Nation Ford v Marvin Ridge

Another Good Showing in Scrimmage vs. York

We officially became the first team to compete at the new York High School tennis courts tonight. We also became the first team to win a contest on those courts.

Playing without our top player, I had a feeling that we would be challenged more than usual with everyone playing up a spot. We generally have a match or two get closer than comfort and have dropped some here and there in the past. Today was no different as we dropped 1 line, after sweeping the other 6 varsity contests.

We've looked good in our first two scrimmages thus far. Entering the weekend and our tournament matches, I am confident in two things:

1) We are much improved from last year
2) We have many players with the talent to win varsity matches

We'll have fun this weekend playing against three schools that we have never faced before. We kick it off Friday night against Piedmont HS out of Indian Trail. Then, Saturday morning we will play Marvin Ridge HS, from Marvin near Weddington. Our last match is against Butler HS from east Charlotte. I anticipate playing multiple different lineups to get different people playing singles and doubles. With the depth of talent our team has, we have the ability to do that.