Polk County’s tennis season came to an end on Monday in the second round of the state 1A playoffs as the Wolverines fell 5-1 to North Carolina School of Science and Math – Morganton.
Cate Brown notched the Wolverines’ lone match win of the afternoon, defeating Gina Byon 6-4, 6-2.
“We had a great season, and I’m really sad it’s over,” Polk County coach Tracy Becker said. “If we could have gotten another, we could’ve gone into doubles, but it wasn’t in the cards for us.”
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The elusive point was just out of reach, the closest possibilities coming at No. 3 singles as Elizabeth Vitale dropped a gritty 7-5, 6-7, 10-6 tiebreaker to Kirsten Boyd and at No. 4, where Tali Thompson was edged 3-6, 6-0 10-8 tiebreaker by Savannah McDowell. The fight that Vitale and Thompson showed is emblematic of the senior class, Becker said.
“These seniors, I’ve had them since I started coaching three years ago,” she said. “Seeing them through is kind of bittersweet. I’m excited for their futures, but it’s been really special coaching them.
“They really played hard this whole season. They dug deep, and we’ve had a bunch of comebacks. Unfortunately, we just fell short this time. We were hoping for a better run.”
Polk County ended its season with a 9-3 record. NCSSM-Morganton improved to 8-0 and will move on to face either Mount Airy or Piedmont Community Charter.
SINGLES
1. Will Levine (NCS) d. Bella Sheffron 7-5, 6-0; 2. Ananya Sriram (NCS) d. Sarah Vitale 6-2, 6-1; 3. Kirsten Boyd (NCS) d. Elizabeth Vitale 7-6, 5-7, 10-6 tiebreaker; 4. Cate Brown (PC) d. Gina Byon 6-4, 6-2; 5. Savannah McDowell (NCS) d. Tali Thompson 3-6, 6-0, 10-8 tiebreaker; 6. Riya Reedy (NCS) d. Mia Wolfe 6-0, 6-0.
