Russellville’s girls made history on Tuesday at the Class 4A/5A, Section 8 tennis tournament, edging out rival Deshler to win the program’s first-ever sectional championship.
The Lady Golden Tigers put themselves in good position on Monday, winning the section title at No. 1 doubles (Katie Burns and Ellyse Strickland) and finishing runner-up at No. 2 doubles (Anna Woods and Rebecca Parrish) and No. 3 doubles (Lariza Garcia-Delgado and Kaydee Holland). A thunderstorm on Monday evening postponed the conclusion of singles play, but not before both Russellville and Deshler distanced themselves far enough from the rest of the field to clinch bids to the state tournament.
The two teams, who split a pair of meetings during the regular season, continued their duel when play resumed on Tuesday, and the Lady Golden Tigers prevailed by a final margin of 51 points to 45. Woods, a ninth-grader, won the section title at No. 1 singles in a tiebreaker, and fellow freshmen Burns (No. 2 singles) and Strickland (No. 5 singles) also brought home section crowns. Parrish, a junior, was the sectional champ at No. 3 singles, and Garcia-Delgado (the team’s only senior) finished runner-up at No. 4 singles. Holland, a freshman, came in third at No. 6 singles.
“I am so proud of these awesome players,” head coach Charlotte Dollar said. “They have worked really hard all year. We’re excited to get a chance to play at state.
“A lot of the credit goes to LeAnn Strickland. She has given these girls lessons and worked with most of them for a couple of years now, and our success is in large part due to her.”
Russellville’s girls and boys—who finished runner-up to Section 8 champion Fayette County—will head to Mobile to play in the state tournament next Monday and Tuesday. Senior Caleb Mayfield led the way for the Golden Tiger guys, winning the sectional championship at No. 1 singles and teaming with fellow senior Charlie Chard to win the section title at No. 1 doubles.
