‘We’ll be back.’ AC Flora girls tennis continues to grow with another title appearance
With five championship appearances since 2012, A.C. Flora girls tennis has established itself as one of the top programs in South Carolina.
That isn’t going to change despite Saturday’s outcome in the Class 4A state finals at Cayce Tennis Center. Lucy Beckham defeated the Falcons 4-2 to win its second straight title in just two years since the school opened.
“They gave it all they had. We just came up short on a couple of courts, but we will be back,” Flora coach Amy Martin said.
Flora will lose one senior out of the top seven players from this year’s team.
The Falcons went 20-1 this season and advanced to the championship Tuesday by defeating Greenville, which eliminated them from the playoffs last season.
“Each team that comes raises the bar each year, it seems. The depth is definitely here and we saw that in the upper state on Tuesday,” Martin said.
Flora on Saturday lost at No. 1 and No. 2 singles before the No. 1 doubles team of Karsyn Misenheimer and Lani Sturgeon won their match. The Falcons tied it at 2 after No. 4 singles Helen Miller won in straight sets.
Ava Dawson put the Bengals (16-0) back up at No. 3 singles with her win over Caroline Overdyke. Dawson injured a thumb midway through the match but stayed in and was able to rally to win in straight sets.
The Falcons needed a win at No. 5 singles to force it to No. 1 doubles and nearly got it from seventh-grader Emily Smith, who won the first set and led early in the second set. But Lila Small took the second set and won 10-5 in the third set tiebreaker to clinch the match.
“The second year feels really special because the first year, it was a big surprise,” Lucy Beckham coach Lizi Kotz said. “We were a brand new school last year and didn’t have any expectations. But the second year it was different. It was like a professional player winning that first tournament and then they try to measure up to their own expectations.
“But the girls did a great job dealing with the pressure and dealing with being the hunted.”
Results
Piper Charney (LB) def. Frances Smith; Perrin Rogers (LB) def. Siona Sturgeon; Ava Dawson (LB) def. Caroline Overdyke; Helen Miller (ACF) def. Annie Wilbourne; Lila Small (LB) def. Emily Smith. Doubles: Karsyn Misenheimer/Lani Sturgeon (ACF) def. Kayla Fergus/Grayson Rawley
