Hammond boys tennis wins thriller over Ben Lippen to end championship drought
Trent Gillespie remembers what it was like to win a state championship as a member of the Hammond School boys tennis team.
Gillespie was the No. 1 singles player on the Skyhawks’ 1989 SC Independent Schools Association championship squad. Twenty-seven years later, he was able to share in another special championship moment with his son William, who helped Hammond win the SCISA Class 4A championship over Ben Lippen, 5-3, on Friday in a nearly five-hour match at the Cayce Tennis Center.
It was Hammond’s ninth title in program history and first since that 1989 season.
“They all came together as a group and won just like we did in 1989. I am proud of him, and it is a good thing for Hammond School,” Trent Gillespie said. “It is very special. For years we have seen the banner in the gym and said 1989. It is a full-circle moment, and it is an exciting time.”
Trent Gillespie walked up and handed his son the trophy while he was doing an interview, saying he was passing the torch.
“It is a great feeling and to have my dad here. He has supported me through thick and thin. He has never not been to a match. I appreciate everything he has done for me and has helped drive me to win a state championship,” William Gillespie said. “It feels great after so many seasons down in the dumps. To come here and win it with my friends. I am a senior and am going out with a win. I am very glad.”
This was the third meeting of the season between the Columbia schools, with Hammond winning the previous two in long, drawn-out matches. That championship match was no different; there were several momentum twists.
The biggest one came with Ben Lippen leading 3-2 going into the final singles match between Hammond’s Shaarav Peddinti and Ben Lippen’s Tiger Zhao. The Ben Lippen sophomore won the first set and was up 5-4 in the second before Peddinti rallied to force a 10-point, third-set tiebreaker.
Peddinti was up 9-5 in the tie-breaking set before Zhao had to retire because of severe leg cramps.
“I told Shaarav he has kind of been my anchor,” said Hammond coach Ellis Reese, a former Skyhawks tennis player. “He has been down multiple times this year, and he just always finds a way to come back and win. He just kept his head in and did great.”
The win tied the match up with three doubles matches left. The Falcons were without Zhao in doubles because of the injury. The Falcons’ Landon Boyer, who played No. 2 doubles, also was bothered by cramping in his match.
Hammond took a 4-3 lead after the Skyhawks’ No. 3 doubles team of Wyatt Queen and Luke Howle won in straight sets.
The Skyhawks sealed the title when the team’s No. 1 doubles squad of Joseph Seiner and Ayra Adhami defeated Ben Lippen’s Roger Bai and Harlan Fowler.
Howle and Queen also were winners in singles for the Skyhawks, who won their second state championship this week. Hammond’s boys golf team won a state title Tuesday.
“It has been an incredible season,” Reese said. “I’m really proud of all of us. We had some great tiebreakers and were able to pull it out. It has been a great day.”
Ben Lippen singles match winners were Bai, Boyer and Caleb Church, who won in three sets. The Falcons were in a state championship match possibly for the first time in school history. Ben Lippen advanced to the title match with a 5-4 win over Wilson Hall on Wednesday.
This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 10:41 PM.
