The Manchester Academy tennis team steamrolled Hartfield Academy 7-2 in a conference match on Thursday, April 13 in metro Jackson.
The Mavs jumped all over Hawks with Upton Hitt setting the tone at #1 boys’ singles with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Wyatt Mason, and Matt Carroll matching that dominant result with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Ramsey Sing at #2 boys’ singles to give the Mavs a quick 2-0 lead in the overall match.
Meanwhile, Monica Morrison also cruised to an easy 6-0, 6-1 win over Blakely Hinchcliff at #1 girls’ singles, and Josie Coker completely dominated Aubrey Tucker 6-0, 6-0 at #2 girls’ singles giving Manchester a 4-0 lead.
Staten Greenlee and Tres Paul clinched the victory for M.A. with an easy 6-1, 6-2 triumph in #2 boys’ doubles over Regan Henderson and Kegan Williamson. The Maverick duo of Elizabeth Turner and Mary Sibley McGraw made fast work of Olivia Sallis and Kathryn Moss defeating them 6-0, 6-0, while Mark Peaster and Will Peeler won a nail-biter 4-6, 6-4, 10-7 over Noah Scheider and Ross James in #1 boys’ doubles giving M.A. a 7-0 lead in the match.
M.A. suffered two tough losses in third-set tiebreakers to round out the match. Nettie Taylor Barbour and Margaret Dent scored a fairly easy 6-2 first set win, but lost the match 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 10-6 and the Maverick mixed doubles team of Ann Hampton Wells and Zach Haynes played a good match against Laney Armstrong and Nick Stinston, but came up short by the smallest of margins 3-6, 7-6 (9-7) and 10-7.
“We are making progress as a team, and I am really proud of Will Peeler and Mark Peaster for their gutsy performance to come back and win their match after losing the first set. They are beginning to play together well as a team,” commented Mav Coach Debbie Crisler. “Ann Hampton Wells and Zach Haynes also are making big strides and continue to improve. We scored some important wins against Hartfield that will give several of our players really good shots to advance in post-season play.”
The Mavericks played Leake Academy late Tuesday afternoon and will play Victors at the Yazoo Country Club this Thursday afternoon at 4 pm. M.A. is also scheduled to play the conference tournament in Vicksburg at Halls Ferry Park next Tuesday morning, April 25. Winners and Runners-up at conference will qualify for North State the following week in Greenville.
