Patriots girls’ tennis headed to the semifinals
By Kai Jones / Free Press Staff
Posted Oct 18, 2018 at 10:57 PM Updated Oct 18, 2018 at 10:57 PM
The second-seeded Arendell Parrott Academy tennis team took its first step in getting back to the state championship match the Patriots lost last year with a 5-1 victory over No. 11-seed Southlake Christian on Thursday.
The Patriots (9-3) have been rolling this season. Their three losses have come to the 6-time defending champions St. David’s (18-10) twice and to perennial tennis powerhouse Cardinal Gibbons (19-4).
“We lost our two player from last year. So to get back to where we were is a great accomplishment,” senior Blythe Brantley said. “It’s my senior year, so it feels really good to have a really good last year.”
Brantley is glad the team won on Thursday so it can get Friday off and go to the football game Friday. Brantley has been through the playoffs a few times for the Patriots. But this is Erika Gorrin-Rivas’s first year of playing in the top 3. The two are doubles partners and earned three of the Patriots’ five points.
“I’m really grateful to be a part of this team,” Gorrin-Rivas said. “I’m never going to forget the years I’m going to play here because I’ve become such great friends with everyone. The experience is unreal.”
The Patriots essentially got their first playoff “win” when they claimed the second seed. The second seed allowed APA to stay home until the championship game. APA’s potential opponents will all have to drive at least three hours.
“I think that’s a huge advantage,” APA head coach Brad Sauls said. “Either team we could possibly play in the next round, it’s going to be a very long trip for them. It’s hard to get out of a car after riding for four or five hours and having the same kind of energy you would have than to go right in your backyard and jump on the court.”
APA is thrilled to be back in the semifinals. The Patriots don’t play many matches because they’d rather practice in an attempt to get better to play St. David’s, Sauls said. The Warriors have won every state championship since the Patriots in 2011, and while APA may not win the whole thing, getting to the semifinals is an important step.
“It’s always good to get the first one behind you because you’re playing a team in the playoffs so you know they’re going to be solid, and that was the case. I’m happy for sure,” Sauls said. “At this point, all the teams are good. To win it? You got to win it; the teams aren’t going to give it to you so we’re working on being consistently aggressive. That’s really the goal out here. If we can put that together, I think we can make it back to the championship.”
Kai Jones can be contacted at kjones@kinston.com or 252-559-1078. Follow him on Twitter at @MMJKaiJones and on Facebook at Kai Jones.
By Kai Jones / Free Press Staff
Posted Oct 18, 2018 at 10:57 PM Updated Oct 18, 2018 at 10:57 PM
The second-seeded Arendell Parrott Academy tennis team took its first step in getting back to the state championship match the Patriots lost last year with a 5-1 victory over No. 11-seed Southlake Christian on Thursday.
The Patriots (9-3) have been rolling this season. Their three losses have come to the 6-time defending champions St. David’s (18-10) twice and to perennial tennis powerhouse Cardinal Gibbons (19-4).
“We lost our two player from last year. So to get back to where we were is a great accomplishment,” senior Blythe Brantley said. “It’s my senior year, so it feels really good to have a really good last year.”
Brantley is glad the team won on Thursday so it can get Friday off and go to the football game Friday. Brantley has been through the playoffs a few times for the Patriots. But this is Erika Gorrin-Rivas’s first year of playing in the top 3. The two are doubles partners and earned three of the Patriots’ five points.
“I’m really grateful to be a part of this team,” Gorrin-Rivas said. “I’m never going to forget the years I’m going to play here because I’ve become such great friends with everyone. The experience is unreal.”
The Patriots essentially got their first playoff “win” when they claimed the second seed. The second seed allowed APA to stay home until the championship game. APA’s potential opponents will all have to drive at least three hours.
“I think that’s a huge advantage,” APA head coach Brad Sauls said. “Either team we could possibly play in the next round, it’s going to be a very long trip for them. It’s hard to get out of a car after riding for four or five hours and having the same kind of energy you would have than to go right in your backyard and jump on the court.”
APA is thrilled to be back in the semifinals. The Patriots don’t play many matches because they’d rather practice in an attempt to get better to play St. David’s, Sauls said. The Warriors have won every state championship since the Patriots in 2011, and while APA may not win the whole thing, getting to the semifinals is an important step.
“It’s always good to get the first one behind you because you’re playing a team in the playoffs so you know they’re going to be solid, and that was the case. I’m happy for sure,” Sauls said. “At this point, all the teams are good. To win it? You got to win it; the teams aren’t going to give it to you so we’re working on being consistently aggressive. That’s really the goal out here. If we can put that together, I think we can make it back to the championship.”
Kai Jones can be contacted at kjones@kinston.com or 252-559-1078. Follow him on Twitter at @MMJKaiJones and on Facebook at Kai Jones.
