| To finish on top, Union City started at the bottom.
Bottom of the ladder, that is.
No. 5 seed Alex Parks got the Lady Tornadoes off to a fast start as Union City rolled past Greenfield 4-0 to win the Region 7A-AA team championship Thursday afternoon at the Bethel University courts in McKenzie.
With the win, Union City improves its team record to 14-1 on the season and moved within one match from a return trip to the Class A-AA State Tournament in Murfreesboro as part of the Spring Fling.
Union City will host Sacred Heart 4 p.m. Thursday in the sectional round.
Before the team sectionals, though, Union City will have five players participating in the Region 7A-AA Individual Tournament on Monday at Bethel.
The girls’ doubles team of Maddie King and Tara Elam, girls’ singles player Ellen Bearden and the boys’ doubles tandem of Jacob Triplett and Devin King — all District 14A-AA champions — will participate.
In taking one step closer to the team state tourney, UC once again knocked off the squad that has ruled District 13A-AA for the last several years.
Parks did not spend much time on her singles match, defeating Ashton Pence 6-0, 6-0 to put the Lady Twisters ahead 1-0 in the best-of-7 team match.
Top seed King was the next player off the court, knocking out Emily Allen in straight sets 6-4, 6-1.
Elam followed for a 3-0 team lead, also posting a 6-4, 6-1 win in her No. 2-seed match with Kendal Cook.
At the fourth spot, Bearden overcame a 6-4 loss to Callie Croom in the first set to win the next two sets 7-5 and 6-1.
When Bearden’s match ended, Jenna Miller and Kalee Kesterson were tied 1-1 in the third set after Miller had won the first set 6-4 and Kesterson came back 6-3 in the second.
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Singles
1. Maddie King (UC) Emily Allen (G) 6-4, 6-1.
2. Tara Elam (UC) d. Kendal Cook (G) 6-4, 6-1.
3. Jenna Miller (UC) tied with Kalee Kesterson (G) 6-4, 3-6, 1-1.
4. Ellen Bearden (UC) d. Callie Croom (G) 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.
5. Alex Parks (UC) d. Ashton Pence (G) 6-0, 6-0. Published in The Messenger 5.10.13 |
