Panther women’s tennis is deep in the state playoffs for a fourth straight year.
Thanks to a strong showing at the Mountain Seven Conference Tournament the week before, the team’s top players traveled to Hickory Oct. 18 for the 3A West Regional. With two doubles pairs advancing to the state tournament and through two rounds of the state playoffs as a team, Franklin extended their muti-year run of postseason success.
Having claimed the top two spots in the M7 tournament Oct. 9, seniors Kate Phillips/Abigail Angel and Maci Stork/Caroline Deal entered the 3A West Individual Tournament with desirable seeds. As conference champions, Phillips and Angel drew a lower-ranked pair from St. Stephens, blanking them 6-0 in the first set. Perhaps spurred by their home-court advantage, the Indians won the second set 6-4, but Phillips and Angel slammed the door 6-2 in the third.
In Round 2 Franklin’s top pair met familiar foes in Smoky Mountain’s Braelyn Mulligan and Kailey Broom. There they routed their conference rivals 6-2, 6-0 to advance to Day 2.
On the other side of the bracket Stork and Deal cruised through Round 1, defeating a pair from Forestview (Gastonia) 6-4, 6-0. They met a better opponent in a pair from King’s Mountain in Round 2, but prevailed 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) in a hard-fought second-set tiebreak.
On Day 2 Franklin returned to Hickory City Park for the Regional Semifinals. There Phillips and Angel earned another blowout win, defeating a pair from Ashe County 6-1, 6-3. Stork and Deal met tougher foes however, falling 6-3, 6-1 to East Lincoln’s Molly McGuirk and Sidney Dann.
In the Regional Final Phillips and Angel sought revenge for their teammates’ loss, but fell to McGuirk and Dann 6-3, 6-1. In the consolation match Stork and Deal lost a set to Ashe County 3-6, but won the last two sets 6-3, 6-4.
As the second and third-place finishers in the region, both pairs advanced to the 3A State Individual Tournament this weekend. This is the second straight year Franklin has sent two doubles pairs to state, after Laura/Lydia Holland and Stork/Logan Guynn placed first and second, respectively, at regionals last fall.
“It was so good. Usually [in] doubles you kind of throw people into it, but this year there was a lot of decent play,” said Phillips of the competition at her third Regional Tournament. “I saw a lot of people going into third sets, so it was good.”
“We kinda got killed in our last match, but I think we stood our ground and did very well,” said Angel.”
Upon returning home from Hickory, the seniors rejoined their teammates for Round 1 of the Dual Team State Playoffs. As the seventh-ranked team in the 3A West Region, Franklin drew a familiar foe once again, hosting 26th-ranked Smoky Mountain on their home court. In a rematch of two 9-0 Panther wins this regular season, the home team took care of business once again, winning all six singles matches convincingly. For the second time in two days Phillips and Angel met Mulligan in doubles, who switched out Broom for Rebecca Welch but still lost 8-4. Stork/Deal and Clara Stork/Marlee Barnes won easily for a 9-0 sweep.
Two days later the Panthers returned to their home court to host Round 2. Having won their first-round match by default in a West Charlotte forfeit, #23rd South Rowan made the four-hour trip to Franklin, only to meet the same fate as Smoky in a 9-0 sweep.
Two days later Franklin’s four seniors traveled to Burlington for the 3A State Individual Tournament. The Press will report on the tournament and Franklin’s third-round playoff match at second-ranked East Lincoln in next week’s edition.
“We’re both nervous. We’re also very excited because we’ve worked the whole summer in training, and we’ve always wanted to make it to state in doubles,” said Angel.
“I’m glad that all the seniors got to make it – we’ve all kind of decided to stick together with that,” said Phillips. “I think we’re all really excited too, because it’s state.”