Panther men’s tennis is back on track.
Following a difficult two-week stretch in mid-March, losing three straight contests with top singles player Gavin Rinker sidelined, on the week of March 24 Franklin geared up for a busy slate. In wins over East Henderson and Tuscola, the team improved to 6-2 in the Mountain Seven Conference.
Following Rinker’s return to the singles lineup March 19, on March 24 the team returned to the Macon County rec park for a doubleheader with East Henderson. There the Panthers made quick work of their overmatched opponents, shutting out the Eagles in both contests.
“Using a slightly different format to get the double header in, our guys dominated both matches over a struggling, rebuilding team with a new coach who was hired three days before the season started,” said Panther head coach Sammy Gunter. “Playing their first starts at singles, both Wyatt [Parlier] and Thatcher [Daniels] took turns at #6 in each match to win with ease. It was great to see both guys, who started [playing] tennis in February, play so well.”
With blowout wins of 9-0 and 6-0, Franklin knocked out both of their conference matches with East for the year in one day. Two days later they hosted Tuscola in a rematch of their 8-1 conference win in Waynesville to open the season.
“Missing #2 Orrin [Mynes] and #3 Eli [Adams], this match was a lot closer than I would have liked,” said Gunter. “[At] #1 Gavin lost a close match that went to a tiebreak. [At #2] Brennan [Cabe] has continued to improve and mix up his shots to completely frustrate his opponent. [At #4] Drew [Hodges] played the longest match of the day, but fell short in a tough baseline duel. Josiah [Holt] and Jonah [Brant] had no problems with their opponents [at Nos. 5 and 6, respectively].”
With singles wins from Cabe, Holt and Brant, Franklin entered the doubles portion tied with Tuscola at three wins apiece. There, they earned two more for the all-important number five.
“In doubles, playing together for the first time at #1, Gavin/Brennan completely dominated their opponents, as both have quick hands and move extremely well,” said Gunter. “[At] #2 Wyatt/Myles [Bargman] also played together for the first time and had a great battle, as both teams hit the ball with authority. The momentum kept shifting back and forth until the tiebreak. [At] #3 Zeke [Moffitt]/Thatcher had a close match which was a toss-up until, ahead 6-5, our guys pulled the last two games for the win. ... I was glad to see the group pull this one out.”
Despite a tiebreak loss by Bargman and Parlier at #2, Rinker/Cabe and Moffitt/Daniels prevailed at Nos. 1 and 3, giving Franklin a narrow 5-4 win. The result extended their streak to four straight dual team victories, improving their overall record to 6-3. At 6-2 in the conference Franklin ended the week in third place, behind 8-0 West Henderson and 6-1 Smoky Mountain.
The next day the Panthers traveled south of the state line for a nonconference match with Rabun Gap-Nacoochee. There they ran into a talented Eagle team.
“Still missing two players against Rabun Gap, who were also missing two starters, I knew this was going to be close,” said Gunter. “At #1 Gavin struggled in the first set but bounced back in the second to get it to 6-6, where he played a nerve racking tie break that he took, forcing a match tiebreak which unfortunately went Rabun Gap’s way. At #2, Brennan continued his good play to take the encounter against a good player. [At] #4 Drew again played the longest match of anyone as he won the first set 6-4, lost the second 4-6 then won the match tiebreak 10-8. It was great to see him finally get over the hump and win a close match, as he has been hitting and serving better. Both Josiah and Jonah lost their first-set tiebreaks, but couldn’t continue to put pressure in the second.”
With just two singles wins from Cabe and Hodges, Franklin needed wins in all three doubles matches to claim the dual team contest.
“In doubles #1 Gavin/Brennan took up were they left off the day before with an impressive win over a tough Rabun Gap duo,” said Gunter. “[At] #2 Jack/Drew again were in a tough contest as they battled back and forth, until at 7-7 we went ahead and played a tiebreak which we fell short on (7-4). I was proud of the effort and fight our guys showed in the four-hour, 45-minute match. The difference came down to the six tiebreaks, with Franklin only winning two of them. It was that close.”
In prevailing narrowly 6-3, the Eagles snapped Franklin’s four-win streak and dropped their overall record to 6-4. The Panthers have just three matches remaining this regular season, returning to action after Spring Break for just four more conference matches to close the season. On April 7 they’ll travel to North Henderson after postponing their first match with the Knights due to weather March 5.