Franklin women’s tennis is nearing another strong regular season.
On the week of Sept. 15, the Panthers faced a busy schedule, with three contests in four days including two in the Mountain Eight Conference. Despite a conference loss, Franklin entered the last quarter of their schedule with an 8-4 overall record.
On Sept. 15, they hosted Brevard to rehash the Blue Devils’ 5-3 win in Franklin’s season opener. Brevard looked sharp once again in the rematch, winning four out of six contests in singles.
At Nos. 4 and 5, Eva Holland and Carah Reynolds earned easy wins. At #6 Mia Boukhamphong lost a tough first set 6-1, came back for a razor-thin 7-6 (10-8) win in the second, then lost another close tiebreak 10-6 to end the match. At #2 doubles Holland and Reynolds earned another win 8-5, which proved to be the last in a 5-3 Blue Devil victory.
Two nights later the Panthers returned to the Macon County Rec Park, hosting Pisgah for their second-straight rematch of an early-season conference loss. After falling to Pisgah’s Holly Henderson Aug. 25, junior Olivia Rinker avenged her previous defeat, prevailing 4-6, 6-2, (10-7) at #3.
Senior Clara Stork won another hard-fought match [6-2, 5-7, (10-6)] at #2, while Holland and Reynolds earned two more easy wins at Nos. 4 and 5. In doubles Holland and Reynolds came through for Franklin once again, claiming an all-important fifth win for a 5-4 dual team victory. The result improved Franklin’s conference record to 6-4, where they ended the week at fourth place in the Mountain Eight standings.
The next night the Panthers traveled to Rabun Gap for a nonconference clash. In a rematch of Franklin’s 8-1 win at home Sept. 3, the Panthers took care of business once again, cruising to easy singles wins at Nos. 3 (Rinker), 4 (Holland), 5 (Reynolds) and 6 (Boukhamphong). At #2 doubles Rinker and Holland earned another win 8-2, while Reynolds and Maria Santos blanked their foes 8-0 at #3.
After their 6-3 win at Rabun Gap, the Panthers neared the end of their regular season, with only two weeks and four conference matches remaining. They hosted Tuscola after press time Sept. 22.
After losing their top four players to graduation last summer, and having been forced to play elsewhere while their home courts were being renovated, the start of the fall season presented a challenge for the Panthers. Just three weeks removed from regaining access to their own venue, the team has relied on its two seniors for leadership.
“[Driving] to Rabun Gap and Western [Carolina University] was a lot, but we have nice courts now,” said Marlee Barnes of Franklin’s nomadic start to the season. Having moved all the way from the team’s #6 spot last year to #1, Barnes is emblematic of a season of change for the Panthers, but says they have no plans of slowing down.
“It was definitely a big change, but I think I’ve handled it pretty well, so I’m kind of just going for it,” she said of her newfound leadership role. “It’s basically a whole different team, so [Franklin has] no expectations – we’re just playing. … Everyone’s improved a lot just from having to step up like this, so I think it’s actually made us a lot better getting thrown into this.”