Cookeville swept a pair of matches against Lebanon Wednesday at the Cavalier Courts to open the 2016 season.
The Lady Cavs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in doubles and cruised to an 8-1 victory. Emma Cate Jones and Natalie Crooks opened the scoring with an 8-0 defeat of Shea Holmes and Sidney Kurtz at No. 2 doubles. Sara Gaw and Caroline McCarter claimed the top match, 8-4, over Katherine Daily and Morgan Harmon. In the third match, Olivia Foutch and Bailey Dillon took out Adyson Palmer and Margaret Daily, 8-2.
“I think it was important for the girls to get off to a good start since we are so young,” Coach Brian Rohr said. “Emma Cate and Natalie set the tone for the match with an impressive win.”
Hudson Taylor pushed the lead to 4-0 with an 8-2 defeat of Kurtz, and McCarter put the match out of reach, defeating Harmon by the same score. Jones then blanked Holmes at No. 4. Gaw outdueled Katherine Daily at No. 1, 8-6. Crooks claimed the last point for Cookeville, 8-3 over Palmer.
“Natalie missed her entire freshman year due to injury. It’s nice to see her back on the court. She will play a huge role on our team,” Rohr said.
The Cavaliers rolled to a 9-0 victory. Cookeville lost just four games in three doubles matches. Jake Ward and Tanner Cagle beat John Kelley and Giovanni Santos at No. 1, Marlon Ngo and Alek Kriskovich beat Eli Teel and Kaleb Jasper at No. 1, and Jacob McCarter and Michael Gray took out Ben Brashear and Tyler Garvin at No. 3.
In singles, Ward overcame a sluggish start to defeat Kelley 8-3, and Gray downed Garvin 8-2 to seal the win. Ngo blanked Santos at No. 3. Cagle, McCarter, and Kriskovich also claimed singles wins.
“Michael is also returning from injury. He played in one match last year. I think he will improve every time he takes the court,” Rohr said.
Cookeville opens 6-AAA action Thursday against Cumberland County at 3:30 p.m. at the Cavalier Courts.
Lady Cavs 8, Lebanon 1
Singles
No. 1 – Sara Gaw (CHS) def. Katherine Daily (lhs), 8-6
No. 2 – Caroline McCarter (CHS) def. Morgan Harmon (lhs), 8-2
No. 3 – Hudson Taylor (CHS) def. Sydney Kurtz (lhs), 8-2
No. 4 – Emma Cate Jones (CHS) def. Shea Holmes (lhs), 8-0
No. 5 – Natalie Crooks (CHS) def. Adyson Palmer (lhs), 8-3
No. 6 – Margaret Daily (lhs) def. Chloe Rippetoe (CHS), 8-5
Doubles
No. 1 – Gaw-McCarter (CHS) def. K. Daily-Harmon (lhs), 8-4
No. 2 – Jones-Crooks (CHS) def. Holmes-Kurtz (lhs) 8-0
No. 3 – Olivia Foutch-Bailey Dillon (CHS) def. Palmer-M. Daily (lhs), 8-2
Cavaliers 9, Lebanon 0
Singles
No. 1 – Jake Ward (CHS) def. John Kelley (lhs), 8-3
No. 2 – Tanner Cagle (CHS) def. Eli Teel (lhs), 8-2
No. 3 – Marlon Ngo (CHS) def. Giovanni Santos (lhs), 8-0
No. 4 – Jacob McCarter (CHS) def. Ben Brashear (lhs), 8-3
No. 5 – Alek Kriskovich (CHS) def. Kaleb Jasper (lhs), 8-3
No. 6 – Michael Gray (CHS) def. Tyler Garvin (lhs), 8-2
Doubles
No. 1 – Ward-Cagle (CHS) def. Santos-Kelley (lhs), 8-1
No. 2 –Ngo-Kriskovich (CHS) def. Teel-Jasper (lhs), 8-2
No. 3 – McCarter-Gray (CHS) def. Brashear-Garvin (lhs), 8-1
Information provided by Coach Rohr
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