Pisgah tennis sweeps Tuscola
Oct. 7—Pisgah and Tuscola girls tennis teams met for the second time this season and the outcome was the same as the first.
In the first match on Sept. 7, the Lady Bears defeated the Lady Mountaineers by the score of 7-2. The second match, this time on Tuscola's turf, resulted in the identical 7-2 win for the Bears on Monday, Oct. 3.
Pisgah head coach Harold Shepard said it was a typical rivalry dust up.
"It was a prototypical Tuscola and Pisgah matchup. Everybody came in playing their "A" game regardless of their season records. It was close all the way to the end," he said.
Tuscola head coach Rumi Kakareka said the girls were disappointed in the loss, but played well.
"We were so close, and we played well. I got to say I was pleased with how the team played," he said.
No. 1 players battle
The featured match of the day was between the No. 1 players for both teams: Tuscola's Sierra Sellers and Pisgah's Kennedy Barker.
In the Sept. 7 match, Sellars defeated Barker by a score of 10-5.
On Monday, Barker evened the score with a hard fought 4-6, 6-6, (7-2), (10-1) battle with Sellars to jump start the Bears victory.
"Sierra's a very good opponent, and she's a great tennis player, but I know every time we play that I'm going to get better and she's going to get better," Barker said.
Barker is always looking for ways to improve.
"I need to be more consistent in my forehand, but my backhand's pretty strong. My teammates help me out with that in practice," she said.
Barker's coach was pleased with her intensity.
"I was very excited about how well Kennedy played. She played that match with as much heart and intensity as I've seen as anybody I've seen in a while," said Shepard.
Sellers said she knows Barker well, and recognizes that she's a strong opponent.
"I've played Kennedy last year and I've done well," Sellers said. "She's a good player, and she's very athletic."
Kakareka said Seller's match was a close one.
"Her blister started to bother her and she started to lose her focus. Kennedy played a great match," he said.
What's next?
With the loss, the Lady Mountaineers have a 5-6 overall record and a 4-5 record in the conference. The team is in sixth place.
Tuscola ended its regular season with matches on Tuesday, Oct. 4, against Smoky Mountain, and against West Henderson on Thursday, Oct. 6. Scores were unavailable at press time.
Pisgah, meanwhile, is 12-3 (8-3 in Mountain 7) and sitting in fourth place.
The girls beat Enka 9-0 on Tuesday, Oct. 4, and then East Henderson 8-1 on Wednesday, Oct. 5.
Pisgah ends its season against North Henderson on Monday, Oct. 10. The match will determine which team finishes in second place.
