Holly Springs girls tennis breezes by Cary

Holly Springs breezed by Cary in Southwest Wake Athletic Conference girls tennis action by an 8-1 score on Monday.

HOLLY SPRINGS

The Golden Hawks (3-6, 3-6) have a young team, which could pay off nicely in another year when Holly Springs gets split apart from tennis powerhouses Green Hope and Panther Creek.

Holly Springs will still have to contend with Apex, Middle Creek and Apex Friendship, which it lost to this season 7-2, 5-4 and 5-4 respectively.

Foreign-exchange student Jana Kleisnerova has come in this season and almost immediately rose to the team’s No. 1 singles spot. She won 6-0, 6-0 on Monday.

Junior Peyton Davis plays No. 2 (won 6-1, 6-1) and the rest of the lineup are sophomores: No. 3 Regan Miller (lost 6-1, 6-2), No. 4 Madison Bridges (won 6-0, 6-0), No. 5 Sam Mitchell (won 6-1, 6-1) and No. 6 Emma Allen (won 6-0, 6-4). The Hawks swept doubles 8-0, 8-3, 8-3.

“We’re in great position,” coach Steven Herrick said, adding that his current seniors have been instrumental in making younger players feel welcome.

“We know we have a lot of beginners, so we get them excited about being in a sport, especially their freshman year,” senior Lizzie Botwick said. “It’s the first time they’re a part of something and feel like they belong somewhere.”

CARY

The Imps (0-8, 0-7) started last year without a full lineup: just five girls in the school were signed up to play.

Imagine how good coach Janet Trotter felt when almost 20 players came to the first day of tryouts this year inclduing nine freshmen.

“I had no idea I was going to have as many as I had. I had heard we were getting some (new players) and they’ve come from all the different middle schools,” Trotter said. “And I took everyone who wanted to come out and play just to give them the opportunity.”

In recent years, Cary has sometimes had a unique mix: four or five beginners with one or two college-level players. With so many in the same class, Trotter is excited to build the program with everyone on the same page.

“This was kind of nice because I’ve got enough at about the same level that we were really able to work on drills,” Trotter said. “I’m hoping that with continuous drills, continuous play we’ll just get better and better. And I already see it.”

Freshmen make up almost the entire lineup: No. 1 Haley Talton, No. 2 Naomi Admasu, No. 3 Lindy Gupton (who won Monday 6-1, 6-2), No. 5 Claire Guilbaud and No. 6 Emily Budo. Junior Amanda DeMarte rounds out the top six.

This story was originally published September 16, 2016 at 11:18 AM with the headline "Holly Springs girls tennis breezes by Cary."