NCHSAA 4A girls tennis: Wakefield’s Boyden wins 3rd singles crown; Panther Creek duo makes historic 4-peat

Everybody from outside the Triangle was gone before the final round of the NCHSAA state 4A girls' tennis championships even started.

And then some unlikely winning streaks continued.

Panther Creek seniors Sammi Smith and Jordan Strickland won their fourth straight doubles title, while Wakefield’s Susanne Boyden took the singles crown for the third straight year in a pair of all-Wake county title matches.

"We're proud of our team and proud of Sammi and Jordan. They're good people and that makes it all the sweeter. And we had never played Cardinal Gibbons until this week,” Panther Creek coach Nathaniel Blalock said.

Smith, who is headed for Penn State next season, and Western Carolina-bound Strickland matched the perfect record of four straight championships with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Cardinal Gibbons, after topping the Crusaders' Caroline Igo and Summer Jacobs 6-0, 6-0 in their morning semifinal.

The four-peat had been completed only once before, when Fayetteville Terry Sanford's Lisa and Margit Monaco did it from 1977-80 when Jimmy Carter was president.

"I thought there was more pressure," Smith said. "We knew we could win, but we knew there were teams that could beat us. We hit our serves well, and our ground strokes were consistent so we could put away volleys."

Added Strickland, "We've just known each other for so long and are really comfortable on the court. We were second and third singles as freshmen. She's better at being aggressive, and I can add in some variety if we need it."

Defending champ Panther Creek (18-0) and Gibbons — which was 3A last year — will meet in a state 4A team tournament matchup on Monday. Gibbons (23-1) has won 18 straight since a 5-4 loss at Charlotte Myers Park on Aug. 9.

Boyden collected her three-peat by topping Panther Creek’s Amanda Cyr 6-3, 6-0.

"It's a good accomplishment and I beat a lot of great girls," said Boyden, who is still mulling her college choices. "I never would have thought I would have won three straight. But I'm really competitive with my brother (Bo), who won two himself (and is now a freshman at UNC.)"

Cyr said she's looking forward to next season, when she will play in a state tournament without Boyden.

"I played her last week and lost 6-4, 6-1," Cyr said. "I just had to close out a few more games, but she played really well.

Stacy Morgan, who came here from Florence, Ala., is the first year coach of a Wolverine team that finished 5-9 while Boyden went 11-1 in conference play.

"Suzanne was phenomenal as usual," Morgan said. "I think she served really well. She was consistent and just on point. She is a very sweet, intelligent, hard-working and reliable girl. I hate that we won't have her any more."

Gibbons coach Andrew Tuttle said he was very happy with his team's accomplishments so far at the NCHSAA's highest level.

"Our girls played great tennis," Tuttle said. "Especially in the finals. Almost every game went to deuce. It was great doubles out there from both teams. We definitely have a bright future, too."

This story was originally published October 31, 2015 at 4:13 PM with the headline "NCHSAA 4A girls tennis: Wakefield’s Boyden wins 3rd singles crown; Panther Creek duo makes historic 4-peat."