The girls’ tennis team received a triple victory by the same 5-0 score in the first three rounds of the state AAAAA finals.  Both the boys’ and girls’ team first win came on Tuesday, April 23, against Hardaway High School, and they won their second match against Effingham County on Monday, April 29.  The girls’ most recent win was in the quarterfinals,which were held at Peachtree City Tennis Center, against Greenbriar on Thursday, May 2.  The boys’ won their semifinal match yesterday against Northview with a score of 6-0.

Before the girls’ match on Thursday, head coach Ronald Mann was feeling pretty good. “There are a lot of very good teams out there in AAAAA, but with the talent and focus of our team,  I feel very good about our chances of moving one match at a time,” Mann said.

The girls’ play Cambridge  today at 4 p.m in the semifinals.  If they win, they will follow the boys to the state championship on May 11 at the Clayton County International Tennis Park.

The individual scores for the girls’ team from the quarterfinals were: line #1 singles junior Erin Egoroff, 6-3, 6-1; line #2 singles sophomore Rachael Williams, 6-0, 6-1; line #3 singles senior Emily Shull, 6-1, 6-2; line #1 doubles juniors Kailey Inhulsen and Shannon McKillip, 6-0, 6-2; and line #2 doubles seniors Sam Curtis and Cassidy Sparkman, 7-5, 4-0.

The individual scores for the boys’ team from the quarterfinals were: line #1 singles senior Frank Rogers, 6-0, 4-6, 6-2; line #2 singles senior Alex Borovsky, 6-1, 6-1; line #3 singles senior Max Yelken 6-3, 6-1, line #1 doubles freshman Dubie Dubin and sophomore Shaaz Peerani, 6-0, 6-0; line #2 doubles senior Blake Traeger and junior Sebastian Schneider 6-0, 6-1.

“It really means a lot to be returning to the state championship match for the first time since we won freshman year,” Borovsky said.  “Our team is incredibly talented and I am lucky to be a part of it.  It would be amazing to be able to win another state championship for Starr’s Mill and finish my senior year with something I can always be proud of.”

From the semifinals, the boys’ scores were: line #1 singles Rogers 6-3, 6-2; line #2 singles Borovsky 6-1, 6-1; line #3 singles Yelken 6-3,6-1; line #1 doubles Dubin and Peerani 7-6, 6-3; line #2 doubles Traeger and Schneider 6-1, 6-1.

     “I have high hopes going into the semifinals,” Sparkman said. “We really want to win state this year because the girls won in 2009 before we seniors were on the high school team.  Nothing would complete my high school experience better than getting that state ring.”