Trinity advances 10 players to South State finals

Published 12:08 am Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Natchez — Ten Trinity tennis players advanced to the MAIS AA South State finals Tuesday at Duncan Park.

The South State finals will begin 9 a.m. today.

All four of Trinity’s doubles pairs advanced — he Saints’ No. 1 and No. 2 boys singles

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Trinity boys doubles court No. 2 pair Hunter Yarborough and Cortez Adams won their first match 6-2, 6-3.

“We talked to each other and worked together as a team like we usually do,” Adams said.

Yarborough said the stakes felt a little higher as he and his partner fought to qualify for the state tournament.

“It feels like opponents are more into it and you definitely have to stay 100 percent focused,” Yarborough said.

Adams said communication would be key in the pair’s second match.

Adams and Yarborough went on to face the No. 1-seeded team from Newton, which the Saints’ tandem had lost to twice earlier in the season. The Saints won that match 7-6, 6-2 to advance to the finals.

“That team surprised me the most (Tuesday),” Trinity coach Noreen Pyron said. “I knew they had it in them, but they really came together as a team and played as team.”

Early on saw plenty of tiebreaker action on the mixed doubles court between Trinity and Wilkinson County. Trinity’s Harris Pyron and Taylor Lessley beat out Wilkinson County siblings Morgan and Cole Gardner.

Trinity took the first set in the match, 6-4, and Wilkinson County answered by taking the second set, 3-6, to force a super-set tiebreaker.

The two tandems traded points before Trinity broke at 5-3. Wilkinson County fought off a match point to force its own, at 10-9, but a crushing overhead from Harris knotted the score once again. Trinity won its next to points to win the super set, 12-10.

“They’re young, and they really played well (Tuesday),” Noreen said. “Harris was putting overheads away, and I was really proud of them.”

Harris and Lessley lost in the semifinals to the defending 2A mixed doubles state champions from Tallulah.

Trinity’s No. 2 girls doubles, Mckenzie Smith and Hannah Fitt, also played a marathon match in the semifinals. After losing the first set to 6-7 (5), the Saints’ pair fought back to win the second set 7-6 (4) and won a full-length rubber set handily 6-2.

“They really buckled down,” Noreen said. “I think they tired the other team out a little bit and they were able to relax.”

Trinity leads both team scores with 7.5 points for the boys. The girls have 6.5 points.