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Parry McCluer High School senior Addisen Roberts wrapped up her high school tennis career last week, falling in the Region 1C girls’ finals last Monday before teaming up with junior Macy Shafer last Tuesday and falling in the first round of the Region 1C doubles tournament. Both matches took place at Auburn High School in Riner.
Last Monday, Roberts, the Pioneer District singles champion, split a pair of sets with Giles senior Autumn Bowles before falling 10-1 in a tiebreak. Roberts took the first set 6-2 before Bowles won the second set 6-0.
Earlier in the day, Roberts beat Grayson County junior Sarah Hale 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals. A week earlier, on May 20, Hale had beaten Roberts 6-4, 6-4 in Grayson County’s 5-2 win over the Fighting Blues in the Region 1C team quarterfinals at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista.
When she played in the regional singles tournament last year, Roberts lost in the semifinals to George Wythe’s Maggie Minton, who went on to win the regional title.
Last Tuesday, Roberts and Shafer suffered a 6-0, 6-4 loss to George Wythe’s top duo in the first round of the Region 1C doubles tournament.
As a team, under the direction of second-year head coach Alyssa Sewell, the Blues finished with a record of 9-5, going 4-2 in the Pioneer District. The district tournament was canceled due to rain, but the Blues finished second to Bath County after splitting a pair of regular-season matches with the Chargers before falling to Bath 5-3 in the first-place match on May 8 in Covington.
It was a strong year overall for the Blues, who went 12-5 last year before graduating No. 2 singles player Sadie Mays. Last year, the Blues lost to Bath County in the district finals and ended their season with a 5-4 setback against Giles in the Region 1C quarterfinals. Other Blues had to step up this year after junior Olive King, the No. 3 player last year, had to sit out this season due to a shoulder injury at the end of her all-state winter swimming season.
Optimistic, Sewell said, “The future looks bright for PM tennis. I’m proud of these girls! Can’t wait to see all they accomplish.”
The Blues will miss their three seniors: Roberts, McKenna Hickman and Marley Convers. Hickman was their No. 4 player and teamed up with freshman Elizabeth Truslow on the No. 3 doubles team, and Convers played at the No. 6 singles spot in some matches.
Reflecting on what her seniors meant to the team, Sewell said, “They will each be greatly missed! Marley’s sweet nature and hard work, McKenna’s dedication and perseverance, and Addisen’s competitive nature and humor. These girls brought so much love and spirit to the team. We will deeply miss them. Oh, how I know they will succeed!”
The future does indeed look bright for the Blues, as four of the top six singles players were underclassmen, Shafer (at No. 2), junior Peira Conner (No. 3), freshman Keely Mahaffey (No. 5) and Truslow (No. 6).
