Fifty-Fourth Chattanooga Rotary Prep Tennis Starts Today

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Led by three state singles champions, a star-studded field highlights the 54th annual Chattanooga Rotary Tennis Tournament which begins play this morning at three sites.

 

Opening matches are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. at Baylor (A Division for Boys and Girls), at GPS (B Division Girls) and McCallie (B Division Boys) as 32 teams from four states compete for four team titles.

 

The format is 8-player brackets for six singles and three doubles in each division.

 

Championship singles start Saturday morning at 8:30, followed by doubles play.

 

State champs on the boys’ side are Brandon Fickey (Knox. Webb) and Dan Richardson (Randoph in Alabama) and Hayly Humphreys (Hutichson in Memphis) on the girls’ side

 

Co-Directors: Jack Webb and Ward Nelson are serving as co-directors, taking over for Lee Murray who has retired as director after 23 years.

 

Boys’ A (Baylor): No. 1 seed Brandon Fickey (Knox. Webb.) and No. 2 seed Dan Richardson (Randolph) won state singles titles in Tennessee and Alabama, respectively a year ago, while No. 4 seed Alex Gornet (St.X) won a Kentucky state doubles crown.

2009 Singles Champ (No. 1 flight) Dan Richardson (Randolph)

2009 Doubles Champ (No. 1 flight) Dan Richardson-Anthony Lioces (Randolph)

 

Girls’ A (Baylor): The top two seeds in singles – Sarah Evans (GPS) and Caroline Faught (Vestavia Hills) – were state runners-up in Tennessee and Alabama, respectively, in 2009, while No. 4 seed Hayly Humphreys (Hutchison in Memphis) claimed the TSSAA D-II AA state singles crown against Evans.

 

In doubles, top-seeded Caroline Faught-Lauren Levant (Vestavia Hills) were 2009 state doubles champs in 6A.

2009 Singles Champ (No. 1 flight) Sarah Evans (GPS)

2009 Doubles Champ (No. 1 flight) Caroline Faught-Lauren Levant (Vestavia Hills)

 

Boys’ B (McCallie): The top seed is Colton Norton (Univ. School of Jackson), while Connor Knox (Tenn. High) is the second seed. Norton won the TSSAA D-I A/AA singles title.

2009 Singles Champ (No. 1 flight) Cameron Dickerson (CAK – playing in A Division this year)

2009 Doubles Champ (No. 1 flight) Nicholas Widmer-Steven Young (Knox. Catholic)

 

Girls’ B (GPS): The top seed is Kia Batiste (Christian Academy of Knox.), while No. 2 seed Allison Storie (Science Hill) was 2009 D-I AAA state runner-up as a ninth grader.

2009 Singles Champ (No. 1 flight) Kelsey Coots (Huntsville – is playing in A Division this year)

2009 Doubles Champ (No. 1 flight) Renee Nicholas-Kati Baker Spain Park)

 

Friday’s Schedule: Quarterfinal singles play starts at 8:30 a.m. at all sites.

 

A Division singles semis will start at 11 a.m. for the girls’ and 12:30 p.m. for the boys’. In the B Division, Boys’ and Girls’ singles semis start at 11 a.m.

 

Doubles play on Friday for Division A will go through the quarters, while Division B doubles will go through the semis. Division A semis will start at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

 

Saturday: Championship singles in both divisions start at 8:30 a.m., followed by doubles.

 

2009 Team Champions:

 

Boys’ A: McCallie

Girls A: Vestavia Hills

Boys’ B: Science Hill

Girls’ B: Spain Park

 

Rotary History

 

Records: (A Division)

 

Championships:

 

Boys’ - Baylor (28), McCallie (16), Westminster (5), MBA (3), Greenville, S.C., 3), St. Xavier (Ky., 1), Meridian (Miss., 1), McGill (Ala., 1), Belton (S.C., 1), Mountain Brook (Ala., 1), Christ Church Episcopal (S.C., 1) … totals include the high school division winners, 1957-1972.

 

Consecutive Titles: 10 – Baylor (1980-1989) … 9 - Baylor (1966-74) ... 3 - Westminster (1959-60-61), McCallie (1963-64-65; 1975-76-77), Baylor (1991-92-93)

 

Girls’ – GPS (12), Marist (8), Baylor (7), Harpeth Hall (5), Westminster (3), Mountain Brook (Ala., 2), Webb (2), Vestavia Hills (2), Greenville (S.C., 1), Lone Oak (Ky., 1)

 

Consecutive Titles: 5 – GPS (1981-85), Baylor (1989-1993) … 4 - Marist (1994-97; 2000-03)

 

Singles: 6 – Zan Guerry (Baylor; 1962-67)

3 - Doug Stewart (Anniston, Ala., 1958-59-60), Charlie Owens (Tuscaloosa, Ala., 1966-67-68)

2 - Chris Brown (Notre Dame), Roscoe Tanner (Baylor), Pem Guerry (Baylor), Mel Purcell (Murray, Ky.), John Corse (Westminster), Mark Styslinger (Baylor), Chris Woodruff (Knox. Bearden), Eddie Coates (Bradley Central), Bo Seal (Baylor)

 

Doubles: 5 - Zan Guerry (Baylor, 1962-64, 66-67) ... Guerry won with Jay Reynolds, Peter Parrott, David Deadrick and Tony Ortiz, twice.

3 – Pem Guerry-Wes Cash (Baylor, 1973-74-75) … John Pickens (Tuscaloosa County, 1961-62-63 … partners were Jack Jackson (twice) and Tom Kendall.

 

Singles: 3 - Shannon McCarthy (Marist, 1985, 1987-88), Audra Brannon (Hixson, 1988-89-90 - in “B'' Division)

2 – Laura Duffy (GPS), Kappie Clark (GPS), Susan Hill (Red Bank), Wendy White (Westminster), Natalie Frazier (Marist), Brooke Cordell (Baylor), Brandi Cordell (Baylor), Claire Bartlett (GPS)

 

Doubles: 3 - Caroline Thompson (Marist, with Molly Rollaver, Kristina Donehew, Aimee Smith); Kristina Donehew (Marist; with Caroline Thompson, Courtney Rollaver, twice)

 

NCAA Champions: George Dickinson (Univ. of Chattanooga, singles), Charlie Owens (Samford, singles) and Roscoe Tanner (Stanford, doubles ) ... all played in the Rotary tournament.

 

Divisions: The Rotary started with boys prep and high school divisions; 1957-1972 … added a girls prep division in 1968 … went to A and B divisions in boys and girls in 1973 ... have also had a boys C division … four divisions in 2009.

 

Locations: 9 – over the years matches have been played at Baylor, Brainerd, Fairyland Club, GPS, Hixson Racquet Club, Manker Patten, McCallie, Sewanee and UTC.

 

Co-Champs Four Times: two boys teams have shared the title on four occasions … 1969 – Westminster and Greenville tied for the high school title … 1997 – Baylor and MUS (12 pts.) … 1998 – McCallie, Baylor (16 pts.) … 1999 – Baylor, St. Xavier (16 pts.)

 

Marist Dynasty … Marist won 12 state Georgia state titles (1995-2006) and won seven Rotary crowns in that span … Marist's first of eight Rotary title came in 1994, a year before its march through the Peach State.

 

Future Pros – many have gone on from the Rotary to play on the pro tour … a few names include Zan Guerry, Roscoe Tanner, Brian Gottfried, Chris Woodruff, Mel Purcell, Charlie Owens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rotary Highlights:

 

 

1959 – Westminster wins its first of three straight in the prep division … Greenville S.C. wins its first of two titles in the high school division … Charles Benedict (Westminster) and Doug Stewart (Anniston) are singles winners.

 

1963 – Westminster wins the first of two high school division crowns after three titles in the prep division

 

1968 – A girls division is created and GPS wins all six singles and three doubles … Laura Duffy wins the first of two singles titles … Baylor and Roscoe Tanner win in the prep divisions, while Charlie Owens (Tuscaloosa) wins his third singles and Greenville, S.C. captures its second of three championships.

 

1969 - The first co-champions – Westminster and Greenville, S.C. - are crowned in the high school division … Baylor wins its fourth of nine straight in the prep division and GPS beats Westminster.

 

1970 – Baylor wins the boys title as David Dick and Joe Garcia-Dick are champs … Baylor wins its third national title in four years; 1967, 1969-70.

 

1972 – Baylor boys score 35 of a maximum 36 points … Red Raider champs are David Dick (singles) and Dick and Buzz Willett (doubles).

 

1975 – Baylor's Wes Cash and Pem Guerry win their third straight doubles title .. only team to date in Rotary history to do so.

 

1977 – Girls: In the No.1 finals, Wendy White (Westminster) hands three-time state champ Susan Hill (Red Bank) her only singles loss in high school … White will also win in 1978 ... Susan and sister, Carolyn, win at No.1 doubles.

 

1978 – Westminster has singles champs in John Corse and Wendy White as well as the girls team title.

 

1979 – McCallie edges Baylor, 20-19, as Eric Voges and Ted Lathem (1980 state doubles winners) clinched the win at No. 3 doubles … Harpeth Hall wins its first of five over the next decade … Ken Hirsch (Lovett) and Margie Brown (Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett) claim No.1 singles … Baylor's Mark Styslinger-Bayly Taff take doubles along with Liz Jamison-Kathy Denton

 

1980s – Baylor boys dominate the decade with 10 crowns.

 

1989 – Baylor girls win their first team title in just its third year of existence … Lori Smith (singles) and Lori Ann Freedman-Lori Smith (doubles) are winners for the Red Raiders … Chris Woodruff (Knox. Bearden), who would later be ranked as high as 29 on the ATP tour, wins his first of two Rotary singles crowns (1989, 1991).

 

1990 – McCallie ends Baylor's 10-year reign … Van Van Lingen (Brentwood Academy) takes singles crown … Baylor is girls team winner and Deena Raja (Harpeth Hall) is top individual winner.

 

1993 – ''Let It Snow ..'' … Rotary has snow for the first time on Friday April 3 … Singles champs are Tommy Thomas (Lovett) and Lorraine Bittles of Brentwood Academy (No.1 in the South, No.11 in nation) … Baylor sweeps team titles.

 

1995 – MBA wins first of three titles ... McGugin brothers, Dan and Bill claim first of two doubles titles.

 

1998 – Bo Hodge of Athens Academy win singles … ranked No.6 in boys 16s.

 

1999 – Baylor and St. Xavier (Ky.) tie with 16 points … third straight years with a tie in the Boys A Division … Baylor wins in the girls as Brooke Cordell takes her second crown … William Boyles (McCallie) wins for the boys.

 

2009 – McCallie wins its second straight title as does Vestavia Hills on the girls’ side … Dan Richardson (Randolph) captures the Boys’ A singles crown, while Sarah Evans of GPS wins the Girls’ A title.

 

 

contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net

 

also posted on chattanoogan.com