Evans, Briggs Win D-II AA East/Middle Region Net Titles

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Seniors Sarah Evans (GPS) and Roger Briggs (MBA) claimed singles titles on Sunday in the TSSAA D-II AA East/Middle Region tournament at McCallie School.

 

In doubles, Baylor’s top seeded Alex Cooper-Carlos Cuevas and unseeded Aliza Williams-Emma McCallie (GPS) were also champions.

 

The top five from the East/Middle Region in singles and doubles advance to the state quarterfinals (Spring Fling XVII), May 27-28 in Murfreesboro. The top three in singles and doubles from the West Region advance to the state quarters.

 

Singles: Evans defeated teammate Bronte Goodhue, 6-0, 7-6 (5), while Briggs had to go three sets to defeat McCallie’s Zeeshan Ismail, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

 

Doubles: The Cooper-Cuevas duo topped teammates Michael Goldstein-Aditya Rali, 6-1, 6-4 in the finals. The victors were dominant throughout the tournament, winning three, straight-set matches and dropping only 10 games in six sets.

 

Williams-McCallie (GPS) stopped second seeded Erika Marschall-Sarah Berchuck, 6-2, 6-4 in the final. The Bruisers also beat the No. 1 seed of Hannah Kimbrough-Morgan Hertick (Ensworth), 6-3,6-3 in the semis after disposing of the No. 4 seeded Margaret Lowe-Kelsea Best (Harpeth Hall), 6-2, 6-4, in the quarters.

 

Tough Three-Setters: Baylor’s Harper Caswell took fourth place with a pair of long three -set wins. She defeated Kat Caire (Harpeth Hall), 6-4, 6-7(9), 10-2 for fourth place after a 4-6, 6-4, 12-10 win against Hannah Maclellan (Ensworth).

 

Players Advancing to State Quarters:

Boys: MBA (4) qualifies both singles players and both doubles teams, while Baylor (3) sends both singles and one doubles. McCallie (2) is next with one singles and one doubles and while Ensworth (1) has a singles player advancing.

 

Girls: Baylor (4) and GPS (4) both have two singles and two doubles in the quarters, while Harpeth Hall (1) has a singles player and Ensworth (1) has its top doubles team.

 

Macellan Tennis Legacy: Ensworth eighth grader Hannah Maclellan is the niece of former three-time state doubles champion Elizabeth Maclellan Lindquist and the granddaughter of former McCallie and Vanderbilt player Hugh O. Maclellan Jr.

 

Mrs. Lindquist, who was a three-time NCAA D-III All-American tennis player at Wheaton College after her prep days at CCS, was on hand for Sunday’s play with her two-month-old son, Jake.

 

While Hannah was playing in the D-II Region, younger brother, Nicholas, won the 10-and-under novice title down the road at the Champions Club. Other siblings J.D. and Cate also competed in the novice net event.

 

Tough Draw for Briggs: By winning the East/Middle Region singles title, MBA’s Roger Briggs earned the right to play the No. 5 finisher in the East/Middle in the state quarters.

 

Only problem is that MBA’s No. 2 singles player Naveen Chadalavada, who will continue his tennis career at NCAA D-III Washington Univ. (Mo.) next fall, is that No. 5 player. The winner of that opening match will most likely face Ensworth’s top player in Rand Jackson, who finished third in the East/Middle, in the semis.

 

Please Check the Dates: Harpeth Hall’s Caitlin Casey had qualified for the state quarters in singles, but withdrew from play after losing in the championship semis. Casey and her family will be in Greece during Spring Fling and will miss the state tournament. Family members looked at the wrong dates for Spring Fling when booking flights to Greece.

 

Casey, a sophomore, reached the 2009 state doubles semis with Samantha Lewis.

 

D-II AA East/Middle Individual Region at McCallie

 

Girls Region Finals (Sunday) (top five players advance to state quarterfinals)

 

Singles Finals

(1) Sarah Evans (GPS) def. Bronte Goodhue (GPS), 6-0, 7-6 (5)

 

Third Place: Samantha Caswell (Baylor) wins by forfeit from Caitlin Casey (Harpeth Hall), withdrew

 

Fourth & Fifth Place: Harper Caswell (Baylor) defeated Kat Caire (Harpeth Hall), 6-4, 6-7 (9-11), 10-2

 

Championship Semis (played Sunday morning):

Evans (GPS) def. S. Caswell (Baylor), 6-4, 6-1; Goodhue (GPS) def. Casey (Harpeth Hall),

 

Girls Doubles (top five teams advance to state quarterfinals)

Championship Finals: Aliza Williams-Emma McCallie (GPS) def. (2) Erika Marschall-Sarah Berchuck (GPS), 6-2, 6-4

 

Third Place

(1) Hannah Kimbrough-Morgan Hertik (Ensworth) def. (3) Meredith Morrow-Lauren Schlabach (GPS), 3-6, 6-1, 6-2

 

Fifth Place: Katie Thornton-Kelly Scruggs (Baylor) def. Litton Whitaker-Lexi Mossman (Harpeth Hall), 6-1, 6-1

 

Boys Region Finals (Sunday) (top five players advance to state quarterfinals)

 

Singles Finals: (2) Roger Briggs (MBA) def. (4) Zeeshan Ismail (McCallie), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4

 

Third Place: (3) Rand Jackson (Ensworth) def. (1) Anderson Scarpa (Baylor), 6-2, 6-3

 

Fifth Place: Naveen Chadalavada (MBA) def. Eric Roddy (Baylor), 6-4, 6-0

 

Championship Singles Semis (Sunday morning): Briggs def. Jackson, 6-3, 6-4; Ismail def. Scarpa, 6-4, 6-2

 

Boys Doubles (top five teams advance to state quarterfinals)

 

Championship Finals: (1) Alex Cooper-Carlos Cuevas (Baylor) def. (3) Michael Goldstein-Aditya Rali (Baylor), 6-1, 6-4

 

Third Place: (2) Russell Anderson-Palmer Campbell (MBA) def. (4) Scotty Webb-Logan Yerbey (McCallie), 6-4, 6-0

 

Fifth Place: Davis Thrailkill-Andrew Karpos (MBA) def. Daniel Pare-Evan Watkins (McCallie), 6-4, 6-4

 

*** State Qualifiers from D-II AA East/Middle

 

Girls Singles

1 Sarah Evans (GPS)

2 Bronte Goodhue (GPS)

3 Samantha Caswell (Baylor)

4 Harper Caswell (Baylor)

5 Kat Caire (Harpeth Hall)

 

Girls Doubles

1 Aliza Williams-Emma McCallie (GPS)

2 Erika Marschall-Sarah Berchuck (Baylor)

3 Hannah Kimbrough-Morgan Hertik (Ensworth)

4 Meredith Morrow-Lauren Schlabach (GPS)

5 Katie Thornton-Kelly Scruggs (Baylor)

 

Boys Singles

1 Roger Briggs (MBA)

2 Zeeshan Ismail (McCallie)

3 Rand Jackson (Ensworth)

4 Anderson Scarpa (Baylor)

5 Naveen Chadalavada (MBA)

 

Boys Doubles

1 Alex Cooper-Carlos Cuevas (Baylor)

2 Michael Goldstein-Aditya Rali (Baylor)

3 Russell Anderson-Palmer Campbell (MBA)

4 Scotty Webb-Logan Yerbey (McCallie)

5 Davis Thrailkill-Andrew Karpos (MBA)

 

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

 

also posted on chattanoogan.com