By Staff
Staff Reports
WILLIAMSTON — The Williamston Tigers saw their successful tennis season come to a close.
The Tigers (15-6) went up against the top-ranked team in the state in Thursday’s semifinals of the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A Dual Team Tennis tournament. The N.C. School of Science and Math Unicorns showed why they are No. 1 after taking a 6-0 win over the Tigers at the West Ends Tennis Courts in Williamston.
Williamston, led by co-coaches Matt Matthews and Tom Ward, were the Four Rivers Conference champions this season.
Reaching the semifinal round was a first for the Williamston girls tennis team.
The Tigers had topped Lejeune (6-0), Gates County (8-1) and Dixon (5-1) in the first three rounds to reach the semifinals.
NCSSM (18-0), the Carolina 9 Conference champions, will be playing for its second state championship in three years. The Unicorns won the team title in 2007.
Williamston will have to replace the bulk of its lineup next year, including the state-qualifying tandem of Kate Matthews and Sara Chesson.
Along with those two exceptional players, the Tigers also got strong play this season from the likes of Karson Edwards, Samantha Jones, Kellen Edwards and Brittany Keener.
The Unicorns will face either second-ranked Mount Airy (15-2), the Northwest Conference champions, or fourth-ranked East Montgomery (16-0), the Yadkin Valley Conference champions, in Saturday’s state championship match.