WHS seniors go out with a bang
Published 9:28 pm Wednesday, October 10, 2012
The Washington tennis team aced its regular season finale as it topped Coastal Conference rival D.H. Conley 8-1 on Tuesday.
The win wrapped up third place in the conference standings and was a perfect way to say goodbye to Pam Pack seniors Kelly Dahlman, Lanie Smith, Mikaela Jones, Dajah Johnson and Robin Thompson, who played their final home match of their high school tennis careers on Tuesday.
“It just meant so much,” Washington tennis coach Phedora Johnson said of the win. “It was such a sweet victory for us because right after we won we were able to make presentations to the seniors and it was just a perfect ending too the regular season.”
The Pam Pack rolled past Conley 8-1 as Kiara Smith topped Catherine Cory 6-4, 6-2, Lanie Smith downed Molly Hortan 6-1, 6-5, Isabelle Mayo defeated Erin Chaney 6-1, 6-2, Mikaela Jones fell to Sarah Hanley 6-3, 6-4, Diani Teixeira blew past Rachel Funci 6-2, 6-1 and Tori Edwards defeated Ellie Tuck 7-5, 6-2 in singles play.
Next up for the Pam Pack will be regional play, which begins today at the River Birch Tennis Center in Greenville.
Johnson said that the contributions made by the seniors have been a vital piece of the Pack’s success this season.
“They’re just some of the best girls,” Johnson said. “They have really worked to encourage positivity. They’re positivity has been infectious and they’re a great example to the rest of the team. You really see that whole big sister-little sister dynamic and that’s really sweet.”
Jones and Smith captained this year’s squad and Johnson said they did a phenomenal job.
“They were the team captain and they were a great choice for team captains because even before they became seniors they just stepped up to the role,” Johnson said. “They were always the most encouraging and most positive and just great people who you would want on any team.”