THOMASVILLE- The Thomasville Bulldogs varsity tennis team beat the Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets on Monday afternoon after a nail-biting 3rd set for the Lady Dogs. 

The Dogs took to the court first, with number one singles Wesley Montgomery beating TCC’s Jackson Millings, 6-4, 6-0. 

Number two singles Owen Stump quickly followed up Montgomery’s win, with a victory of his own, beating Eli Connell, 6-3, 6-4. 

TCC’s number three singles Rudra Patel put the Jackets back in the win column after a victory over Jost Hale, 6-2, 6-2. 

TCC’s number two doubles team Charlie Thornhill and Jared Castillo got the second win for the Jackets after a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Dhruket Patel and AJ Carpio. 

With the match tied, it came down to the number one doubles, where the Dogs pulled out the final win. Eli Hines and Pace Hale won 6-2, 6-2 over Sam Scarbrough and Joseph Garmon to win the match 3-2. 

The Lady Dogs would follow a similar route to victory, except this time it would all come down to the number three singles slot. 

The Lady Jackets were out for vengeance, hoping to split the match after the Jackets fell just short. 

TCC’s number one singles Kenley Loper beat Ella Rodd in the first set 7-5, 6-2. 

Number two singles player Heali Patel would battle it out in three sets against THS’ Ruby Do, eventually falling just short. Do won 7-5, 6-6, and 7-4. 

With the teams tied up, the number one doubles slot of Trinity Do and Addison Johnson looked to take the lead for THS. The team went into a tight set of three, eventually beating Ella Briscoe and Martha Roberts, 6-3, 3-6, and 10-8. 

However, the number two doubles team of Payten Mustain and Regan Gibson would fall short, evening up the score once again. 

TCC’s Emily Carr and Emma Pyle beat Gibson and Mustain in a 6-4, 6-3 victory. 

All eyes then watched with intensity, as number three singles Kamryn Shokat faced off against TCC’s Marlee Binion to see who would claim the match. 

Shokat won the first set, 6-4, but lost the second set 2-6. After a long rally, Shokat came out victorious in a 10-8 win on the third set, winning the match for the Lady Dogs, 3-2. 

Head Coach Hannah Edwards was proud of both teams, especially after a rain delay pushed back the season’s start. 

“They pushed our season back three weeks, and then a rain delay only allowed for two days of practice, before we played in our first match against Seminole County,” she said. 

Luckily, there wasn’t too much tuning up needed, as the Dogs returned five starters, and the Lady Dogs welcomed back four returning players. 

The teams have also added five freshmen, with Edwards really focusing on pairing good doubles teams and improving their communication. 

Seeing the team in action, Edwards was excited about the good competition and the returning growth. 

“Most of our returning team is sophomores, so it’s good to see how much they’ve grown since freshman year,” she said. “It’s exciting to see what they can do this year.” 

Looking toward the future, Edwards hopes to see the team continue to grow in the right direction and make a run at another title. 

“Last year, our boys made it to the Sweet Sixteen and the girls made the Elite Eight, so we are excited to see what it’s like in a new classification, and see how far we can go,” she said. 

The new classification does have the Dogs facing some tough competition, with two of their region foes facing off for the State Championship last year. 

“We have put in a lot of work in the off-season, though, and I’m excited to see where it will take us,” she concluded. 

The team will now travel to Seminole County on Tuesday, Feb. 18th for another match up, before beginning region play on Feb. 25 against Brantley County.