The Knoxville Catholic High School girls tennis team defeated Ensworth, 4-1, in a Division II-AA state semifinal on Tuesday, May, 24, 2022, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Photo by Charles Mays Media).
BY JESSE SMITHEY
MURFREESBORO — Consider the Knoxville Catholic girls tennis team a quick study.
The Lady Irish were supposed to have played Ensworth towards the end of the regular season.
That match got scrubbed, though.
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So the first time Catholic got to see the Tigers was Tuesday — in the Division II-AA state semifinals.
Defending champion Catholic adjusted to the unfamiliar opponents quickly and promptly dusted Ensworth, 4-1, to return to the state championship round.
The Lady Irish know their next opponent, Baylor, all too well. They beat Baylor 4-2 in last year’s championship and again, 4-3, in the regular season this spring.
Baylor will look just a touch different this time, however.
A January transfer from Alabama, who played in the state championships in that state in April 2021, will be eligible against Catholic.
Catholic and Baylor will play at 11:30 a.m. Central time on Wednesday at Old Fort.
“It’ll be a battle (Wednesday),” Catholic coach Rusty Morris said.
If the Lady Irish play as motivated and as focused as they did Tuesday, you have to like their chances.
Entering the tournament as the ones being hunted didn’t deter them a bit.
“Baylor, we are familiar with them. But other teams, we may not have seen them — like Ensworth,” said Morris. “So we’re definitely out there trying to find out their strengths and weaknesses and seeing what we can do to get a good matchup on our side … and what we can do to exploit the weaknesses of the other player.”
Catholic did just that.
Its veterans played like veterans.
And even the younger players came through in resounding fashion.
Catholic’s No. 1 player and 2021 Division II-AA singles champ Maeve Thornton cruised, 6-2, 6-2.
Morris played Eleni Liakonis in the 3-slot, and Liakonis won 6-3, 6-2. Liakonis reached the semifinals in the individual tournament last year.
Catholic freshman Lillian Murphy dominated her opponent in the 2-spot with a 6-1, 6-0 win.
“Lillie, she can rally very consistently. But she is very good with the mid-court ball,” said Morris. “She can be aggressive with the mid-court ball, get the opponent on the run, and she can finish at the net.”
Thornton and Gigi Sompayrac teamed up in doubles for an 8-1 win, and Murphy and Liakonis got a doubles win 8-0.
Just like that. Match over.
Maybe even surprisingly fast.
“We knew that Ensworth was, most likely, the third best team in the state,” said Morris. “So, we knew we were going to get a challenge from them. We had looked at their UTRs (Universal Tennis Rankings), and they had some strong players at the top and some depth, also.”
IN OTHER MATCHES:
Gatlinburg-Pittman boys knocked off Chester County, 4-2, in the Class A state semifinals and will have a chance Wednesday for its first boys tennis team title in program history. Preston Johns and Justin McCarty got straight-set wins Tuesday while G-P No. 3 Skyler Floodquist won in the third set, 6-2. Johns and McCarty teamed up to get the doubles point.
The Highlanders will face Merrol Hyde in the finals at 9 a.m. Central time on Wednesday.
Merrol Hyde is the defending state champion.
The CAK boys tennis team fell, 4-2, in a Division II-A semifinal to USJ. Quinn Campbell, the No. 1 player for CAK, won his match in three sets. David Cotton, the No. 5 at CAK, won in two sets (6-3, 7-5).
The McMinn County girls fell to Tennessee High, 4-0, in the Class AA state semifinals.