Louisa, Ky. — It was a successful start for Lawrence Co. Tennis on the first day of the 15th Region Tournament Monday at the LCHS tennis facility.
15th Region tournament will resume on Thursday May 18th.
Junior Kennedy Gauze did not lose a game in her four sets played Monday afternoon, defeating Abigail Holbrook from Magoffin Co. 6-0, 6-0 and then beating Kathryn Dolihite from Pikeville 6-0, 6-0. Gauze will next play Chloe Sykes from Shelby Valley in the semifinals.
Senior TK Ellis and Junior Riley McClanahan (R) in their quarterfinal match against Johnson Central. The pair won their first match against Johnson and Lucas from Shelby Valley 6-4, 6-2 and then defeated Estep and Teeters from Johnson Central 6-1, 6-1 to advance to the semifinals and a trip to Lexington. They will play McNamee and Mullins from Belfry on Thursday.
Senior Brylee Blair (L) and Freshman Molly McClanahan in their opening round match against Magoffin County. Blair and McClanahan won a thrilling opening match 4-6, 6-3 and 10-5 in the super tie break third set and then lost to a pair from Johnson Central in the Quarterfinals, but their victory will help the Lady Bulldogs in their pursuit of the Regional Championship.
Freshman Alex DeSario serving to Johnson Central in the boys’ quarterfinal. He and his partner Cayden Sweeney successfully advanced to the semi-finals and a trip to Lexington for the State tournament after they beat Bentley and Coy from Johnson Central 6-2 and 6-0. They will play Byars and Parsons from Pikeville on Thursday.
8th grader Chase Kendrick in an exchange in his quarterfinal match, a victory over Ashton Tackett of Pikeville 6-0 6-0. Kendrick had a bye in the first round and he is now heading to his second straight state tournament appearance and he is not even in high school yet. Kendrick will play Jaxson Napier from Shelby Valley on Thursday.
Junior Blake Maynard returning a serve in his Quarterfinal match. Blake reached the semifinals and a trip to state. He had a bye in the first round and beat David Johnson from Shelby Valley 6-0 6-0. Maynard will play Aman Patel from Johnson Central on Thursday.
Bulldog Senior Trey Hall accepting the 15th Region Sportsmanship Award voted on by all the regional coaches for displaying exceptional sportsmanship throughout the season.
Lawrence County was well represented Monday evening in the 2023 15th Region Championship. Led by a very talented group of singles players, both the boys and the girls are in the lead for the regional championships. The school that has the most victories in each tournament is crowned the region champion. The Bulldogs were also helped out by two teams making it to the semi-finals and the state tournament on May 30th in Lexington. At the end of the day, seven Bulldogs have stamped their names on tickets to Lexington, while 5 lost before making it to the semi-finals.
At the end of the first two rounds, the standings for the regional championships are as follows:
Girls:
Lawrence Co. 5 wins
Pikeville 5 wins
Belfry 4 wins
Shelby Valley 4 wins
Johnson Central 3 wins
Magoffin Co. 2 wins
Martin Co. 1 win
Boys:
Lawrence Co. 6 wins
Pikeville 5 wins
Johnson Central 5 wins
Shelby Valley 4 wins
Magoffin Co. 2 wins
Lawrence Co. Tennis Coach Joey McClanahan
COACH’S COMMENTS
“… I am extremely proud of how all the Bulldogs fought today. Of course I am ecstatic that 5 teams made it to state, I am equally proud of how the 3 teams that lost handled themselves in defeat. We teach our kids to handle themselves with the utmost character in victory as well as defeat and that is exactly what the kids from Lawrence County did on Monday night. I couldn’t be more proud.”
