Lady Generals win fifth state title in history
Newton County Academy tennis coach Pete Mazzella thought his girls’ team might have a chance at a state championship this season if he and assistant David Burt could get the lineup right.
Apparently, they figured it out as the NCA girls won another state championship, edging out St. Augustine to claim the Class 3A girls’ title.
NCA won both girls doubles positions and got enough points elsewhere to win 5.5 to 5. The win was the fifth overall team title for NCA and the two individual championships gives NCA 21 event titles overall.
Mazzella said he thought the team had a chance but had some doubts after graduation and last year’s lost to St. Augustine.
“Well, we knew St. Augustine would be tough and we narrowly finished second to them last year and they were returning their whole team while we had graduated some,” Mazzella said. “Coach David (Burt) and I spent hours talking and texting about the lineup. Moving Chris and Ayden to mixed was probably the most important part of the changes. We know we would be strong at both girls doubles spots however we arranged them but we needed a mixed team that could win or at least get us a first-round win to get that 1/2 point to the girls. That 1/2 point they got in the first round was the difference. We won 5.5 to 5. And Madeline Smith came up huge for us at No. 2 girls’ singles. Without her winning her first round, again we finish second.”
At No. 1 doubles, Alexander and Hollingsworth easily won their semifinal match, beating Tallulah 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the finals.
In the finals, Alexander and Hollingsworth cruised past Franklin Academy, winning 6-2, 6-3 in the finals.
Mazzella said he felt confident that Hollingsworth and Alexander would have a chance to go all the way this season.
“We felt confident both our doubles teams world perform well,” Mazzella said. “Lilly and Cayden were just so solid all year, they really picked up from where Belle and Lilly left off last year without skipping a beat. At one point in the semifinals, one of the girls from Talullah told her coach ‘they are doing exactly what you said, we just can’t stop it.’”
At No. 2 girls’ doubles, Bella Miley and Landry Parks also brought home the gold. I the semifinals, they beat Tallulah 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the finals against Manchester. In the finals, Miley and Parks won 7-4, 6-2 after falling behind early in the first set.
“Bella and Landry really stepped it up and closed it out for us,” Mazzella said. “They got down 3-5 in the first set of the finals but then something just flipped. They both started playing really well and came back and won the first set 7-5. They took that momentum and cruised through the second set. March point in that match was what we have preached all year to our doubles teams, ‘doubles points are won at the net, not the baseline.’ On match point, Landry returned a serve perfectly cross court and then the Manchester player gave Bella the opportunity to end it with an overhead and she did.”
In girls No. 2 singles, Madilyn Smith won her first-round match, beating Providence 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals to earn a point for NCA. She lost 6-2, 6-0 in the finals. In mixed doubles, Ayden McDill and Christopher Chertkow beat Providence 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals but lost 6-2, 6-0 to St. Augustine in the finals.
“I have to also say that without Jamie Stamper holding down the 1 girls singles spot, we probably don’t pull this off,” Mazzella said. “Everything trickles down from your 1 spot. She narrowly missed the state tournament, losing a very close match in the semis at North State but it opened the door for Maddy to have her success at 2 singles. We have never had a girls team win that was more of a team effort than this one. Everyone who started played a huge part in getting this done.”
On the boys side, NCA had one team reach the finals. At No. 2 doubles, Trace Evans and Jackson Bunyard beat Providence 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals but lost 7-6(9), 6-0 win the finals to St. Augustine. At No. 1 boys doubles, Reed Terrell and Taylor Burt lost 7-5, 6-4 in their semifinal match. In boys No. 2 singles, Eli Herrington lost 6-4, 6-0 to St. Augustine in the semifinals.
“We finished third on the boys side, definitely not our goal these guys really had a great year,” Mazzella said. “I told our boys team after that most teams would have been ecstatic to have the season, they had with a North State Championship and great representation at the state tournament. It just was not our day at the state tournament. Trace and Jackson had a great semifinal victory over a strong Providence team and were up early in the finals against St. Augustine in the finals. Taylor and Reed had their opportunities but just were not able to capitalize on the big points. Eli actually played well in his semifinals match; the St. Augustine player was just so much more experienced. Any time you have a senior playing a sixth grader in a match of that magnitude, often the experience wins. We are really proud of Eli though and look for huge things out of him the next six years.”
