GREENSBORO — The Richmond Senior High School girls’ tennis team saw its playoff run come to an end Wednesday.
Making it to the second round of the NCHSAA 7A West dual team playoffs, the No. 17 Lady Raiders were ousted by the top-seeded team.
Facing No. 1 W.H. Page High School, Richmond lost 6-0. The Lady Pirates swept play in singles action, which didn’t require doubles matches to be played.
Five of Richmond’s six singles players were swept in straight sets by scores of 6-0, 6-0.
Those players were No. 1 junior Colbie Covington, No. 2 freshman Molly Covington, No. 4 sophomore Sydney Barnes, No. 5 sophomore Erin Drumwright and No. 6 junior Angelina Culbreth.
No. 3 senior Jentry Denson managed to earn a point in her match against Bintu Kamara, but ultimately fell 6-0, 6-1.
A season that started with a fairly inexperienced roster and some optimism, ended with the Lady Raiders making it to the second round of the regional tournament. That, head coach Jessica Covington said, was the result of the team buying in to wanting to be successful.
“When we started the season, we only had Jentry and Colbie as returning starters,” Coach Covington said. “We knew we would have to grow as a program and we really did this season. I am so proud of all the girls who stuck with it and got better match to match.
“Playing the No. 1 seed is no easy task, but I’m proud of the way our girls rose to the challenge and gave it their all,” she continued. “We learned a lot this year as a team and we’ll have everyone but Jentry coming back next season. We’ll miss her, but we’re excited for what we can accomplish next year.”
The Lady Raiders ended their season with a 7-8 overall record (including the playoffs) and a 5-5 mark against Mid-South Conference opponents.
