SOUTHERN PINES — It was a tough start to the season for the Richmond Senior High School boys’ tennis team Thursday, but it was also a learning opportunity for the Raiders with its fair share of bright spots.
Playing their first match of the new campaign at Pinecrest High School, the Raiders suffered a 9-0 loss.
Head coach Jessica Covington wasn’t disappointed by the outcome. Instead, she was encouraged by what she saw from the team against one of, if not, the toughest teams Richmond will face all season.
“This was a tough team to start our season against,” Covington explained. “Pinecrest is always a strong team, but I thought our guys did a great job today. There were times when I saw things that I really liked and when we did really well. The guys are taking what we do in practice and applying it to our matches.
“Playing tough opponents, especially early in the season, will make us better in the long run,” she added. “I liked how aggressive we were in our matches and how the guys didn’t back down from a challenge. I’m really encouraged by what we have this season and hopefully we learn from this and are ready for next week.”
Playing traditional match scores of needing to win two of three sets in singles competition, Richmond’s best efforts in the scoreboard came from No. 2 senior Matthew Leggett and No. 3 senior Gavin Applewhite.
Both returners had matching scores in their respective matches. Leggett went 1-6 and 3-6 against Jacob Sumner, while Applewhite tallied scores of 3-6 and 1-6 in his match with Jack Hage.
No. 4 senior Billy West, back after a season off, and No. 5 returning sophomore Ben Lutz nearly nearly had identical scores in their singles matches.
Facing Preston House, West battled to scores of 1-6 and 2-6. Lutz contended with Sawyer Dennis and ended with final set scores of 1-6 and 0-6.
No. 1 senior Jordan Jacobs and No. 6 sophomore Clinton Parker, who made his debut Thursday, both lost 0-6, 0-6 to Kenan Von Scoyoc and Mason Cromartie, respectively.
Like the other matches, Covington noted that the scores weren’t entirely indicative of how well the Raiders played at times against the Patriots.
In doubles action, Richmond’s closest match was a 4-8 loss by the No. 2 duo of Applewhite and West against Hage and House.
The No. 1 pairing of Jacobs and Leggett came up short 1-8 to Van Scoyoc and Sumner, and No. 3 Lutz and Parker fell 2-8 to Dennis and Cromartie.
The Raiders (0-1, 0-1 SAC) will have a home match next Thursday against Union Pines High School. Singles will start at 4 p.m., followed by doubles.
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Thursday’s season opener later this week.
