ROCKINGHAM — The first sports program to conclude the 2024 fall season at Richmond Senior High School was the girls’ tennis team.
With the close of the campaign, a pair of veteran Lady Raider players were named to the All-Sandhills Athletic Conference team.
Representing Richmond were senior Hanna Smith and junior Jentry Denson, both of whom earned her first career postseason accolade.
The full 17-player roster was released by SAC president and Union Pines High School athletic director Dr. Chad Hill ahead of the conference tournament earlier this month.
Earning Player of the Year was Genesis Gonzalez of Southern Lee High School, with Pinecrest High School’s Gail Deese being named Coach of the Year.
Pinecrest, which won the SAC title, had a conference-best six players named. Second-place Union Pines High School had four players awarded, while third-place Southern Lee had three total members.
Hoke County and Scotland high schools both had one player placed on the All-SAC team. Lee County High School did not field a team this year.
Richmond went 5-5 this season in its 10 regular-season matches against SAC opponents.
“Hanna and Jentry are our top two players and really earned their spot on the All-Conference team,” head coach Jessica Covington said. “Both of them are leaders on our team on and off the court and brought their best efforts to each match this season.
“Over the last four years, Hanna has gone from our No. 6 seed as a freshman to our No. 1 singles player as a senior. She has grown so much in her game and really did a fantastic job not only to qualify for regionals, but win her first match. We will miss her.
“Jentry had another strong season as our No. 2 singles player,” Covington continued. “She moved up to that new spot and did well facing tougher competition. She’ll be back with us next season and I can’t wait to see how much better she gets.”
Hanna Smith
First career selection
A four-year varsity starter for the Lady Raiders, Smith closed the door on her career by playing her final season as Richmond’s No. 1 singles player.
Sliding into that role and facing the toughest competition in the SAC, Smith collected a 4-6 overall singles record. She picked up a pair of those wins against Hoke County, while also defeating her Scotland opponent two times.
Smith and Denson started the season as doubles partners in the No. 1 pairing. Together they collected a 2-1 record, defeating Pinecrest and Hoke County.
Later, while competing in doubles with sophomore teammate Colbie Covington, Smith added four more doubles victories against Scotland, Southern Lee, Pinecrest and Hoke County.
In the SAC championship tournament, Smith finished second overall in the 4A singles bracket. That punched her ticket to her first NCHSAA 4A Mideast regional tournament where she went 1-1.
“It feels great to know that I made so much growth in the past few years since I began playing tennis,” Smith said. “I am super proud of that and super proud to be able to represent Richmond on the all-conference team.
“I think putting in a lot of work at practice and over the summer hitting with people helped me have success this season. And personally I really wanted to make the most of my senior season, which I think my performance showed.
“Being a Richmond tennis player the last four years has taught me not to take anything for granted and to enjoy every moment of all the things you do in high school,” she added.
Jentry Denson
First career selection
Also moving up in the lineup this season, Denson fulfilled Richmond’s No. 2 singles role during her third season as a varsity starter.
Similar to Smith, Denson faced a tougher pedigree of opponent this fall. Making the transition smoothly, Denson picked up a 4-6 overall record. Two of Denson’s singles wins came against Hoke County, while she tallied victories in matches against Southern Lee and Scotland.
In addition to her two doubles wins in the top spot with Smith, Denson added a trio of doubles victories in the No. 2 pairing. Working with senior teammate Madison Grimes, Denson earned two Ws over Scotland and another against Southern Lee.
Denson advanced to the second round of the SAC championship tournament but saw her run for a regionals appearance come to an end.
“Earning All-Conference this season is a great achievement for me,” Denson said. “It shows my hard work, dedication and the support I received from my teammates and coach. This motivates me to continue to work and improve my game for next season
“Transitioning to the two seed was both exciting and challenging. I had to adapt and change my game to face the tougher competition, which helped me develop a stronger mental game and improved my consistency. I focused on improving my skills and learning from each match, which contributed to my growth as a player
“Looking to next season, I hope to continue improving my technical skills and mental toughness,” Denson closed. “I plan to work on my fitness and strategic play during the offseason. My goal is to contribute even more to the team's success by taking on a leadership role, as one of the only two returning top six players I want to help everyone succeed.”
