Chamblee’s Sami Yarbrough hits a backhand during her No. 1 doubles win with Olivia Klein in the Lady Bulldogs 3-0 win over Harris County to advance to the Class 5A girls’ state playoffs Elite Eight. (Photo by Mark Brock)
Three consecutive two-set victories propelled the Chamblee Lady Bulldogs into the Class 5A girls’ state tennis playoffs Elite Eight with a 3-0 victory over Harris County on Monday at Chamblee High School.
Isabelle Coursey picked up the first point of the match for Chamblee as she defeated Harris County’s Bailey Faulkner 6-1, 6-0. After dropping a service break in the first set at 4-1, Coursey reeled off eight consecutive game victories to close out the No. 1 singles match.
Up a set (6-0), Olivia Klein and Sami Yarbrough led the second set 5-1 with Klein serving on match point. Yarbrough put a way a volley at the net to finish off the match against the duo of Carley Carroll and Lily Williams from Harris County. The pair won the first 10 games of the match before dropping the fifth game of the second set. They then broke serve to set up the 6-1 final score.
Kei Henderson clinched the match with a 6-3 6-2 victory at No. 2 singles. Hendreson was up 5-3 in the opening set after Harris County’s Avery Lee battled back from a 4-1 deficit to close the gap. Henderson was serving for the set when she hit a service winner to close out a 6-3 win. She was up 2-1 in the deciding set when she put
Chamblee’s McKenzie Hensarling makes a volley in her shortened match at No. 3 singles. (Photo by Mark Brock)
together wins in three consecutive games to go ahead 5-1. Lee won her next serve to make it 5-2, but Henderson served out the match to close out the 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Maya Rao and Olivia Pharr were up a set (6-0) and led 2-0 in the second set when Henderson closed out the match win. McKenzie Hensarling had just taken a 2-1 lead at No. 3 singles.
Chamblee (10-6) gets another home match in the Elite Eight facing the winner of the Northview/Jefferson second round match. A date and time will be named later.
DCSD STATE TENNIS SCHEDULE
Monday, 4/22
CLASS 5A GIRLS
Chamblee (10-6) 3, Harris Co. 0
CLASS 5A BOYS
Chamblee (13-3) 3, Northgate 0
Tuesday, 4/23
CLASS 6A BOYS
DeKalb Tennis Center
Effingham Co. vs. Lakeside (13-2), 2:00 pm
CLASS 6A BOYS
Dunwoody (11-8) at Lakeside-Evans, 12:30 pm
CLASS 6A GIRLS
Dunwoody (10-8) at Glynn, 4:00 pm
Wednesday, 4/24
CLASS 6A GIRLS
Lakeside (14-1) at Woodward, 4:30 pm