High school girls tennis: Rowland Hall wins another state championship

Rowland Hall coach Rich Francey can’t recall how many state championship he has won.

But he can recall each of the players that helped them along.

On a warm, blustery Saturday afternoon, Francey congratulated another Rowland Hall team that emerged with the most points at the 3A girls state tennis tournament at Liberty Park.

This time, freshman Scarlett Corey led the way as the Winged Lions earned 58 points to edge second-place Morgan (47). American Heritage had 34, Logan 24, Grantsville 22 and perennial power Waterford 17.

Rowland Hall had entrants reach the championship match in four of the five divisions, and came away with three victories. Beside Corey, Avalon O’Connell won in No. 3 singles and the team of Jane Borst and Savanna O’Connell rolled to convincing wins throughout the two-day event.

They all did it quickly Saturday at Liberty Park since a rainstorm was predicted to douse the outdoor facility later in the day. Tournament officials learned their lesson from the previous week (when heavy rain moved the 6A and 4A tourneys to nearby indoor facilities) and there were few — if any — delays or complaints.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that this weekend’s event was not a repeat performance and the entire tourney remained outdoors under sunny skies and breezy conditions.

Rowland Hall, of course, seemed to benefit the most.

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“We have a great (tennis) tradition at Rowland Hall,” said Francey, whose team finished in second place last year by a single point. “I made sure all the kids remembered that and they brought their ‘A’ game this week. We didn’t have any letdowns.”

Corey made sure that didn’t happen. After a nearly unblemished regular season, she lost in the Region 13 tournament last week and had been fretting about it since.

Corey still earned the No. 1 seed in the top division at state and rolled to straight-set wins all the way to the championship match.

“I was not prepared (for the region tournament),” Corey said. “I didn’t know what to expect … to have all those people watching and my teammates cheering for me. I was very upset and focused all week on my forehand and my second serve.”

Corey said she couldn’t recall the exact moment when her game felt perfect but it was close enough that she reached the championship match and faced Morgan’s third-seeded Macey Dee, who also had no trouble advancing.

Corey’s 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 win helped Rowland Hall build a comfortable lead so Francey and the rest of the Winged Lions team could relax and enjoy watching their teammates while the threatening clouds remained in the distance.

“That’s the thing about high school tennis. It’s a team game and the kids learn so much about each other and about supporting each other on the team,” Francey said.

“They make lifelong friends that they can’t get at the club level. We try to teach and promote that at Rowland Hall and that’s what keeps us successful.”

Morgan’s Vyvian Bailey won No. 2 singles, edging another sophomore, Sophie Shirazi of Waterford, 7-6, 6-2. The team of Annie and Gracie Bott of American Heritage claimed the title in No. 2 doubles.