Sports

Lady Pats’ tennis team continues amazing year

• Thanks to some hard work over the summer — and even a lucky team dog — after finishing second place the last two years in Region 1-AAA, the Westover girls tennis team has run its perfect record up to 10-0, and looking for a lot more.

Derek Barichello

ALBANY — If tennis truly is an individual sport, don’t tell the Region 1-AAA champ Westover girls.

When they took the Doublegate Country Club tennis courts Tuesday in what ended up a 5-0 win against Cairo to complete an undefeated season in region after two second-place finishes behind Crisp County the previous two years, their support group was right behind them — literally.

No. 1 singles player Meredith Sellers had her mother Julie looking on, playfully teasing and giving her encouragement; No. 3 singles Leigh Adams’ grandfather sat behind her in a lawn chair keeping her fundamentals in check; and No. 2 singles player Abby Blankenship has her father, who was not present Tuesday, but attends most matches, and is like her second coach behind Westover’s John Scanling.

And whatever they’re doing must work, because all three are undefeated in region play this season.

And lumped right in there with them is the No. 1 doubles team of Rachael Etheridge and Lindsey Langstaff.

“We all have someone we can count on,” Adams said. “Whenever something goes wrong, there is always someone there to help you.”

Whether it was fellow teammates,Scanling or even family members, one thing was true — they were all in it together.

And that was on display Tuesday.

Blankenship started to get frustrated after some of her shots were affected by the wind and eventually lost her first set.

That’s when her teammate Tallisha Thomas, who was awaiting her No. 2 doubles match, chimed in with encouragement.

“It’s OK. It’s just the wind, you’ll be fine. Play your game,” said Thomas to her teammate.

Thomas, whose partner Courtney Williams round out the girls team and are a stellar 9-1 in the region this year. Together, the girls are 13-2 overall this year.

Scanling also gave his No. 2 singles player pointers on how to deal with the wind and the junior came back to win the next two sets.

Resillence and a never-say-die attitude: It’s just been that kind of year for the Lady Patriots .

“Last year, I used to cry and get really upset when something went wrong,” Blankenship said. “I learned that tennis is mental and this year since everyone has been really encouraging, I’ve been able to stay upbeat.”

Experience has also played another role in the Lady Patriots success.

Six of Scanling’s seven starters play in the same spot in the lineup as last season, with the only change coming at the most key position: No. 1 singles.

Sellers, who did not even crack the varsity lineup last season and played junior varsity, made the improbable jump to the top spot.

And to boot, she’s steamrolled her way through all of her opponents but two.

“It was my drive,” Sellers said. “I played a lot of tennis last summer.

It was just me and my mom playing at the Darton College courts — she loves tennis and she has really encouraged me.”

With Sellers’ jump to the top spot, it allowed the six returning players to remain at their lineup spots and improve, one of the reasons the Lady Pats are enjoying such a remarkable season.

“Instead of moving everyone up one spot and making them get used to playing up, (Sellers) stepped in and took the No. 1 spot,” Scanling said. “I’m a little surprised by how we’ve done.”

Scanling, too, knew the improvements were significant when his team not only defeated Crisp County — the two-time defending region champ — but they did so twice.

In the last four matchups between 2006 and 2007 and prior to this season, the Lady Patriots lost, 3-2, in all four matches to the Lady Cougars, forcing them to second place in the 1-AAA standings.

This season, it was 5-0 at home and 3-1 in Cordele — and now it’s the Lady Cougars looking up to the Lady Patriots.

“It felt good to get over that hump,” Scanling said. “They’ve dominated the last four years. I think that was the momentum for our girls improving and staying focused.”

Of course, there is one more force behind the Lady Patriots success this year, and it comes from an unlikely source: Scanling’s shih tzu, Elton.

Elton became Scanling’s dog after the tennis season last year. Since Elton has “separation anxiety,” says the coach, he is always at Scanling’s side during home matches — and subsequently has become the team’s quasi good luck charm for the season.

“He’s our assistant coach and our mascot,” Blankenship said with a smile. “Ever since he came, we’ve won.”

Now, after a perfect run in the region, Westover is looking ahead to the state playoffs, which will be played next week against the yet-to-be-determine No. 4 seed from Region 3-AAA at Doublegate Country Club.

And that’s when the new season for the Lady Pats begins.

“It is a tossup in the playoffs,” said Scanling, whose team lost to Eagle’s Landing in the first round last year. “We know we’ll be home for two weeks, if we win, but it starts to get really tough in the second round.”

But as long as Sellers is winning, Blankenship is giving words of enouragement, the Lady Pats’ family members there lending support and Elton looking on, who knows?

The dream season may continue longer than anyone from Westover ever imagined, especially Scanling.

“When the girls came into practice the first day,” Scanling began, “I knew we’d improved but I didn’t realize it was that much.”

WESTOVER BOYS DOWN CAIRO

The Westover boys also defeated Cairo at Doublegate on Tuesday. They won the match 3-2 and finished 5-5 in Region 1-AAA. They have third place in the region secured and will travel for the first round of the playoffs next week.

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