New Hope’s quest for a state title in tennis came to an end this season as the Trojans fell, 5-2, to Lafayette County in Oxford on Wednesday.
After a strong performance in the second round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A playoffs on Monday, that set New Hope up in a date against the Commodores, a playoff rematch from last season.
Last year, Lafayette County finished off a 7-0 sweep and while the Trojans secured individual match wins, the Commodores proved to be a tough opponent once again.
“Going into yesterday’s match, we knew we would have to play error free tennis at a high skill level to have any chance of success against Lafayette County,” New Hope head coach David Grady said. “They are well-coached, and they’ve won the MHSAA 5A Team Tennis championship for the past two seasons in a row, and for three of the past four seasons.”
New Hope was swept in girls singles, boys doubles and girls doubles play, but the Trojans pulled out tiebreaker wins in both boys singles and mixed doubles.
Jackson Grady won his match over Matt Addy, 6-2, 2-6,10-6, and the tandem of Katie Hayes and Tray Robinson took down Tate Spicer and Charlotte Thornton, 2-6, 7-6, 10-3.
“The Lafayette County coach told me after the match that our team shows an impressive amount of improvement since last season,” Grady said. “That’s something really nice to hear. It means New Hope tennis is getting better, and other people are noticing the work our players and coaches are putting in to make that improvement happen.”
The Trojans finished runners-up in Class 5A, Region 1, reached the quarterfinals in team play and will be sending five players to individual state championships in Oxford later this month.
Additional upgrades to New Hope’s home court at Lake Lowndes State Park prior to the start of the 2023 season cemented further investment into the program for the near future.
“I am proud of our team,” Grady said. “They battled hard and have improved quite a bit this season.”
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