Eagle threepeat
Published 12:00 am Thursday, April 26, 2007
For the third straight year, the Fort Dale Academy girls' tennis team captured an AISA state championship Tuesday at Lagoon Park in Montgomery with four girls taking singles championships.
The team of Elizabeth Dunklin and Renee Scott also took home a doubles championship for the Eagles.
This marks the eighth championship for Fort Dale head coach Johnny Mack Brown and the third in a row for Eagle girls.
“Some coaches coach for 30 years and never taste one championship,” Brown said. “To have won eight, I truly feel blessed.”
In singles action, Scott took home the first singles title for the girls by defeating Austill Barrett of Lee-Scott Academy 6-3, 6-2.
Dunklin took home the next title for the Eagles by defeating Hannah Smith of Springwood 6-0, 6-0.
“Renee Scott had a great year,” Brown said. “I call her my rock.”
This marks the third year in a row Scott has won a singles state title.
“This year was more special because for the past two years I have played as the No. 5 and this year I played as the No. 2,” Scott said.
And although she already has three state championships in a row, Scott knows the prospect of winning a fourth title would be the icing on the cake.
“We'll have to wait and see,” Scott said with a smile.
Scott's partner Dunklin also had a great year, according to Brown, and this year marks her second singles title in a row.
“Elizabeth is a really hard worker,” Brown said. “She is very determined and she doesn't like to lose.”
Ulli Sandstrom closed out the Eagle championship run with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Morgan Academy's Caroline Sherrer.
Whitney Jacks, Fort Dale's No. 1 player, fell in the championship match to Lee-Scott Academy's Hannah Fischer, 6-3, 7-5, while Kayla Butts also fell in the championship match 6-4, 6-4 to Springwood's Jessica Bolton.
Of Fort Dale's five starting girls, three never lost a set or a match this entire season.
“Overall, this is one of the best teams I've ever coached,” Brown said.
In girls doubles action, Dunklin and Scott defeated Springwood's Hannah Smith and Jessica Bolton 6-4, 7-5 in the championship match while Jacks and Butts fell in the championship match in three sets to Lee-Scott's Hannah Fischer and Austill Barrett 6-3, 6-1.
In the boys' single action, Andrew Jones and Stephen Butts made it to the quarterfinal round before being knocked out in straight sets.
After defeating Cottage Hill's Grant Martin 6-0, 6-0, Paul Hahn got the best of Jones, downing him 6-3, 6-1.
Butts defeated Tuscaloosa Academy's Jonathan Pridgen 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, before being knocked out by Morgan Academy's Rhett Rhyne 6-0, 6-2.
Fort Dale's Logan Ausderau was knocked out in the first round by Monroe Academy's Trenton McInnish 6-1, 6-3, just as David Foshee was eliminated by Tuscaloosa Academy's Sayres Harbin 6-2, 6-2 and Sean McKeague was eliminated by Lee-Scott's James Diskin 6-0, 6-1.
In the boys' doubles action, Jones and Butts one ace again made it to the quarterfinal round before being eliminated by Morgan's Drew Pomeroy and Houston Searcy 7-6, 6-3 and Ausderau and Foshee were eliminated in the first round by Lee-Scott's Hayden Gunter and Will Hester 6-0, 6-0.