By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Toughened by a rigorous regular season schedule, Union City’s girls’ tennis team didn’t blink when facing a formidable state tournament foe.
And that was the plan all along.
The Lady Tornadoes earned a berth in the Class 1A championship round and a rematch with defending champion Summertown with a tough 4-0 victory over University School of Johnson City Tuesday in Murfreesboro.
UC (14-7), which has won seven straight matches after battling several Kentucky heavyweights in the regular season, will be vying for the program’s first title in its fourth state tournament final – the last a year ago when they fell to the Lady Eagles 4-0.
Wednesday’s championship match at the Adams Tennis Complex is set to begin at 9 a.m.
The Twister girls’ battle-tested mettle was on full display in Tuesday’s semis as they won four singles matches in straight sets but were taken to the limit in several games and to a tiebreaker in one match by a solid USJC opponent. Head coach Tom Sisco has insisted all year that facing strong opposition prior to the postseason would pay off – and it certainly did.
“We pay no attention to our regular season record because we play so many good teams to get ourselves ready for matches like this,” Sisco said. “There were four teams left in the state of Tennessee in single-A before today, and you saw quality shots in every match, and our girls were up to the task.
“I truly believe a lot of that was because they’d been tested against some very good players and good teams during the regular season. This level of play was no shock to them.”
Second-seed Molly Kizer and No. 3 Davey Frankum scratched out victories to seal the match, each extending long rallies and winning critical points with precise shot-making at critical times.
Number-five Bertie Jenkins got UC off to a good start and gave her team early momentum with a 6-3, 6-1 triumph over Sofia Villanueva, while fourth-seed Dani Frankum was also impressive with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Annie Hayes to put the Purple and Gold up 2-0.
Kizer came up with some spectacular shots to rally and win the second set 7-5 after taking the first set (6-4) over Jordan Havert in a grueling match at the third seed. Kizer was actually down 5-3 in the second set before winning the final four games.
Third-seed Davey Frankum had the longest match of Union City’s four victories, finally putting away Kaylee Degennaro (6-2, 7-6), the match ending when Degennaro double-faulted to drop a tiebreaker 7-5.
The Lady Tornadoes’ No. 1 player, Shelby Bondurant, had a fierce encounter with Lily Mefford and was leading 7-5, 1-6, 4-3 when Davey Frankum’s win sealed the UC victory.
“I thought Bertie (Jenkins) really gave us a lift and some momentum early with her play,” Sisco added. “She overcame a little bit of the nerves, but you could see her loosen up and begin to win some big points as she settled in.
“And there were just so many great shots made in Molly’s match. She was a warrior and was just relentless.”
Sisco said continued strong play at the top two seeds with Bondurant and Kizer and the Lady Tornadoes’ proven depth at the 3, 4, and 5 spots would be critical in Wednesday’s championship match if Union City is to get over the hump and win a state title.
“We’re playing with a lot of confidence at the one and two seeds right now,” he concluded. “Our depth has been a key all year to winning tough matches, and we’ll need everyone at their best at what they do against another really strong opponent.”
