BOGART — At one point this preseason North Hall girls tennis coach Patricia Zaudtke worried about having enough players to make a competitive varsity squad.
Now she's aiming for big things in the state tournament.
After graduating six seniors, the Lady Trojans came on strong this season, clinching a state tournament berth as the No. 3 seed on Thursday in the Region 8-AAAA tournament in Bogart.
It was just another present for Zaudtke, who is retiring following the season.
"I never dreamt we'd be going to state when this season started," Zaudtke said. "But as the season went on and I saw what we had I realized we would make it. Now we enter as a really strong No. 3 seed. We're not your typical No. 3."
Indeed, North Hall's only losses came against powerhouses Buford and North Oconee. And now the Lady Trojans (16-4) will look to head on the road Tuesday and knock off Carrollton in the first round of the Class AAAA tournament next week after sweeping Johnson in the consolation round on Thursday.
"Our region is extremely difficult, and so we're not entering as a typical No. 3," Zaudtke said. "Playing Carrollton won't be easy either, but we won't be a cakewalk for them. We don't have a lot of experience top to bottom, but we won't go in there afraid."
North Hall fell to Buford in close 3-1 match in the semifinals.
Against Buford, the Lady Trojans only official win came from Christen Barnes at No. 2 singles. Buford got wins from Bailey McCammon at No. 1 singles and Maria Jose Ferreyros at No. 3 singles. The No. 2 doubles team of Tamia Wagner and Emma Place also won for the Lady Lady Wolves.
Against Johnson, Karleigh Dills, Christen Barnes, and Lauren Davis got singles wins for North Hall. The teams of Courtney Barnes and MaKenzie Bryant and Annalise Gregory and Sydney Patterson got doubles wins.
The Lady Trojans will be making their fourth straight state playoff appearance following a satisfying regular season that included a defeat of non-region but rival Gainesville.
"That was the cream for me; we had never beaten Gainesville in my time here," Zaudtke said. "This group has worked extremely hard, and I couldn't be more proud of them."
