FLOWERY BRANCH -- Forget making history. The Flowery Branch girls tennis team is focused on something bigger at the moment.
"We want to win it all," Lady Falcons coach Ginger Jackson said after her team ripped through North Paulding 5-0 on Tuesday in the second round of the Class AAAA state playoffs in Flowery Branch.
The win marked the first time in school history the Lady Falcons advanced to the quarterfinals in girls tennis. Flowery Branch (22-1) did not drop a set in taking the win at home and next will play the Johns Creek-Kell winner in the quarterfinals. A day and time will be determined later.
"We are very excited about making it this far," Jackson said. "We felt from day one we had a chance to be real good but I thought we really started to peak around playoff time. They played excellent today and were very focused. I like where we are."
Anna Kate Shaw rebounded from a rare loss in the first round to take a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 1 singles to get things started for Flowery Branch. Elizabeth Mallory took a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles and Nicole Morris won 6-1, 6-2 at No. 3 singles.
The doubles teams also dominated. Bekki Benton and Durden Smith won 6-1, 6-3 at No. 1 and Dani Taylor and Madison Smith won 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2 doubles.
Now, Jackson said they just need to keep focused on the next round if they want a shot at their ultimate goal.
"You always want to win it all but you also have to take it one at a time," Jackson said. "The girls have done a good job of not getting ahead of themselves. All we know is that the next match will be the toughest of the season, no matter who it is."
If Johns Creek wins, Flowery Branch will head to Alpharetta. If Kell wins, the Longhorns will head to Flowery Branch.
"We sure would like to play at home again. But we'll go wherever we have to," Jackson said.
Thursday
April 24th, 2025
11:11AM
