ATLANTA — Prior to the season, the North Hall girls tennis team set a goal of reaching the state semifinals for the first time in program history.
On Monday, the Lady Trojans realized that ambition -- and in the process set some new targets.
Westminster swept North Hall out of the Class AAA Final Four, winning 5-0 in straight sets in Atlanta to provide a young Lady Trojans squad with a new bar to reach.
"They saw what level they need to be at and what they need to do in order to beat them next time -- and they're determined to do that," North Hall coach Bob Woodworth said. "We have a young team -- I'm not losing a single player to graduation -- and I know they'll work hard all offseason and summer and come back hungry."
North Hall No. 1 singles player Anna Montgomery, No. 2 singles Lauren Davis and No. 3 Christen Barnes were joined by doubles teams Sydney Patterson/Annalise Gregory (No. 1) and Carsen Baumgardner/Raquel Kallab (No. 2) in battling throughout, but the Lady Wildcats proved too much -- Barnes' 6-2, 6-4 defeat proving the closest match of the showdown. Yet Woodworth was impressed by his players' resolve.
"They never quit; you can look around during the match and see what's going on, so they knew how hard it was, but they kept fighting," Woodworth said. "The girls are disappointed with the result, but they're pointed in the direction where they need to go, and they're going to work their hardest to get there."
