For the third straight year, the Mount Airy girls tennis team has won the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A dual-team state championship at the Burlington Tennis Center.
Led by head coach Luke Graham, the Granite Bears swept singles against Voyager Academy to win the state championship 5-0 and finish the season with a perfect 25-0 record.
In the No. 1 singles, Carrie Marion started Mount Airy with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Katelyn Hutson.
Ella Brant and Lynn Meadows won quickly in the No. 2 and No. 3 singles for Mount Airy, both posting 6-0, 6-0 decisions. Brant defeated Karli McKenna and Meadows defeated Grace Garrett.
Then in the No. 4 and No. 5 singles, Lily Morris defeated CeCe Meath and Audrey Brown beat Fiorella Cedeno, each with 6-0, 6-2 decisions to secure the 5-0 win for the Granite Bears.
No. 6 singles was suspended with Mount Airy’s Emmie Brant leading Voyager’s Ryann Cochran, 6-3, 3-0.
The two teams did not have to play doubles competition.
Mount Airy has now won six dual-team girls tennis state championships, including two three-peats. The Granite Bears won three straight in 2011, 2012, and 2013, and now they have a streak going in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Mount Airy also had a runner-up finish in 2010, losing to N.C. Science & Math, and again in 2016 with a loss to Raleigh Charter.
Voyager Academy, coached by LeeAnn Rose, finishes the season with an 11-7 record. This was just the second time in school history Voyager has played for a dual-team title. The team also had a runner-up finish in 2014 against Bishop McGuinness.
2023 NCHSAA 1A Dual-Team Girls Tennis State Championship Results
Singles:
#1 – Carrie Marion (Mount Airy) def. Katelyn Hutson (Voyager Academy), 6-2, 6-0
#2 – Ella Brant (Mount Airy) def. Karli McKenna (Voyager Academy), 6-0, 6-0
#3 – Lynn Meadows (Mount Airy) def. Grace Garrett (Voyager Academy), 6-0, 6-0
#4 – Lily Morris (Mount Airy) def. CeCe Meath (Voyager Academy), 6-0, 6-2
#5 – Audrey Brown (Mount Airy) def. Fiorella Cedeno (Voyager Academy), 6-0, 6-2
#6 – Suspended: Emmie Brant (Mount Airy) leading Ryann Cochran (Voyager Academy), 6-3, 3-0