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By Brian Pitts

Enterprise Record

After experiencing back-to-back losing seasons, the Davie girls tennis team played fabulously in the season opener against visiting North Davidson on Aug. 18.

The War Eagles took 93 of 107 games and won 9-0.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better way to open the season,” coach Collin Ferebee said. “North graduated some seniors, but it’s North Davidson – they have good programs in everything. When you spend all that time last season, you spend all that time over the summer, you spend all the time talking about doing the little things and you win 12-0 (counting exhibitions), it makes you feel like you did the right things.”

A lineup with one senior, three juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen exploded on the Black Knights.

Junior Karlie Quinn (6-0, 6-1), freshman Elliot Newsome (6-1, 6-1), sophomore Tru Koren (6-1, 3-1), junior Sarah West Marklin (6-0, 6-1), freshman Cat Rosser (6-0, 6-2) and senior Abby Fletcher (6-0, 6-0) had the lopsided wins in singles.

In doubles, Quinn/Koren and Newsome/junior Leslie Newsom won with ease at Nos. 1-2 by scores of 8-0 and 8-1, respectively. The only competitive match was Rosser/sophomore Gabby Thompson’s 8-5 win at No. 3 doubles.

“I don’t think there’s a player on this team who wouldn’t beat the player that ended the spring,” Ferebee said. “That doesn’t mean we’re going to set the world on fire. We’ve got a lot of work to go. We know we’re climbing the mountain, but we’ve got a long way to get to the top. We are definitely a much better team than we were last season, and that was just five months ago.”

Ferebee gave the players of the match to Rosser/Thompson, who ripped off six straight games after falling behind 5-2.

“When you win 9-0, you could give the ball to anybody and you wouldn’t be wrong,” he said. “But they had never played a real doubles match together and this was Cat’s first match ever in high school.”

Ferebee has three seniors, five juniors, seven sophomores and four freshmen on the roster. The seniors are Fletcher, Allison Plott and Whitney DeLoach. The juniors are Katelyn Cohen, Grace Jacobs, Quinn, Newsom and Marklin. The sophomores are Olivia  Swisher, Bonnie Taylor, Brooklyn Lakey, Ali Cranfill, Mattie Barnette, Thompson and Koren. The freshmen are Abigail Etter, Rosser, Newsome and Fatima Torres.