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By Jason O. Boyd
For the Washington Daily News

Washington High School has an established girls tennis program. Southside is in just its second season. Both will be looking to build some success in 2024.

The Pam Pack are being led this season by two women who have coached in the program before, Beth Pippin and Michele Mayo. Meanwhile, Southside coach Meredith Dixon is optimistic her program can make strides as it opens its season on Tuesday against Bertie County.

Washington
Athletic Director Will Tyson, who coached the program last season, asked Pippin and Mayo to lead the program this season, a challenge both decided to take.

“I said I’d only do it if my assistant coach, Michele Mayo, helped me,” Pippin said. “We were together (coaching the program) 15 years ago, we had a pretty good season. We were actually undefeated one year we coached together. We both just love tennis and loved to help the girls.”

The program is not void of talent. Pippin said Mayo runs a summer league, which gave members of the team the chance to play and learn along the way.

“We have several girls who are taking it seriously, have worked hard all summer to be better,” Pippin said. “So, we are excited.”

Seniors Avery Thomas and Alaina Moore are team captains and will help lead the squad. Junior Addie Gibbs is the No. 1 singles player and teams with Thomas at No. 1 doubles. The players actually determined seeding by playing for the spots in the preseason.

They were also big in helping raise money and sponsorship for this season. Their success mixed with the others on the team will be crucial for success for the Pam Pack this season.

“We have quite a few seniors,” Pippin said. “We have 17 girls on the team, so we have a big senior group. A lot of those seniors are leaders for us.We are just trying to let them have a little fun and enjoy tennis.”

Southside
The Seahawks look to build upon their inaugural season that saw Eliza Jones and Valeria Gonzalez make it to regionals in doubles as freshmen. Both are back this season with a group of others who are playing tennis for the first time.

Southside plays its home matches at Washington High School since Southside has just two courts. Dixon said that hasn’t slowed the enthusiasm the program is developing.

“We’re kind of building off of that, relying on them and their expertise,” Dixon said. “They played all summer long together. So, they are ready to go. They’ve been great about helping the other girls, so we’re just trying to bring that momentum into this season.”

Dixon, who is also the school’s assistant athletic director, said having Jones and Gonzalez reach regionals was a big boost for a young program looking for more in 2024. The team didn’t get to practice as much leading up to the season for a variety of reasons. Dixon is hopeful that it doesn’t slow down the program’s progress.

“Tuesday, we are just going to take it and see where it goes,” Dixon said of the season opener. “It’s hard to pit them against each other and they don’t really know what they are doing yet.”