After winning the Eastern Plains Conference championship, the Pam Pack tennis cruised into the first round of the NCHSAA 2-A dual team tournament but was stonewalled by a stellar Jordan-Mathews club that was able to top Washington 6-0 on Tuesday.
For the first time all season, Washington was blanked as Kiara Smith, Isabel Mayo, Danielle Duckwall, Hannah Stevens and Sydney Harris each fell in straight sets to the No. 2 Jets (11-5, Mid-Eastern Conference).
“They were definitely a lot stronger than anyone we’ve had to play all season long,” said Washington coach Miranda Whitley. “I think not having played that many teams that were better than us is what made it difficult for us today.”
The Pam Pack, who moved down from the 3-A classification to 2-A this season breezed through its conference schedule with an undefeated record, but on Tuesday was outmatched.
“Once the other team started warming up I could kind of see it on their faces that they were already a little worried,” Whitley said. “I had to tell them to not be intimidated and let that mess up their play. Some of them started off really strong but it kind of went downhill from there.”
Overall, Whitley said it was a good season.
“I think it was a really good experience and I wish we could have had the opportunity to play some better teams outside of our conference to prepare us for a match like today,” Whitley said. “Still, it was a good experience.”
While the loss ended Washington’s team playoff run, Smith and Mayo both qualified as singles players for this Friday’s regional meet at Greene Central High School, while Harris and Duckwall qualified as doubles partners.
Whitley said that Harris and Duckwall have good chemistry on and off the court, which she is hoping pays off on Friday.
“They’re really strong as a doubles team. They’re really good friends,” Whitley said. “They both play outside of the high school tennis team and I think that’s really good for them.”