MOULTRIE – The Colquitt County tennis teams will play their state tournament openers next week.
The Region 1-6A runner-up Lady Packers will be at Packer Park at 3 p.m. Monday to play host to Marietta, the No. 3 team from Region 5.
The Colquitt girls head into the state tournament with a 7-6 record and are ranked No. 22 by the Georgia High School Association.
Colquitt went into the region tournament as the No. 3 seed but a 3-2 win over Lowndes earned the Lady Packers a first-round state tournament home match.
All three of its singles players – Julia Costin at No. 1, Emily Lampman at No. 2 and freshman Allie Rowley at No. 3 – won against Lowndes.
Jayley Johnson and Ada Craft are expected to play No. 1 doubles and Jaelyn Wier and Laura Gonzalez will be at No. 2 doubles.
Johnson, Lampman and Craft are seniors.
Marietta’s Lady Blue Devils are 9-7 and ranked No. 18 in the state.
The Marietta-Colquitt County winner will advance to play the survivor of the match between Chapel Hill and Region 8 champion Buford.
Camden County, the top-seeded girls team from Region 1, will play host to North Paulding in the first round.
No. 3 Richmond Hill will go to Etowah and No. 4 Lowndes will travel to play top-ranked Walton.
The Colquitt County boys finished as the No. 3 team from Region 1 and will go on the road to face Etowah in the first round.
The match will be played at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22, at Towne Lake Hills Golf Club in Woodstock.
The Eagles, the Region 5 runners-up, are ranked No. 17 in the state.
The Colquitt County boys are 8-5 and ranked No. 19.
Coach Tatum Shivers will send out a lineup that includes Jack Taunton at No. 1 singles; Bailee Fountain at No. 2 singles; and Harrison Lampman at No. 3 singles.
Ty Hurst and Joshua Scroggins will play No. 1 doubles.
Banks Flowers and Parker Anderson will be at No. 2 doubles.
Hurst and Flowers are the only two seniors on the boys team.
The Colquitt County-Etowah winner will advance to face the winner of the match between Mountain View and Region 2 champion Carrollton.
Region 1 champion Tift County, 15-2 and No. 7 in the state, will play host to North Paulding in the first round.
Runner-up Richmond Hill, 12-4 and No. 6, will entertain Wheeler.
No. 4 Camden County, 13-9 and No. 18 in the state, will travel to play Region 5 champion Walton.