Colquitt tennis teams split at Lowndes

Published 8:32 pm Thursday, February 15, 2018

MOULTRIE — The Colquitt County girls tennis team got its first victory of the season on Thursday, taking down Lowndes in Valdosta while the Packers came up just short of their first win.

The Lady Packers, under first-year coach Amber Hurst, has several young players and some veterans in new positions, but managed to get a

3-2 win against a Region 1-7A opponent on the road.

And it was the doubles teams that came through for the Colquitt girls.

Beylee Roberts and Emma Kate Whatley got one point at No. 1 singles with a 6-2, 6-1 victory.

At No. 2 doubles, Annabelle Roberts and Karli Yarbrough won 6-1, 6-0.

The Lady Packers also were victorious at No. 3 singles where Anna Beth Elliott took a 7-5, 6-4 win.

Sydney Wheeler fell 0-6, 1-6 at No. 1 singles and Anna Marie Saunders lost 3-6, 4-6 at No. 2 singles.

“They are stepping up and working hard,” Packers coach Mell Wier said of the girls team, which had lost at Camden County and at home to Coffee to open the season.

The Colquitt County boys continued their season-opening stretch against some of the top teams in the area in the 2-3 loss to the Vikings.

“We were in two of the three losses,” Wier said. “We just kind of ran out of gas against them at the end.”

Colquitt had trouble with Lowndes last year and Wier is hoping to narrow the gap some this season.

And playing the likes of Lowndes, Camden County and Coffee should help the team later in the season.

  “If you asked anyone who are among the best teams in south Georgia, they’d tell you Camden, Coffee and Lowndes,” Wier said.

“I tried to schedule harder teams this year. We’re not going to back down from anyone.”

The Packers got their two points at No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles.

Carlos Fuller dropped the first set 3-6, but rebounded to win 6-1, 6-4.

Nathan Corley and Alyn Herndon won 7-5, 6-2, in the doubles match.

Hayden Holloway fell 0-6, 0-6 at No. 1 singles; Chris Rogers lost in three sets at No. 2 singles, 7-6, 1-6, 1-6; and Aaron Long and freshman Gabe Shivers lost in three sets at No. 1 doubles, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6.

The Colquitt County tennis teams will travel to Douglas on Tuesday for a rematch with Coffee.