VALDOSTA – The Colquitt County girls tennis team finished third in the recent Wildcat Invitational in Valdosta.

In the first round, the Lady Packers defeated Ware County 4-1.

At No. 1 singles, Ava McCranie won 6-3, 7-6(7-5). At No. 2 singles, Eva Barnett won 6-1, 6-1. Hayden Roberts played No. 3 singles and won 7-5, 6-2.

The No. 1 doubles team of Karli Yarbrough and Odessa Dixon won 6-0, 6-2.

At No. 2 doubles, Ella Roberts and Shelly Azar lost the first set 5-7, won the second set 6-3 and lost the tiebreaker 5-10.

In the second round, the Lady Packer fell to Lowndes 0-5.

McCranie lost at No. 1 singles, 0-6, 0-6; Barnett lost at No. 2 singles, 2-6, 3-6; and Hayden Roberts lost at No. 3 singles, 3-6, 4-6.

At No. 1 doubles, Yarbrough and Dixon split sets, 1-6, 6-4, and then lost in a hard-fought tiebreaker 8-10.

At No. 2 doubles, Ella Roberts and Shelly Azar lost 1-6, 1-6.

Dixon came through at No. 3 singles to help Colquitt’s girls defeat Valdosta 3-2 and claim third place in the tournament.

The Lady Packers fell at No. 1 singles, where McCranie lost 1-6, 1-6, and at No. 2 doubles, where Azar and Ella Roberts lost 4-6, 1-6.

Colquitt won at No. 2 singles where Barnett won 6-4, 6-2, and at No. 1 doubles where Yarbrough and Hayden Roberts reunited to win quickly 6-1, 6-4.

The match came down to No. 3 singles, where Dixon battled for two hours to win 3-6, 7-6(11-9), 10-8.

“She dug deep after a whole day of playing to come back and get the third team point for us,” said coach Amber Hurst.  

The Colquitt County tennis teams are scheduled to travel to Kingsland on Friday for a pair of Region 1-7A matches against Camden County.