Historic tennis season ends in first-round loss
As the Lady Greyhounds’ tennis season ended under the bright sunshine in Wednesday’s 3-0 postseason loss to Centennial, there was on one hand a sense of disappointment to not be moving on to the second round of the GHSA Class AAAA state tournament.
But the emotions greatly outweighed any others, as in the midst of team photos on the court, it was a group of players and coaches that were grateful for the bond built during the season with one another and the higher standard being set. “So proud of them. Above all, these girls have great character. They’re all A students and hard workers,” Lady Greyhounds head coach Kim Hanner said. “Every team we have played, all of them have complemented their sportsmanship and their character. That’s No. 1 for us, that they are just good people.”
JCHS, which finished as the region runner-up, began the postseason on its home court for the second year in a row. That season of excellence included No. 1 singles player Genna Maki going undefeated and Ailey Hayman and Macie Milholen being unbeaten throughout region play in No. 1 doubles.
“Great season; they worked hard,” Hanner said.
And now, after what is believed to be the best two-year run in program history, there’s even more optimism going forward for the Lady Greyhounds, who only lose two seniors.
“We are very hopeful for the girls that are coming behind them,” Hanner said. “We have a lot of reason to be excited because we have some coming right behind them.”
