Both the boys and girls tennis teams won the 10th Region championship Tuesday, and the freshman doubles team of Cassi Lowe and Madelyn Settles are the Region champs. Tennyson Prater finished as Region runner-up.

The achievement marks the first time in memorable history that GRC has won both the girls and boys region titles.

At the end of the tournament, the boys were at a 10 matches to 10 matches tie with Campbell County. To break the tie, each individual game was counted, and the GRC boys came out on top.

“I am so proud of my team,” said Coach Seth Heinss. “Currently, I am still in unbelief. The girls won by one match and the boys won in a close tie breaker. The key to our success was the heart of the players. We went into the tournament without power house players, but all of our players fought exceptionally hard. There were so many little moments that had to happen to push our teams over for the win. Our players came through when I needed them.”

Lowe and Settles, the 1 seed, played the 2 seed from Montgomery County. Facing their toughest opponent with their undefeated region season on the line,  Lowe and Settles pulled out the first set, 6-4. After great play from the baseline and the net they wrapped up their amazing run, and the region championship with a final score of 6-4, 6-3.

Prater, 2 seed, played the 1 seed from Harrison County, falling 1-6, 0-6. He advances to state competition May 31st, along with Lowe and Settles.

Coach Heinss was happy to talk about his team and the epic tournament run that led to the region titles.

“Kamryn Richardson went into the tournament unseeded, took down the 8 seed in the sweet 16 and then played the 4 seed tight in three sets, all while fighting through injuries,” Heinss said. “Lakyn Griffith, Sydney Ely, and Barbara Sheehan all made it to the quarter finals earning their seeds; and we can’t forget about Madelyn Settles and Cassi Lowe who carried the team through till the end, taking down Montgomery in the doubles final.”

Heinss continued: “On the boys side, every match and every individual game was extremely important,” he said. “Andrew Carter and Gratz McCraith went in unseeded yet pulled an upset to make it into the quarters late Friday night. On every court, if our players took a loss, they went down fighting. Hayden Cecil and Connor McCraith took the 4 seed to three sets in the doubles quarters and Holden Bishop took the 4 seed to three sets in the singles quarters. To round off the tournament, Tennyson Prater made it to the finals and lost a tough match to the 1 seed. It was a memorable tournament and a great day for GRC Cardinals!”

Tuesday (5/24/22) Update…

By Tennyson Prater

Tennyson Prater will play for the Region singles championship and phenom freshman duo Cassi Lowe and Madelyn Settles will go after the Region title in doubles today in Campbell County.

Prater, two seed, played a tough match against the number three seed in the semifinals. Prater started shaky, losing the first three games in a row, before focusing in and winning the next 10 games in a row for a 6-3, 6-2 victory. He will play in the finals tonight.

Lowe and Settles have shown why they are the #1 doubles seed as they continue to breeze through the bracket and will play for the Region championship tonight.

Using great communication and chemistry, the duo won Monday, 6-3 6-2.

In other action Monday, Connor McCraith and Hayden Cecil, 5 seed, played the 4 seed in a rescheduled quarterfinals match that came down to the wire.

After losing the first set 2-6, “McCecil” came through strong in the second set with a score of 6-4. As they entered the super tiebreak, the crowd got louder, the intensity grew stronger, and the players battled harder. After going back and forth in an a long super tiebreak, the boys lost by a mere two points in an extremely close 14-16 loss.

Saturday (5/21/22) Update…

Three Card tennis players advance in region, secure spot in state

-By Tennyson Prater

GRC tennis entered the hot quarter finals this Saturday at Campbell County, with three players advancing to semis and clinching a spot in state — Tennyson Prater in singles and doubles team Madelyn Settles and Cassi Lowe.

The top four finishers in each bracket clenched a spot in the state tournament. GRC will continue play on Monday to finish the quarter and semi-final rounds.

“The team played their best tennis during this tournament so far,” said Coach Seth Heinss. “All our boys and girls went undefeated in the first two rounds of Region which is nearly unheard of. Today, our players battled hard in the quarter finals. Several of our players were the underdogs of their matches and only lost by a hairsbreadth. I am extremely proud of them and their effort.”

On the girls side…

Freshmen Settles and Lowe, 1 seed, are on fire. After two sets of smart and focused play, they won 6-0, 6-1 sealing their spot at state. These two freshman head to the semifinals on Monday.

Kamryn Richardson played her quarterfinals match with excellence but was unable to pull out the win against the four seed. Richardson, a senior, had a tight match with a final score of 5-7, 6-4 and a close loss in the super tiebreak.

Senior Lakyn Griffith, 5 seed, also played a close match with the singles 3 seed. She battled her way through the first set but unfortunately wasn’t able to pull out the win in the end with a score of 3-6, 0-6.

Sydney Ely and Barbara Sheehan, 5 seed, lost 4-6, 6-7, with back and forth play to the region 3 seed. Both players will be back next year.

On the boys side…

Prater, 2 seed and a junior, won his match against the 8 seed 6-3, 6-2, taking his spot in state and advancing to the semis on Monday.

Holden Bishop, 5 seed, played a back and forth match with the region 4 seed. He split sets with his opponent, losing the first set 3-6 and winning the second set 6-0. Holden, a senior, gave it his all but fell in the super tiebreak.

Boys doubles duo Andrew Carter, a senior, and Gratz McCraith fought hard before falling to the number 2 seed, 4-6, 1-6.

Five seed Hayden Cecil and Connor McCraith’s match is rescheduled for Monday before semifinal matches.