By Rubin E. Grant
Going into the girls Class 6A State Tennis Championships two weeks ago, Mountain Brook coach Susan Farlow told freshman Pippa Roy to just go out, play her best at No. 1 singles and not worry about winning.
That was because of a likely match-up against junior Libbie Hamilton of St. Paul’s Episcopal.
“Everybody had told us that Libbie Hamilton was not beatable,” Farlow said. “Everybody had lost to her, so we were not expecting to win at No. 1. Our No. 1’s always are playing the toughest player in the state.”
Roy, however, had other ideas. “She was like, ‘So, you’re not expecting me to win, huh,’” Farlow said.
Roy confidently took the Mobile Tennis Center court and beat the unbeatable Hamilton 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals, then she routed Northridge junior Jacqueline Alcocer 6-1, 6-0 in the finals to claim the No. 1 singles title.
“Pippa was really stepping into every shot, trying to get a winner,” Farlow said of her match with Hamilton. “She was aggressive. It was a great accomplishment.”
Roy wasn’t the only Spartan to sparkle in the two-day tournament April 22-23. Mountain Brook won all six singles and two of three doubles finals to claim the Spartans’ 30th state girls’ tennis crown, adding another notch to the Alabama High School Athletic Association record for most state tennis titles the Spartans already held.
Mountain Brook was not competing in the highest classification for the first time, dropping down from 7A to 6A this year.
“Our girls were awesome,” Farlow said. “We didn’t know much about the 6A teams. We had heard St. Paul’s was really good, and there were some other good teams like Montgomery Academy and Decatur.
“We didn’t get a good draw. We were in a group with St. Paul’s and matched up against them in several matches, but our girls were totally prepared. They got down there and took things very seriously and beat the St. Paul’s girls in every match we had against them. They played with a lot of confidence and performed great.”
The Spartans totaled 83 points and runner-up Mountain Academy had 43. St. Paul’s was third with 39, Decatur fourth with 37 and Northridge fifth with 36.
Mountain Brook senior Emma Karcher won at No. 2 singles, beating Dawson Fite of Decatur 6-2, 6-1. Karcher won the Class 7A No. 1 singles title as a sophomore in 2019.
“It was kind of awkward moving her from No. 1 for Pippa,” Farlow said. “She wasn’t happy about it. We had a long talk and she said she would do what’s best for the team.”
Karcher and Roy joined forces to claim the No. 1 doubles championship with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Jasper sisters Sophia and Amelia Poolos. For Karcher, it was the third doubles state title in her career, having won in Class 7A at No. 1 doubles in 2018 and 2019.
The Spartans’ other singles winners were senior Warner Johnson at No. 3, defeating Decatur’s Abby Glover 7-5, 2-6 1-0 (10); senior Kate Jeffcoat at No. 4, defeating Jasper’s Riley Aldridge 6-0, 6-0; junior Lillian Still at No. 5, defeating Northridge’s Mary Wade 6-1, 6-2; and freshman Mary Neale Polk at No. 6, defeating Northridge’s Kathryn Case 6-1, 6-0.
Mountain Brook freshmen twins Mae Mae Lacey and Annie Lacey teamed up to win No. 3 doubles, defeating Northridge’s Alice Rowley and Carther Thomason 6-0, 6-2.
Montgomery Academy’s No. 2 doubles team of Gabby Berrara and McRae Freeman posted a 7-5, 0-6, 1-0 (8) victory over St. Paul’s Maggie Sullivan and Emma Jane Hamilton to prevent a Mountain Brook sweep.
Spartan Boys Fall Short
Meanwhile, the Mountain Brook boys came up just short, finishing as runners-up with 49 points. Montgomery Academy had 52 points, clinching the school’s first Class 6A title with two wins in the doubles finals and claiming two singles championships.
Trinity Presbyterian was third with 47 points, Briarwood Christian fourth with 38 and Northridge fifth with 33.
“I feel so bad for our boys,” Farlow said. “It was really disappointing they couldn’t pull it off.”
The Spartans had two singles champions. Luke Schwefler won at No. 3, defeating Spanish Fort’s Jack Miller 6-1, 6-0. Logan Woodall won at No. 6, defeating Briarwood’s Andy Wan 6-3, 6-4.
Briarwood senior Luke Wolf captured the No. 1 singles championship, beating Jordan Garrett of Chelsea 6-2, 6-1 in the final match. Wolf closed his career with two straight singles championships, winning the 4A/5A crown in 2019. He also was a part of three doubles titles during his career for the Lions – winning at No. 1 doubles in 2017 and 2019 and at No. 2 doubles in 2018.
Mountain Brook’s No. 2 doubles team of Ethan Shunnarah and Sam Chitty won the title, defeating Jasper’s Luke Oliver and Hayden Davis 6-0, 6-1.
The Spartans’ No. 1 doubles team of Connor Jenkins and Dru Gresham fell in the title match to Montgomery Academy’s Hamilton Chapman and Whit Davis 7-5, 6-2.
Briarwood’s No. 3 doubles teams of Wan and Vance Hopkins also lost in the finals, falling to Montgomery Academy’s Jake Alford and Jackson Brown 4-6, 6-2 1-0 (3).
