Staff report
SALISBURY — Salisbury’s girls tennis team held serve at home in Wednesday’s showdown with West Rowan.
The Hornets won 7-2, although it was closer than it sounds. It was a day filled with tiebreakers. The Hornets won in straight sets at 4 and 6 singles, but lost at 1 and 5. The matches at 2 and 3 were thrillers decided by a handful of points. The Hornets swept doubles, where the toughest fight was at No. 2.
Both teams came into the match undefeated in the 4A/5A South Piedmont Conference.
With the NCHSAA’s dramatic reclassification for the 2025-26 school year, the Hornets (6-1, 6-0) have moved up from 2A to 4A, while West Rowan (5-1, 5-1) moved from 3A to 5A. The Falcons are one of the smallest 5As.
Salisbury dominated the Central Carolina Conference in girls tennis for decades prior to the switch to the SPC this season. The Hornets are in a more challenging tennis league now, and they graduated standouts Lucy Barr and Addison Griffith from their stout 2024 team, but they were successful against an experienced West Rowan team that appears to be their most serious competition in the SPC.
Teen Aron is the new coach for the Hornets this season. Salisbury dropped a non-conference match with North Stanly, but has been perfect in the SPC, usually cruising 9-0.
West’s Autumn Yount won at No. 1 singles, taking a 7-6 (7-2), 6-0 win against Meredith Williams.
West’s Finley Vanwassenhove won at No. 5 in a tight match with Campbell Aron. Vanwassenhove prevailed 7-6 (7-5), 6-3.
Lola Koontz secured a hard-fought win for Salisbury at No. 2 singles. Koontz won 6-2, 4-6, (10-4) against West’s Laney Moore.
Anna Kate Goodman got the win at No. 3 singles for the Hornets. She rallied to win against Olyvia Brown, who doesn’t lose often. Goodman won 2-6, 7-6 (12-10), (10-8) in the match of the day.
Salisbury’s Gabbi Fatovic won 6-2, 6-4 against West’s Lucy Moore at No. 4.
Salisbury’s Mary Masters Goodman won 6-1, 6-1 at No. 6 against Grace Flores.
Williams and Anna Kate Goodman won 8-2 at No. 1 singles against Yount and Laney Moore.
Koontz and Fatovic won 8-6 at No. 2 doubles against Brown and Lucy Moore.
Aron and Mary Masters Goodman won 8-3 against Vanwassenhove and Flores at No. 3 doubles.
•••
CHINA GROVE — South Rowan won at the top, but Carson’s depth led to a 6-3 win over the Raiders in Wednesday’s SPC action.
South’s Sophie Steedley won at 1 singles, while Audrey Daniel won at 2 singles for the Raiders (1-5, 1-5). Steedley and Daniel also teamed to win No. 1 doubles.
But the Cougars (3-3, 3-3) won the rest of the matches. Reagan Bradshaw, Ava Brown, Braylee Johnson and Bibi VanDerKlundert won singles matches.
Lainey Sifford-Brown and Johnson-VanDerKlundert were winning doubles teams.
•••
CONCORD — East Rowan lost 7-2 at Concord.
Concord (6-2, 4-2) had five players, so East (1-6, 1-5) won forfeits at 6 singles and 3 doubles.
