Autumn Yount. Photo by Jeremy Harrill.
By Mike London
Salisbury Post
MOUNT ULLA — West Rowan girls tennis coach John Brown had to think for a while when he was asked to name Autumn Yount’s biggest flaw.
“Well, too sweet, I guess,” Brown said with a laugh. “If she was a little meaner, she might have won a couple more.”
Yount was a long shot to be a standout high school tennis player. She’s has no background with formal lessons, and yet she was voted the South Piedmont Conference Player of the Year by the league’s coaches. She’s also the Post’s Rowan County Player of the Year.
It was a girls tennis season with three special No. 1 players in the county. Fortunately, all three were in the same league, so they were able to settle who was best on the court. Salisbury’s Meredith Williams had a terrific season, leading the Hornets to the conference championship and losing only twice in singles. Both of her regular-season losses were to Yount.
The third girl in the elite mix was South’s Sophie Steedley. Steedley split her two matches with Yount, rallying in a marathon match to hand Yount her only loss of the regular season. Steedley’s other two singles losses in the SPC were to Williams.
So Yount, 3-1 in singles against her two most serious competitors, gets the nod.
“Sophie is a really good player,” Yount said. “The match when I lost to her, I didn’t feel upset after that match because I knew I played well — she just played better that day. Sophie has solid strokes and is just so consistent.
“Meredith has a really tough crosscourt forehand. I followed the game plan against her. I was able to win by staying away from her forehand as much as possible. My memories of my matches with Meredith and Sophie are going to be good ones. They have good personalities. As much as we all wanted to win, we always had a lot of fun playing against each other.”
Tennis began quietly for Yount in middle school. She went out and hit with her father and enjoyed it. Sundays evolved into a regular day for father-daughter bonding time on the court. She hit often enough to become proficient at the game.
“I did take one formal lesson, but it was the first one and the last one,” Yount said. “It didn’t work out so well.”
So Yount arrived at West, still a little raw as far as her strokes, but with a love for the game and a determination to win her matches for her coach and teammates. She always seemed to win, no matter what, no matter how good the opponent looked. For a while, Brown expected her to struggle with some of the more experienced, polished players she was facing, but she didn’t struggle.
Yount played No. 2 as a freshman. She moved up to No. 1 as a sophomore and stayed there for the rest of her high school career.
“I’m sure she’s the biggest winner we’ve had during my time with the program,” Brown said. “She’s close to being that perfect kid. I think I’ve seen her get frustrated maybe once or twice in four years. She listens. She always does her best, competes her hardest. And she’s really smart in class.”
Payton Holt, a three-time Rowan County Player of the Year who went on to compete in college at Emory & Henry, was the last Falcon to win the countywide accolade. Holt swung a racket for the last time for Brown in the fall of 2018 and graduated in 2019.
“Payton was a really good player, took lessons, had really nice-looking strokes,” Brown said. “When you first watch Autumn hit, you don’t think she can possibly be on that kind of level. Most people don’t realize how good she is until after they’ve played her.”
Asked about her off-the-court activities, Yount doesn’t mention that she was West’s homecoming queen. She’s too modest for that. She does mention that she spends time with Future Farmers of America, public speaking and lifting weights. She’s also played soccer for the Falcons.
Yount has never been driven by the chase for a college scholarship. Tennis has been mostly about having fun for her, hanging out and playing with teammates who are some of her best friends.
“The best moment of the season for me wasn’t a singles match I won, it was when we won 5-4 against Oak Grove in the second round of the playoffs,” Yount said. “That was something we wanted as a team. We’re a close team. Not very much drama. I’ve played doubles with just about everyone.”
West (13-3) beat Oak Grove in the second round of the 5A dual team playoffs after earning a first-round bye with a strong regular season. The Falcons finished second in the SPC, with both league losses coming against Salisbury.
West was eliminated in the third round of the playoffs by Franklin, although Yount was able to win her singles match.
Yount won twice in the individual regional. She lost in the regional semifinal — in the match to go to the state tournament.
West’s No. 2 player Laney Moore is headed for Pfeiffer, but Yount hasn’t made a college decision and isn’t certain yet if her future will include more tennis.
“I had such a good season as a senior that I’m thinking I probably can play in college,” she said. “But I really don’t know yet.”
Brown knows one thing. He had a ring-side seat for a tremendous career.
“I can honestly tell you I never saw Autumn lose a match that she should have won,” he said. “And I saw her win an awful lot of matches she should have lost.”
All-Rowan County tennis:
Salisbury (5) — Meredith Williams, Lola Koontz, Anna Kate Goodman, Gabbi Fatovic, Campbell Aron
West (4) — Autumn Yount, Laney Moore, Olyvia Brown, Lucy Moore
East (3) — Katelyn Overcash, Caroline Quick, Mady Morris
Carson (2) – Caylee Sheets, Annabell Melton
South (2) — Sophie Steedley, Audrey Daniel
Player of the Year — Yount, West
Coach of the Year — Teen Aron, Salisbury
