Brookstone tops Stratford in GHSA girls tennis final
When Stratford head coach Jaime Kaplan learned who her team’s opponent would be in the GHSA Class A Private girls tennis final, she wasn’t surprised. She also knew her girls were in for a tough match against Brookstone.
Stratford had already played twice against Brookstone, losing once in the regular season and again in the Area 1-A Private final. And despite a hard-fought effort Saturday, Stratford came up short, losing 3-0 at the Clayton County International Park Tennis Center.
“We’re so excited about being here,” Kaplan said. “We didn’t want to settle about just being here, but they had too much firepower for us.”
It was Stratford’s first trip to a state tennis final since the 2010 GISA Class AAA final.
“Last year in GHSA we lost in the first round, and this year we had three really tough matches to get here,” Kaplan said. “I’m so proud to be here.”
Brookstone won at No. 2 singles, where freshman Sammi Rice defeated Evans McCook 6-0, 6-0 to complete an unbeaten season.
Brookstone won both doubles matches. Lillie Patton and Abbie Dillon defeated Elizabeth Copelan and Lora Kate Diponzio 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1, and Abigail Pitts and Gracie Glass beat Emily Claire Fussell and Grace Adams 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2.
Brookstone’s Gracie Hemmings was ahead 5-4 in the first set against Eliza Freedman at No. 1 singles, and Stratford’s Jessica Gratigny and Rachel Hemmings and were tied at a set apiece when the match was stopped.
“We had lost to them twice, so we knew it was going to be an uphill battle,” Kaplan said. “But everyone came out with a great attitude, came out with a lot of confidence. Brookstone’s just the better team.”
Brookstone head coach Mary Lynn Cumisky warned her team to forget about their first two victories against Stratford.
“When we realized we were going to be playing Stratford, we knew that maybe we were the team that was supposed to win,” Cumisky said. “I told my girls, you can’t think, ‘Oh we beat them twice and we’re going to do it again.’ You’ve got stay focused and get out there and do your job and win the match. They were ready.”
Kaplan, who has coached 13 seasons at Stratford, called this team the closest she has ever had at the school.
“Even the coach from Brookstone was telling me that their girls were talking and how nice our team was,” Kaplan said. “I told our girls afterwards what the Brookstone coach said, and that’s a win in the game of life. It’s great to win, but things like that are really important.”
Also Saturday, Telfair County’s boys claimed the Class A Public title with a 3-2 win over Irwin County. Irwin County defeated Taylor County 3-1 in the Class A Public girls championship.
This story was originally published May 7, 2016 at 3:52 PM with the headline "Brookstone tops Stratford in GHSA girls tennis final."