Deerfield-Windsor girls tennis team finishes as state runner-ups

ALBANY — The Deerfield-Windsor girls tennis team finished just shy of their goal to capture the state tennis championship. Instead, the Lady Knights finished as the GISA Class AAA runner-up Thursday at the John Drew Tennis Center in Macon.

The Lady Knights won their first match against Westminster-Augusta with No. 3 singles player Sarah Perrine winning her match to help Deerfield-Windsor break the tie.

In the semifinals, the Lady Knights beat Weber, the defending AAA state champions, 3-2 with the winning match coming at the No. 2 doubles team of Katerina Mathes and Caroline Durland.

But Augusta Prep beat the Lady Knights in a hard-fought match for the championship. The Lady Cavaliers won the first match, DWS followed with a win, Prep answered with another win before DWS answered back with a win before Augusta Prep pulled out the final match for the victory.

The Deerfield boys finished in the top four in team competition by defeating Westfield 3-2. The No. 2 doubles team of Rob Pilcher and Nick Myers secured the win for DWS.

In the semifinals, the Knights lost a tough match to top-seeded Frederica Academy to end their season.

In the state individual tournament played earlier in the week, third-seeded Lilia Sullivan won her first match before losing in the state quarterfinals.

In girls doubles, Joyner Tyson and Gabby Perrino won a pair of matches before falling in the finals to finish as state runner-ups. Their teammates of Katerina and Stephanie Mathes won their first match before falling.

In boys action, Deerfield’s No. 1 doubles team of Will Calhoun and Tyler Lowe finished as the Class AAA state runner-ups.

Tyson and Pinnero were named to the girls all-state team, while Lowe and Calhoun made the boys team.